Beautiful food and affordable prices at The Nelson Inn, Burntwood – review

This beautiful pub is nestled down the wooded country roads of Burntwood, in very close proximity to Walsall, Aldridge and Lichfield, and it absolutely blew me away. I honestly can’t believe I hadn’t heard of it sooner.

It was a Wednesday night at 7pm and the dining area was full. I later understood why.

Walking in, we were greeted by a friendly face who took us to our table. The tables were a little close together but laid wonderfully, with the neutral colour scheme of the wood and napkins fitting in well with the luxury but rustic vibe of the restaurant.

We were quickly brought over some drinks, which the waiter memorised and got exactly right. There were four of us, my mum, dad, and little sister.

My mum and I like a glass of sparkling water, both with a lemon slice, but only mine with ice.

Little sis had a cool, refreshing Fanta - which was the real stuff, by the way - and my dad tried a pint of Tribute.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was happy and relaxed, and although we had just sat down, I knew there were great things to come.

There were two menus to look at, the big, main menu which had all your starters, mains, sides and drinks on, and a smaller set menu clipped to a wooden board.

On the main menu were your classic pub dinners such as cod and chips, gammon and egg, but also some sexy stuff like Steak and Red Wine Pie with baby onions, mushrooms and a puff pastry lid, Steak Burger topped with smoked streaky bacon, cheese, pickles and burger sauce, and Seabass fillets pan seared with king prawns, chorizo and sundried tomatoes.

The set menu offered one dish for £12 and two for £16, which was a generous deal, because some of the main courses cost around £17 on their own, and there was not a huge difference in the portion sizes.

My mum and I opted for the two-course set menu deal. For my starter, I chose the salt and pepper chicken with grilled peppers and onions, and my Turkish mum went for the lamb kofte with flatbread and a mint yoghurt sauce.

They arrived within 15 minutes and we were nice enough to share them with dad and little sis, who chose to just order a main course.

The first thing we noticed was the perfect presentation, despite both being of such a generous portion.

The chicken was crispy, hot and fresh with juicy and flavourful vegetables and a good kick of garam masala, which worked really well.

Usually I like some kind of garlic mayo or aioli with crispy chicken, but the veggies were so succulent that a sauce wasn’t needed. A few more of said veggies would have been nice, but honestly, the size of the portion was almost big enough to be a main course.

Oh my, the lamb kofte was absolutely phenomenal. Mum admitted that it was even better than hers… so that’s how you know it was good.

The meatballs were juicy and packed with flavours of onion, garlic, and just really good meat. It paired perfectly with the soft flatbread and fresh mint yoghurt. A truly sensational dish.

Onto main courses. As part of the set menu, I chose the freshly battered mini fish and chips, and mum chose the rump steak cooked rare.

Off the main menu, little sis went for the steak burger (yes, obviously I was a bit jealous) and dad went for the full size fish and chips.

All four main courses were hot, perfectly cooked, and came with home made chips which were probably the best I have ever had in a restaurant - crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.

Though my fish was a mini, it was a very substantial portion. The difference between mine and dad’s was that his fish was longer and the dish came with half a grilled lemon. He did let me have some of it - there’s something about a grilled lemon which is just so delicious, try it next time.

Mum’s steak was beautiful; so juicy and flavourful. It came with a little jug of peppercorn sauce which was barely touched because the meat was just so good on its own.

The steak burger was quite a spectacle, with cheese and burger sauce dripping down the sides, crispy bacon sticking out, and huge onion rings sat on top of a seeded brioche bun. It goes without saying that my sister thoroughly enjoyed that burger.

Finally, dessert. The sweet menu wasn’t quite as extensive as I had hoped it would be, but I recall the waiter saying that it changes quite frequently - how exciting.

Yes, there were a lack of hot desserts on there, and the usual classics such as chocolate brownie or sticky toffee pudding were missing, but there were some pretty strong choices otherwise. Key lime pie, lemon tart, and salted caramel cheesecake were some of the options, but we decided to have a warm apple cobbler with custard, and toffee profiteroles with chocolate flakes.

The cobbler was hot, sweet and comforting, with a cinnamon taste, soft pastry and very nice custard. The profiteroles came with plenty of fresh Chantilly cream and a delicious toffee sauce drizzled over the top, sprinkled with chocolate flakes. Both dishes were finished with fresh raspberries, which was a nice touch.

All in all, I would highly recommend this wonderful restaurant to anyone.

The gentleman who served us made us feel like we were in no rush, and was happy just having a lovely chat with us.

The food was fresh, very fairly priced, and just absolutely delicious. I would say more hot desserts and slightly spaced out tables would give the restaurant a full five stars, but overall it is a brilliant country pub.

Sample menu

Starters:

Salt and pepper chicken wings - alone £12, with a main £16

Lamb kofte - alone £12, with a main £16

Main courses:

10oz rump steak and chips - alone £12, with a starter £16

Freshly battered mini cod and chips - alone £12, with a starter £16

Desserts:

Toffee profiteroles - £6.50

Apple cobbler - £6.50