Inside the Kidderminster pub with grand aims to rejuvenate the town through a friendly welcome and great food

There are plenty of pubs and bars in town and city centres across the region that have had to balance out being a place for a good pint with also being able to serve good food and being a hub for all people.

One pub which has taken on this ideal and made it work well is the Post House in Kidderminster, which is one of the My Local pubs owned by brewers Davenports and which has set out a goal of rejuvenating the pub scene in the town.

The brewers, who are based in Smethwick, have said that My Local pubs are all about delivering great value and more for the customers spend, from reasonably priced drinks to a large and diverse food menu.

That's the case with the Post House, which was previously known as the Red Man and was refurbished in 2022 by Davenports and renamed in reference to Rowland Hill, pioneer of pre-paid standard postage, who was born nearby in Blackwell Street in 1795.

Inside, the bar is light and airy, with the familiar blue tiling for Davenports on the wall, and it serves separate areas of a large single room, with meal tables, bench seating and a conservatory.

The extensive patio garden at the back has a large canopy and an enclosed children's play area.

It has been managed by Alex Nash since December 2023, with the Stourport native saying that he had wanted to run a pub in Kidderminster as he felt that the pub scene in the town needed a boost similar to what his home town had.

He said: "Stourport has always been a bit of a vibe town, whereas Kidderminster has kind of been in decline in the last few years, and I saw an opportunity to come in and take over the venue and try and build it up to the standard that Stourport has.

"What we've been doing seems to be working as the pub is getting busier and the town is starting to get a bit more buzzing and I think the rebrand definitely helped that as it brought that nice Davenports feeling, with generous pricing and a warm atmosphere.

"When people walk in, they can see that staff have a smile on their face and they love working here and I think it's very calm and warm and welcoming."

Mr Nash said the pub offered a different experience to a lot of other pubs in Kidderminster, saying that a lot of pubs were very real ale-centric, whereas the Post House offered a more rounded experience.

He said: "We cater to everyone and try and push the food as much as we can, with the deals such as a burger and a pint on a Tuesday, curry and pint on a Thursday and two meals for £15 from Monday to Friday, and I don't think there's another venue in town which offers these deals.

"Beer-wise, I think the most popular Davenports beer is either the IPA or the Gold on cask, while we also have Carling, Coors Light, Peroni and Madri as lagers, plus Davenports Continental lager.

"We have Caffrey's bitter and our own house bitter, as well as Guinness and Guinness Zero, plus a really good range of non-alcoholic drinks on offer, with the average price being between £4.70 and £5.40, plus a happy hour during the week between 12pm and 5pm which brings the price down about 40p."

The food offering at the Post House is curated to ensure there is something for everyone, from breakfasts to jacket potatoes and deep-filled sandwiches, burgers to small plates, as well as a very popular Sunday roast.

Mr Nash said that the Post House was going to be the pub which would help to rejuvenate the pub scene in Kidderminster by being a place for all people.

He said: "The Post House is the pub which is going to rejuvenate this town by bringing a sense of entertainment, safety and fun.

"It's where you'll go to have a really good night out at the weekend or a chilled one in the week and is where you've got all the sport offered to you, as well as the huge garden in the back.

"We will be holding barbeques and hosting a music festival and it's very much a place for everyone."