I went to a Staffordshire pub which has become a foodie's paradise to enjoy good food, a welcoming atmosphere and a few festive cocktails

With the festive season ramping up towards Christmas Day, eateries across the region have been pulling out all the stops to bring in customers and provide them with a memorable experience.

From custom festive menus to unique cocktails, it has been a time for restaurants, pubs and other eateries to put on a good spread and provide a wide range of choice.

One place which has been doing this particularly well is the Littleton Arms in Penkridge, a pub which has always been a popular spot for food and drink, but which has kicked it up a notch in recent times.

The pub, which is owned and run by Davenport’s Brewery, has become a must-see location for foodies since the head chef Kieran Delap started in June.

In addition to all the pub classics, he has bought together a series of menus that embraces the flavours and generosity of street food, in addition to fusion a la carte dishes with flavours from across the globe that deliver on taste, style, and substance.

This includes the new winter menu, which is packed full of dishes such as the likes of a 24oz Tomahawk, Monkfish and Lamb Shank dishes served up to diners and a limited-edition festive menu full of roast turkey, honey-glazed salmon and camembert bites.

As someone who appreciates a good meal and who likes to test whether it’s as good as it sounds, I took the opportunity to travel over to Penkridge on a Saturday evening with my mum Diane to see how good it was.

The pub itself is not hard to find, sitting in a prominent position on the A449 heading through the village, a temple of white stone, decking and more than a few flowers on the exterior.

Having parked up, we walked inside to find a very busy bar, full of locals and people who may have travelled over on the train, Penkridge station being just a short walk away, and with a convivial and friendly atmosphere in the air, full of laughter and jokes.

Every area of the pub was busy with people sitting and eating and chatting and just enjoying the warming feeling of the pub, with plants and flowers visible on the beams and bars, as well as festive decorations all over the pub.

There were also decorative cart wheels and lots of vivid wallpaper which helped you to feel comfortable, which the background noise of a singer and guitar helped to provide a nice atmosphere all around.

We were led through about four different areas in the pub to a table in the corner of one of the rooms, set next to a Christmas tree (tis the season and all that), and surrounded by at least two Christmas parties, full of people drinking in the season and enjoying the menus on offer.

I’d seen the menu in passing beforehand, but as I ordered my zero-alcohol Guinness (driving duties mean no alcohol) and mum a glass of red, I found myself getting lost in the moment as the main dinner menu is very, very detailed.

The starter menu alone would be enough to fill your stomach, such are the delicious options on offer, from pan-seared king scallops to chicken liver and port pate, Nduja and buffalo mozzarella stuffed dough balls and, if you’re either in a large group or extremely peckish, there’s the surf and turf feast, full of prawns, beef, haddock goujons and lamb shoulder samosas.

Resisting the urge to order everything on the menu and find I couldn’t move afterwards, I went for the intriguing-sounding Korean fried cauliflower, while mum ordered the honey and sesame baked camembert sharer for both of us.

Both turned out to be excellent choices as the cauliflower was tangy, zinging with flavour and sharpness, while the camembert was a nice treat, with large pieces of sourdough bread alongside pigs in blankets and a delightful chilli jam that even my mother, who doesn’t do spice at all, found to be very tasty.

The mains menu is a real melting pot of good food, from the tandoori chicken skewers to the slow braised shin of beef rigatoni and the duo of venison, and that’s before we get to the burgers and the various grills on offer.

This includes the 24oz Tomahawk steak and what is called the Butchers Block, full of three big cuts of steak, chips, sauces and all other kinds of filling items.

I was tempted by going for the 24oz Tomahawk steak, which would have been a massively filling and meaty treat, but I decided to be sensible for once and, while I wanted to have a steak, let’s not go mad.

I, instead, ordered the 16oz T-Bone steak with a beefy sauce, chips and mushrooms, following the instruction on the menu to have it cooked medium rare, while mum went adventurous and ordered the Moroccan lamb shank, replete with chickpea and aubergine tagine, harissa cous cous and a wide range of seasoned vegetables.

I could see my steak coming from a mile away, such was the size of it, as well as smell the wonderful grilled smelled emanating from it, and it arrived on a big place full of stuff, from the small tankard of beefy sauce to the mushrooms and salad on the side and the punnet of chips.

While my meal was a pub classic, mum’s meal looked like something you’d find at a high quality restaurant in Marrakech, full of colour and with a really nice, warming and spiced smell to it.

I’m pleased to say the steak was excellent, really flavourful with every bite and with that smoky grilled texture, and was complemented nicely with the excellent sauce and the fresh and fluffy chips, which were cooked twice.

Mum loved her meal as well, saying how the lamb was soft and full of seasoning and came off the bone easily. She also said and, for once, I had to agree that the tagine was actually quite spicy, but not in an overly hot way, more with a subtle kick to it.

I did get to try some of the lamb, and I’ll heartily agree that it was an excellent meal, but I was happy with my choice and, I’m not going to lie, quite full at the end.

While we didn’t order desserts (no more room to fit it in), mum did have a cocktail from the Christmas menu, with the Baileys Martini the winner on this occasion, a mixture of Baileys, Grey Goose Vodka, Cold Brew and double cream and topped with edible gold.

It sounds indulgent, it was indulgent and proved to be a nice finish to an excellent meal in a place which looks busy, but doesn’t feel uncomfortable or rushed, with excellent service from the personable and knowledgeable staff making it a pleasant experience all around.

If you come, come with an empty stomach and an open mind of what you might want as, I promise you, you will get lost in the delicious options on offer.