Review: The Talbot, Newnham Bridge

All over the land the same story is played out. A country pub closes, typically a tired boozer beloved of the village, and like a phoenix from the ashes it re-opens as a country hotel with cosy rooms, period features and an aspiring dining room. Some pay lip service to their old role by leaving a bar in place with a handful of barstools, while out go the Carlsberg and Strongbow and in come the local real ales. Others make sure they are still quite definitely the local pub, albeit with a fancy new menu and much better toilets.

In a way this is a circle. Most of these country pubs were born as coaching inns, providing comfortable rooms and good vittles for the travelling man of business. The world got smaller, the cities got bigger, and the grand coaching inns settled back on their haunches to become local boozers. If they kept rooms, it was a sideline. One by one they succumbed to the squeeze of the big Pub Co’s and the retreat of drinkers back to the comfort of their own homes. Leaving a place for coaching inns to be reborn, now providing comfortable rooms and good vittles to the affluent weekenders taking a break from their city lives. And with luck, providing a local boozer to boot.

The Talbot at Newnham Bridge is a good example of this story, opened just this summer with a flock of rooms and a menu that suggests they’re not trying to chart new culinary territory or win any foodie merit badges, just provide well presented and tasty grub to locals and visitors alike. They’ve also made certain that it is still a pub.

It looks like there’s a more formal dining room, but as the menu is the same we ate in the pub part, renovated to the epitome of cosy tavern character. Burgundy walls, quarry tiles and plenty of exposed timber mightn’t break new ground, but there’s lots of good details here in both the furnishings and the décor. Definitely not assembled from a catalogue. Service was friendly, although we were amused by the guy whose job description clearly included “bring drinks orders to tables” but definitely excluded “remove empty glasses from tables” – that was always done by whoever else appeared next. How about the food?

My starter was bubble and squeak, with a good rasher of back bacon and a poached egg. The whole was plated very neatly, and was delicious. Maureen picked scallops with a green peppercorn risotto. The scallops were cooked right, but could have used more caramelisation, the risotto was a lively green and very good. However, the peppercorns were also very lively and plentiful; a few mouthfuls in and any hope of tasting scallop was gone.

For main I chose the roast lamb, and it was a few juicy slices of lamb served up with a creamy slab of gratin potatoes and some very rich confit tomatoes. I would have wished it pinker, but it hit the spot. The wilted lettuce leaf made sense to complete the ensemble, just isn’t my taste. Gravy slightly too unctuous, though good in taste. Maureen’s burger was a big’un, which along with the pile of mammoth chips made her plate of food perhaps 50% bigger than mine. The beef was top notch, but although juicy the burger was more well-done than the medium promised. Chips were good, though I’ll admit I’ve had plenty better.

I somehow managed to tuck away a plum crumble for pudding. It was pure rusticity, and had just the right balance of plump fruit to buttery crumble, with a good scoop of very ginger ice cream on top. While I digest that I must mention a couple of minor hiccups. Maureen’s starter came with a good sized shred of clingfilm, which is an accident that really shouldn’t happen. And our mains emerged within seconds of the starters being cleared, which suggests that although open for 10 weeks now there’s still some timing to polish.

What’s best about the Talbot is the pub itself, it’s a great renovation of a lovely building and you’d have to enjoy an evening out with friends here in rural Worcestershire. You wouldn’t be disappointed by the food either, if you’re after a decent dinner of pub favourites. Prices are bang on, three courses being around £25 without drinks and wines being around £4-£5 for a glass.