Fabulous country pubs somewhere between south Wales and Birmingham

[MaryMotherOfCheeses]

Ideally:

In a village, so we don't have to drive to our bed

Good range of proper beers (none of your Fosters rubbish)

Serving half decent food but not necessarily posh.

Possibly with rooms (though we don't mind staying nearby)

Forest of Dean, Malvern, Cotswolds perhaps?

Oh, gwaaaan. Someone knows of the perfect pub in these parts. You do, don't you?

yes I do, give me a mo

We're travelling to the big north (ie Manchester) and fancied a night sans DS en route.

here

but also look at this one here that takes kids over seven IIRC

If no ds i'd go for the saracens- mega gorgeous last time I was there, right on river front

It was when the kids menu featured asparagus risotto I fell in love LOL

they've since raised minimum age so ds3 / 4 can't come, but one day oh yes.....

That's what we had Sal. I tried to bok last year though as DH wanted to go for an occasion and was turned away due to young kids.

That's funny, we were thinking of the Saracen's head

Great minds...

I'm fancying options though. Am wondering about somewhere a bit further north perhaps?

What's the evening menu like?

DH is looking very disparaging at the thought I could be trying to research somewhere else.

Maybe it's just pub porn I'm after.

Malvern Hills Hotel -great location on the Malvern Hills, good food, real ales (including some excellent local ones according to DP)

Nags Head -in Malvern so not country pub . Gets very busy but great food and lots of real ales. If you consider here though give them a ring first as they used to have a strange policy of not taking bookings in the restaurant

The Bell at Alderminster - Alderminster is scraping as Coteswolds Food is really good - have no idea whether they serve dc?

It is 20 miles at a push from B/ham

Did I tell you the food is really good and they do serve dc silly me I have taken mine there and they do half size portions of there food for children.

they cook everything on the premises appart from the bread.

I do beleive they have rooms? Not sure its late.

Gosh, that Malvern Hills place doesn't look the type to be Camra recommended. I see no men with beards there!

I've a funny feeling I've been to the Nags Head....

Bell

Yes they do have rooms

You would be near the motorway

The Nags head is in Peckam

MaryMotherOfCheeses (excellent name BTW) -were you in a drunken haze at the time, hence the uncertainty?

If you've been out for a drink in Malvern chances are you've been there as its one of the few places thats worth going to

I would second the Skirrid Inn, tis lovley.
Lots of lovely place in Ludlow too?

Oooh, tell me more about Ludlow.

What's it like of an evening? Does it get a bit, you know, teenagery?

I've found [[http://www.thebellald.co.uk/index.html The Bell]'s own website.

Looks very lovely.

here

No Ludlow is the foodie place outside of London.

A few Michelin starred resturants, but lots of other nice places to eat too. Am struggling to remember names of places there tho, but vvery very pretty.