Star rating: **** It was A frosty winter’s evening and we walked shivering through the door. The first sight that greeted us was a roaring log fire in a huge grate.
The welcome from landlord Phil Kelly and his regulars at the bar was equally warm. The real ale was well-kept, the food excellent and the atmosphere stimulating.
In fact, the Dickin Arms is everything you could want in a village pub - and more.
The ‘more’ part is, for instance, that my wife Vanessa asked for a gin and tonic and Phil offered her a choice of a dozen different varieties of gin. He has even more types of whisky, reflecting his passionate personal interest in the subject of distilling.
Phil and wife Norma previously ran the Horse & Jockey in nearby Northwood for three years and turned it into one of the most successful pubs in the area. However, the couple were keen to buy their own freehold freehouse and purchased the 314-year-old Dickin Arms last spring.
Having visited the couple at the Horse & Jockey two years ago and been hugely impressed, Vanessa and I were keen to see whether they had transferred the same high standards to the Dickin Arms. We were not disappointed.
We mulled over the expansive, well put together menu over a drink in the glow of both fire and conviviality in the beamed lounge bar. We then went through to the compact dining room with its tasteful lighting and modern furnishing for what proved to be an excellent meal.
Vanessa started with black pudding, a delicacy unusual to find outside a breakfast menu, but part of an imaginative dish for £4.50.
The pudding was mixed with sautéed tomato, sat on a fried bread crouton sandwich with a port and Cumberland dressing. The piquant dressing, pudding and fried rustic bread combination proved unusual and delicious. Vanessa described it as rich, juicy and “so so naughty”, as the diet suffered a blow.
I chose deep-fried breaded camembert cheese, with cranberry sauce and salad garnish (£3.95). This has become something of a pub staple over the past few years and was excellently done here, the creamy strength of the cheese perfectly offset by the slight tartness of the sauce and the refreshing garnish.
Other starters included chicken liver paté (£3.95) with a hint of brandy and herbs, served with brown toast, Moules marinieres (£5.95) cooked in a white wine, onion and parsley sauce and served with crusty bread, and homemade garlic mushrooms (£3.95), which features sliced mushrooms in a garlic, white wine, parsley and cream sauce with crusty bread.
Being a Somerset girl, Vanessa chose Somerset chicken (£10.25) for her main course. This was sliced chicken breast topped with cheese and bacon in sage, apple, rosemary, mushroom and cider sauce. It provided a plateful of autumnal flavours, very welcome on a chilly winter’s evening - pub grub to nosh in front of a log fire.
I opted for Boozy Beef Pie (£9.25) with rich chunks of beef soaked in real ale gravy and topped with puff pastry. The meat was tender and the buttery pastry melted in the mouth. Sumptuous.
Other mains from an amazing choice of 30 that tempted us were green Thai chicken curry (£7.95), roasted lamb Henry (£10.95) and jumbo battered cod (£8.50).
For dessert, Vanessa opted for Eton Mess (£3.95), a hangover from the summer menu which provided a light and sweet finale with its combination of raspberries, meringue and cream.
I chose bramley apple pie with custard (£3.95), a warming winter sweet that rounded off the meal perfectly, along with a cup of freshly ground coffee.
A delightful evening.
ADDRESS
The Dickin, Loppington, near Wem
Tel 01939 233471
MENU SAMPLE
Starters
Thai King prawns wrapped in filo pastry served with sweet chilli dipping sauce and salad (£4.95), melon and Parma ham with fruit coulis (£4.75).
Main courses
Half roast Gressingham duck with orange and Cointreau sauce (£12.95), 8oz poached salmon fillet with bearnaise sauce (£9.25), 10oz sirloin steak with onion rings, tomato, mushrooms and homemade chips (£11.95).
Desserts
Lemon meringue pie with fresh cream (£3.95), chocolate fudge sundae (£4.25), ice cream with Tia Maria, Amaretto or Baileys (£4.25).
ATMOSPHERE
Lively and welcoming.
SERVICE
Friendly and efficient.
DISABLED FACILITIES
Easy access - no flights of stairs.
By Neil Thomas
One Comment
A much better review than that of the Dhaka. The reveiwer has taken time to investigate the management, the history of the establishment and describes the food well. I could have done with slightly more detail about the food, and certainly constructive culinary criticism where deserved (any lazy chef serving puff pastry instead of shortcrust with any savoury pie deserves to be strung up) but you can’t expect AA Gill in every local paper. More of this reviewer, less of the other please.