GeoGuessr 2 – Wolseley Arms

We had now visited the point that we had been aiming for, the random location which just happened to be outside of the Wolseley Arms pub. So, since we were there, we thought that we’d pop in.

This was a handy way of getting some of the mud off our shoes…. And nice to know that we were welcome.

There was a homely feel to the pub, although it was clearly food orientated and was busy given that it was the Saturday before Christmas. However, we were told we were welcome to sit in the bar area, which was small, but met our needs for the visit.

It wasn’t the most extensive beer selection, although the Pedigree was acceptable enough and was well kept and tasted as it was meant to.

I’m big on food pairings where we match beer to food, with the crisps working well with the flavours of the beer. Although crisps match nearly every food in my experience. Other than vegetables, where the crisps are better on their own. And don’t get me started on vegetable crisps, a pointless exercise in snack based products.

The pub had a rich history, although not much is evident from the interior that I saw. It was originally a coaching inn, with apparently space at one time for 100 horses, with the location also being used as a staging post, which all came to an end with the advent of the railways. During the nineteenth century, and until 1952, the pub was known as the Roebuck when its name was changed to the Roebuck & Wolseley Arms and in 1963 it took its current name.

I had a little look at their TripAdvisor reviews, which are mostly food related given that is the main focus of the pub.

“My Gammon was edible if you like tough meat and have strong wrists.”

They’re selling it….

“Two small asparagus spears and a small croquette – hardly a starter!!”

I can imagine Richard saying this. Although there’s a review of a burnt silly little sausage which sounds as though Richard has written it.

“The toilets are horrific and a hole in the ground would have been sanitised.”

Nice…. I would say at this stage that most reviews of the pub are positive, I just like the turn of phrases used on some of the negative ones.

“One very thin slice of pork,soggy carrots with burnt edges,stodgy lump of Yorkshire pudding,insipid cabbage,three allegedly roast potatoes,they could have been anything,as they were jet black. small piece of cold bacon.”

Sunday lunch sounds delicious. Although as the pub notes, this customer said that they had been many times before and been pleased and didn’t complain when they were actually sitting at the table with the food. So, I’m with the pub on this one.

What I’m not with the pub with is their policy (well, the policy of Vintage Inns as it’s part of a chain) to give 25% off food for much of the week to those holding Gourmet Society cards. They might offer this to loyal customers as well for all I know, but I’d rather they just gave these discounts to everyone rather than messing about with these offers deluged out to customers who might not be loyal.

We didn’t stay for a long period, only around 25 minutes, as we were conscious that we had to walk back to Rugeley and there were a couple more pub stops to be had there. But, we were made welcome throughout this visit and there was a friendly farewell as we left. I think that was done out of courtesy, not just because they were pleased that we had left.