I don’t mind admitting that I’m one of those weirdo’s that will drink Tea in summer, eat Ice Cream in winter and eat a Sunday Roast year-round. On this particular Sunday, His Nibs and I were off to The Anchor Inn at Tideswell, and it was one of those blue-sky perfect mid-spring days that made the drive through the ‘Shire very pleasurable. Everyone was out walking or cycling, dogs were grinning happily and in The Anchor’s car park were collections of Austin Seven and Morris Minor classic cars, both of which were stunning to behold.
The Anchor’s Manager, Serena, had invited us along to sample the Sunday roasts that her team offer and, having had such a positive experience last time, we happily accepted. As well as the roasts, the Sunday menu offers a range of starters and iconic choices such as Lamb Shank, Steak and Ale Pie, Burgers, and Fish and Chips. My beady eye spotted the Cauliflower Cheese on the sides selection, and His Nibs was momentarily tempted by the Pigs-in-Blankets (both £4).
The first item on the agenda was for Holly to bring over our drinks: large glass of Chardonnay for me, and a pint of Madri for The Man. It was only as we were leaving that His Nibs clocked the fact that they serve Beavertown’s Neck Oil, which left him a bit gutted as it’s his fave tipple. Should’ve gone to Spec Savers then, eh, Boyo?!!
On this particular Sunday, the meats for the roast dinners were: Beef, Pork and Turkey (priced from £17), and I was just in the mood for a bit o’ beast (Beef) as my Granddad would’ve said. His Nibs cheekily asked if he could possibly have a slice of each meat and was assured that he could indeed. All the roasts at The Anchor Inn are served with homemade Yorkshire Pudding, Stuffing, Roast Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables and rich Gravy.
It wasn’t long before Holly was placing fully laden plates in front of us and asking if we needed any extra sauces whilst her colleague popped the piping hot bowl of Cauli Cheese down on the table. I asked if I could have a bit of Horseradish sauce and Holly soon returned with a pot of it for me, bless her. With no pre-amble, The Man and I tucked in, keen to satisfy our hunger.
Whenever I have Beef, it makes me happy when there is a distinct rosy tone at the centre of the slices, and it was there, clear as a bell, for all to see. Flavour-wise, it was majestic, and beautifully tender to the bite; this had been a jolly happy moo-cow, for sure! His Nibs was as thrilled as I with the Beef, and then he passed me the super-crunchy piece of crackling that had come with his huge slice of Pork. Both the Pork and the Turkey breast were moist and juicy, testament to Chef’s skill as they can both be easily over-cooked and dry out – definitely not the case here. I will just say that, if you go for a meat combo (or all three, like His Maj) then make sure you’re hungry enough to be chewing your knuckles, because you’ll be chowing down on plenty of protein!
Carrot and Parsnip were roasted to intensify their inherent sweetness and they had that comforting softness to them when bitten into. Equally fab were the well-seasoned, smooth-as-glass Mash and the golden, crisp-outered Roasties that revealed nutty tasting, pillow soft inners. Now I’m not the world’s biggest spud-lover, but both these offerings had me won over; obviously, His Nibs was bowled over by them (spudaholic that he is!). The seasonal veggies turned out to be Braised Red Cabbage and finely sliced Baby Leeks, and we loved the contrast in texture between them: the Red Cabbage was nicely soft with an earthy, sweet tanginess to it, whereas the Leeks were crunchy and had a brighter, gently oniony taste.
Stuffing isn’t one of my deal-breaking elements to a Sunday roast, but I know when one is good, and this small-but-mighty minx was packing a flavour punch. However, a decent Yorkie is one of the major players on any roast dinner plate, and a bad one can sully the whole meal! Thankfully, Chef at The Anchor Inn was all over his Yorkshire pud, producing that exquisite balance of crisp outer and rich, batter-tasting bottom: maximus yummius! Having recently eaten a dish that was swimming in gravy, I was very pleased to see that Serena and her team serve their extra gravy in a separate jug, ensuring that you can control how much or little you want with your food.
Cauliflower Cheese is one of the greatest foods known to man, in my opinion, and absolutely has to be ordered as an extra if it isn’t included as part of the roast itself. By my reckoning, there should be a law making its inclusion mandatory! Anyhow, we made the decision to just order one portion between the two of us, and there was certainly more than enough to share. The Cauliflower was still gently firm to the bite and the sauce was thick, silky and deliciously cheesy; honestly, this was the stuff of dreams, not least because of the golden, crisp cheese crust that topped it.
Whilst we’d steadily been chomping our way through the hefty amount of food, Holly had come to do a check-back and Serena came to our rescue, feeding the most gorgeous Stafford girl some treats. Those of you who are Staffie ‘pawrents’ will know exactly what I mean when I say ‘those eyes’ had been fixed on The Man and I whilst we’d been eating! This stunning dog gave incredible licks and cuddles, and her tail never stopped wagging.
For dessert, I chose the Caramel Apple Pie, opting to have it with pouring Cream, and The Man went for his beloved Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream. All puds are £7.95 and are homemade, with the exception of the Syrup Sponge and the Cheesecake.
The Caramel Apple Pie truly was a proper pie, having a buttery pastry bottom, sides and top; imagine an individual, savoury pie and it was like that…only sweet. Underneath its pastry confines lay slices of softened, unsweetened Apple, and I know some of you might be thinking that the sharp orchard fruit would need some sugar to temper it; trust me, the Caramel reined in its ardency and provided a great balance to the dessert. The Man Bird was tucking into a sizeable wodge of dark-toned, pleasingly dense sponge that had a great Toffee taste to it; more of the delicious Toffee came in the guise of an unctuous sauce that was poured around the bowl. Having been served adjacent to the warm pudding, the Vanilla Ice Cream was melting slowly and, combined with the Toffee Pudding, its rounded, mellow flavour complemented its richer cousin beautifully.
To complete our meal, I had a pot of tea and His Nibs had a black coffee. During our time, we’d seen large family groups come in (complete with high-chair needing toddlers and older children), the couple with that marvellous dog, and a group of older friends. Safe to say that Serena and her team at The Anchor Inn welcome everybody over their threshold. Hot Wings happily given to this great Tideswell venue again. To book a table, call 01298 871371 or visit www.theanchortideswell.co.uk and hit the ‘book a table online’ tab.
One last thing I’d like to mention, and I know Serena won’t mind, is that this wonderful lady has kicked Cancer’s Butt and has planned an event to not only celebrate a decade of The Anchor Inn, but also to raise funds for Ashgate Hospice, a place that does incredible work for Cancer patients and their families. The event will take place on Saturday 15th August 2026 from 2pm until late and, knowing Serena, will be an awful lot of fun!!!
The Anchor Inn at Tideswell is open Mon-Fri Noon-11pm, Saturday Noon-Midnight, and Sunday Noon-10pm. Food is served from Noon-8pm every day.
