Stafford Ale House

[db]

ok, i have read a few reviews for other places in stafford, i see there is a lot of opinions with out mentioning any pub, club, resturant name i would like to know what you think is best, class or comfort?? would you like to go to a new hip trenty bar thats is maybe bit pricey or a good old british pub with real ales/ciders and good fair priced food??

agree with the sentiments of others - i would much prefer a place more akin to the old pie & ale house than a "trendy" spot for hipsters..

i'm not as ardent as some other forumites - i'm not an ale drinker (guinness is my tipple of choice), and i have no problem with music of most varieties - i just want somewhere that is comfortable, cozy, and has decent food & drink for reasonable prices.. sausage & mash, freshly prepared chunky sandwiches, that sort of thing..

note, i said "reasonable", which doesn't necessarily have to mean "cheap"! more than happy to pay a couple of extra quid if the food is worth it

glad to see you getting stuck-in with the forum, as well

 

[basil]

I would be prepared to pay a few more bob for Pieminister Pies.........

 

[Glam]

I don't know if it's already been mentioned but,if you're having music,can it be set at a level where you can hear yrsen think please? There's nowt worse than havin keep shoutin in someones lugholes all night cos the music's all boom boom stuff. It would be nice to see the place as a 'proper pub',rather than go down the lines of the Castle Tavern just before it closed. I think the bloke running it wanted it be more like a trendy wine bar than a local pub. I agree with DB,good food,cozy and comfortable.

 

[db]

I don't know if it's already been mentioned but,if you're having music,can it be set at a level where you can hear yrsen think please? There's nowt worse than havin keep shoutin in someones lugholes all night cos the music's all boom boom stuff. It would be nice to see the place as a 'proper pub',rather than go down the lines of the Castle Tavern just before it closed. I think the bloke running it wanted it be more like a trendy wine bar than a local pub. I agree with DB,good food,cozy and comfortable.

indeed - i am a drum & bass/dubstep/metal/etc. fan, but when i go out for a drink and a bite to eat, i want to be able to enjoy the company i'm with & hear what they're saying!

obviously, at night time the volume can be turned up a little, natch

I would be prepared to pay a few more bob for Pieminister Pies.........

pieminister pies are ok, but i have to say i preferred it when pie & ale swapped to tiggy's (or whichever local supplier it was).. more variety, fresher pies - aycan even put a couple on the menu at our request (i.e. he was in direct contact with whoever created them, so ordered bespoke pies if he felt demand would be high enough)!

i, personally, would rather see good, local stuff, than pieminister pies (which you can buy in saino's and tesco)..

 

[Glam]

I have a hearing problem,which i've mentioned before. So going out for an evening is an enormous task for me - who plays loud music,Casa,Grapes etc. So i'm extremely boring and stick to pubs like Spoons,Butlers, The Yard.,cos it isn't nice not being able to hear the next day. It int that much of a problem that I need a hearing aid,but it becomes one if I put myself in that situation.

 

[Wormella]

I very much like the idea of somewhere offering free wi-fi - that would be a bid draw. I'm much more of a 'nice place for lunch' girl then I am a 'big night out' girl - Currently I like No. 15 or The Bank House for lunches, they've got an interesting selection of nice panini, proper baguettes, bagels, or wraps or something like that - It would be nice to have somewhere that isn't pub food, but does do bowls of chips, curly fries.

If you need to pull us in it also needs to have a good range of veggie options, more then just an apologetic mozzarella and tomato toastie. Thinking about, we used to go the the surgery a lot when it used to do food as it pretty much did the above.

I like nice cake, home made but not too fancy and decent selection of drinks, alcoholic and non alcoholic.

Music wise, a nice range of stuff in the day time, and I'm glad it's reopening because the function / space upstairs worked really well for events like The Ford Squad / Art Hole etc so it would be good to see that put to good use.

 

[tek-monkey]

Food wise I always thought the P&A was missing a decent pork pie, serve a tiggies one up with a few pickled onions and a bit of cheese and you'd be laughing. Could even almost buy to order as they are in the market next door. I did like the meat platters from the P&A. often shared one when I met a mate at lunchtime.

The main problem I can see is how small the kitchen is, a bit limited on what you can offer. Loving my slow cooker again recently, maybe do a random stew/casserole thingy as a special with a bit of chunky bread? Be easy enough to prepare away from the premises if required and put on first thing when you get in. Depends the type of eater you are after really, and I guess that sort of food is better in the colder weather?

 

[Gramaisc]

a comfy seat is all i could ever ask.
G x

I saw some seating through the window today and they looked as though they might be a bit more comfy than the previous ones - at least for those that don't bring their own pre-attached seat padding with them...

 

[Gadget]

I saw some seating through the window today and they looked as though they might be a bit more comfy than the previous ones - at least for those that don't bring their own pre-attached seat padding with them...

Lol i got plenty of my own padding, but when faced with a hard seat it can only cushion it for about an hour. Then there is my back....
Very pleased that it's going to be more comfy
G x

 

[Gadget]

Ooooo just thought of something. I don't think you'll be able to do anything about it though. Being a bit creaky, i use the downstairs loo, so have to go past the stairs. I will admit to finding the stairwell up extemely creepy and i'll even go as far as saying it scares me. No idea why, it's just a feeling i get everytime i'm there. It's worse when upstairs isn't used and it's dark.
Now i'm not expecting anything done as it's just me lol. Just wanted to say in case you ever see me practically running out of there lol.
G x

 

[Wolfenrook]

I used the upstairs gents once, I got lost coming out. lol

Admin, it's not just local businesses that use forums these days. One of the forums I own Allen Repashy of Repashy Superfoods (reptile and amphibian supplements and feeding products) joined to read feedback and answer questions about his products and amphibian nutrition. Repashy Superfoods are based in the US.... Small forums and their members have a lot to offer even big international companies, sometimes more than huge faceless forums.

Back on topic, I always avoided the P&A platters as they were too 'fancy'. Apart from Salami and a few cheeses I am not a fan of 'fashionable' stuff like parma ham, camembert etc. Heck, I can't stand blue cheese. I also felt their menu was too limited, heck even the option of chips with your pie would have been a BIG step in the right direction. You can do a suprising amount in a small kitchen with the right person cooking.

Ade

 

[United57]

Back on topic, I always avoided the P&A platters as they were too 'fancy'. Apart from Salami and a few cheeses I am not a fan of 'fashionable' stuff like parma ham, camembert etc. Heck, I can't stand blue cheese. I also felt their menu was too limited, heck even the option of chips with your pie would have been a BIG step in the right direction. You can do a suprising amount in a small kitchen with the right person cooking.

Ade

I think the PandA tried something different. It is a formula that a number of pubs in Manchester offer.

Whats wrong with no chips on the menu?

Parma ham and Camembert is not hardly fasionable today the opposite.

Also not to have a childrens menu is a good idea you can offer smaller portions!

 

[Trumpet]

The problem with children's menus is that you end up with children in the pub.

 

[tek-monkey]

The problem with no children in pubs is you lose all customers with kids, depends who your target market is. The greyhound thrives without kids, but that is one of the few pubs I can think of that does.

 

[Trumpet]

Personally I and several friends tend to avoid pubs that have kids in the bars.

 

[United57]

We have no smoking so why not no rug rats!!!

 

[tek-monkey]

If I was out to get pissed so would i, but if you are serving food its quite a large market to lose out on. Not sure of any local places that serve food but ban kids?

 

[Gramaisc]

Perhaps make parents stand outside - with the other pariahs ...?

 

[loveatfirstbite]

that staircase is creepy coz of the ghost of that guy from not stafford who killed ppl not in stafford and lived in that building for about 5 mins, yes yes?

 

[db]

I will admit to finding the stairwell up extemely creepy and i'll even go as far as saying it scares me.

it doesn't scare me, but i've fallen down the staircase before now, while under the influence back in the Surgery day

speaking of which, i see one can now double-drop in asda :

reach for the lasers!