THIS week Pub Spy went for a good old carvery.

I had a great time at The Plough and Harrow in Drakes Broughton. It is only a 10-minute drive from Worcester and I recommend you give it a go.

The décor is beautiful. It is clean and spacious with wooden beams and a nice traditional look. There are big fireplaces and other character features. With all the Christmas decorations up it feels really warm and cosy inside.

Although it was a Sunday lunchtime and the pub was packed out, my partner and I noted how it had a nice calm atmosphere and we didn’t feel rushed in any way.

It also didn’t feel noisy. I cannot stand it when a pub plays music too loudly and you have to shout to have a conversation.

It completely ruins a meal for me and really annoys me. But at The Plough and Harrow the volume was just right.

The staff were very friendly and helpful.

The food is what really sells it. There was a carvery available as well as a normal menu. I recommend the carvery because it was brilliant.

This is probably one of the best carveries I have seen because it had everything, not just the obvious things like good crispy roast potatoes, carrots, cabbage, parsnips, Yorkshire pudding and stuffing, but a few other options such as leeks, cauliflower cheese, swede mash, and finally red cabbage, my favourite.

It was all fresh and nicely cooked and it all tasted really good. There were no frozen or tinned items in this carvery.

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I apologise if my photo isn’t particularly pretty, but it is hard to make a roast look attractive when there is so much piled on the plate. I did try to take a good photo.

There was a woman in the queue who requested gluten-free food, while her partner was dairy free, and the staff were more than happy to point out all the things they could and couldn’t have. And although they were limited somewhat due to their dietary needs there were still enough sides to make a decent plate of food.

You can choose between a small carvery for £12 or a regular for £14 depending on your appetite.

There is a choice of turkey, pork and beef or the vegetarian option of a vegetable wellington which I went for. I was a tiny bit sad that there wasn’t a nut roast, my favourite vegetarian option, but what they did offer sounded nice and I enjoyed it.

At the centre of my wellington was really nicely cooked tangy sweet vegetables and it was encased in a huge amount of puffed up pastry which was a little bit too much and I didn’t quite manage it all.

The pastry wasn’t hugely tasty – but I am picky when it comes to pastry. Underneath it was lovely, though, and I did enjoy my meal.

My partner had the steak and kidney pie with creamy mash for £12, and he had absolutely no complaints. It was delicious.

There are a choice of starters on the menu including calamari, soup of the day and chicken pate, all pretty reasonably priced.

I had half a coke which was £2.60 and my partner had a pint of Orchard Thieves cider which he said was light and very refreshing. The overall bill came to £31.10.

I heartily recommend this pub for the food, the price and the overall experience.

RATINGS

FOOD: 8/10

DRINK: 7/10

DECOR: 8/10

ATMOSPHERE: 9/10

STAFF: 9/10

TOTAL: 8/10