Come see Stafford pub which combines good food, cheap drinks and cosy surroundings

A town centre pub can sometimes be an island onto itself at night time as it can be crazily busy at times, but then almost comatose at other times.

Plenty of pubs in towns like Stafford have had to work to build up a weeknight clientele and ensure that they can remain viable places for people to come to outside of a pre-theatre drink or a pint after work.

The work to make these pubs popular enough to venture into a town centre can take many forms, either through drinks promotions, large screens for sport or a wide ranging food menu.

One place which has worked to provide all three is the Butlers Bell in Stafford town centre.

Located on Gaolgate Street, the pub is owned by Davenports Brewery and was refurbished from what was a former Wetherspoons to become the first My Local pub in the county, which is the concept of a local pub that is accessible to anyone looking for a place to have a drink and meet friends. 

It has been open since February last year and is very large with plenty of tables, as well as a full wall of television screens for sporting events, as well as an adjoining area with a pool table and a full garden with a raised patio.

I was present at the launch night, where the great and good of Stafford businesses enjoyed canapes and free drinks, as well as a chance to meet Davenports managing director Baron Wayne Davenport.

That was nice and good to see the place at its busiest and most hectic, but I was interested to see what it would look like on a Tuesday evening in January when the weather was cold.

The pub isn't hard to find, with the distinctive blue and white My Local writing showing off the name of the pub, while the windows lit up the adjacent pavement with colour.

On a freezing winter evening, it was nice to walk in and feel the warmth of a large and open bar, with the big screens on the wall showing Monaco vs Aston Villa in the Champions League and the familiar click-clack of the pool table in the corner.

There are a few snug areas around the corner of the stairs for anyone wanting a quieter place to sit and drink on their own or with a date.

It wasn't massively busy, but there were a few people in watching the match and having a beer, as well as ordering food, so it would have seemed rude not to do the same and so I set to.

The bar has also the pub classics you'd expect, from Madri to Carling to Strongbow and Guinness, but also provides several drinks from the fine Davenports range like Davenports Original and Davenports IPA, plus plenty of options for the non-alcohol drinkers.

I settled for a pint of Guinness Zero and started looking at the menu to see what was good, while also taking in the aesthetic of the place. 

The blue tiling provides a light and calming effect on the walls, while it still carries the feeling of its previous life as a Wetherspoons, with the familiar bar setup and vast array of spirits on offer.

One bugbear of mine with pubs like this has been the music selection, which can be either generic modern stuff or an attempt to be hip or ironic with 90s dance or 80s kitsch, all played way too loud.

However, the Butlers Bell has got it right as it played a fine selection of noughties and 2010s indie, from Franz Ferdinand to the Kaiser Chiefs to the Zutons and the Wombats all heard during my stay there, and my toes were continually tapping.

I was also hungry and keen to fill my gut and this is where the Butlers Bell does well in my opinion as the food menu is a varied list full of treats, meats and good eats for people wanting breakfast, lunch, a snack or something more filling.

The small plates menu could also double as a starter menu if you wanted a bigger meal, with prawns, chicken wings and jalapeno poppers all up for choice, with three for £13 or five for £19 if that's what you want.

I picked the Curry Spiced Fish Goujons because I'd been to an Indian restaurant recently and had fish pakora, so this sounded like a nice way to start.

I received a bowl with four very large pieces of battered fish, as well as a pot of a yellow substance that I couldn't quite tell what it was, but discovered it was mustard which zinged with flavour and complemented the fish well.

The fish, to continue, was crispy and really nice, subtly spiced and melt-in-the-mouth and, on its own, would have been a good enough meal as they were very filling.

However, I was keen for a main course and a bit of spice, so looked over the detailed pub favourites menu, full of sausage and mash, fish and chips and buttermilk chicken, as well as the curry menu with meat and veg options and the pizza rolls, also veggie and meaty.

The burgers menu was the one which took my fancy, however, with Tuesday evenings promising a burger and pint for £12, so I chose the Piri Piri Chicken Burger as it promised a kick from the hot sauce on top.

It arrived gleaming with the light brown brioche bun (try saying that 10 times fast) covering grilled and succulent chicken breast, colourful coleslaw and glistening with hot sauce, as well as a mound of crispy chips.

While it didn't give that much of a spicy kick, my heat tolerance has risen significantly through consuming hot sauce with every meal and so I let that slide as the burger was very tasty, well cooked and nicely seasoned.

It was a nice burger and worth having as part of the deal with the pint, but just make sure you have napkins handy as it did get overly messy as I was eating it.

That left dessert and the Butlers Bell has a simple list of pub favourites, from cheesecake to sticky toffee pudding and ice cream, as well as my choice of the chocolate brownie with ice cream.

It was hot, gooey, indulgent and very rich and actually proved hard to finish, all signs of a good dessert.

The Butlers Bell is a pub which will do well as it provides a warm welcome, friendly and attentive staff who connect well with the customers, good music, sport on the big screens and a comfortable feeling.