"You Choose" — Barnt Green Inn

Venue: The Barnt Green Inn, 22 Kendal End Road, B45 8PZ; website
Choice: Duck liver parfait (£6.50) Chooser: Waiter

If you're looking for a country pub reachable by rail, few are more Thomas-friendly than the Barnt Green Inn, a seven-minute stroll from the village's station. But is it any good? After an eye-bath inducing refurb, the restaurant, bar and pub (there are distinct feeling areas) looks super-swish and is certainly aiming at the top of the market it used to attract, with a new menu and even bigger emphasis on food than it previously had. There are velvet and satin furnishings. A dark, classy, evening palette. Oysters and octopus are even on the mahousive carte. There's also still Doombar on draft, a trio of roasts (£17.95) you can chomp through on Sundays and anything-goes sort of dress code (we wore wellies... long story). And this mish-mash seems to be working, with the village spot catering more than 300 covers the day before we visited. This tale of two restaurants was hugely evident from our meal: a right nice presented parfait (£6.50) and scallops (£11.95) kicked off proceedings — the duck liver mousse coming with well-spiced fruit chutney and daintily splayed gherkin. The roast and rotisserie chicken mains were good not great, quantity winning out over quality here. The wheels came off with dessert and the grandly titled Ambassador's Melting Chocolate Bomb (£8.95) that neither melted nor tasted particularly chocolatey. Back in the plus column, the service was excellent throughout — assured, knowledgeable and the right amount friendly — the best we've had in 2020. And whether stopping off for a pint mid-walk or celebrating a big birthday with all the extras, everyone in the Barnt Green Inn seemed happy, which, two days after reopening, is impressive.