Fox and Anchor pub review, Coven on Staffs and Worcester Canal

Fox and Anchor pub at Coven

Staffs and Worcester Canal

18th October 2009

I regard the Fox and Anchor as my local pub, which is strange because it lies a good 18 miles from my home. The thing is, it is the closest pub to Calf Heath where Wand'ring Bark lives, and is about 40 mins cruising away which is just about right for a short trip out.

I never feel the Fox and Anchor presents its best face to the canal, with a lot of whitewashed outbuilding walls and a couple of huge steel chimneys which billow smoke from the grills beneath. But venture round the corner it presents a very different face.

If you can gauge a pub's welcome by the size of its logpile, the Fox and Anchor is welcoming indeed.

However, the real attraction lies within. This is a foodie pub which draws in punters from miles around. In the summertime they throng the decking which overlooks the canal, and in the winter they huddle round the numerous log fires, with each table in its secluded little nook or crannie. The menu isn't all that extensive but the food they serve is all of an excellent standard. My personal favourite is the beefburgers made out of scottish beef - hmmm.

The drinks arn't bad either. A good selection of wines and beers, plus two or three guest ales for those who fancy something a little different.

Get in early if you want a table, but once a spot has been bagged you can be assured of quick and polite service, and a final bill which won't break the bank. Take last night : two pints each, a three course meal and we still had change from £40.

Perhaps the best way to see the pub from the water is at night.