Looking for a great, traditional style pub with a warm welcome? Look no further than the Fighting Cocks Inn Stottesdon. This little gem (not the lettuce) will be a delight to visit in the summer, with it’s beautiful views and rural location, but it’s pretty darn cosy at this time of year too, with welcoming fires roaring.
With mind altering carpets and crispy hop bines hanging from the rafters, there is little more that the traditionalist could demand. However, if your tastes are a bit more contemporary, I’d argue that the Fighting Cocks offers something a little extra, with a menu elevated beyond pub grub and a really great bar selection beyond beer.
What am I drinking?
You’ll find beautifully kept Shropshire beer on tap here. I enjoyed a cheeky half of Ludlow Gold and Salopian’s Darwin’s Origin. Both in the perfect prime of their lives, I’ll admit it opened my eyes to the skill of Salopian Brewery, who I may have been a touch too sceptical about in the past. The beers change reasonably regularly, so you can always get a taste for something new.
Sadly, food was not on during my visit. But they do offer a tempting sounding menu of quality home cooking. The Sunday lunches in particular sound hugely delicious, with Cleobury beef, Stottesdon lamb and other hyper local delights on the menu.
And that is really the heart of this pub. It serves the local community, but welcomes visitors too. It is cosy. Perhaps too cosy, I could easily have stayed there all day. The owners – I want to say Laura and Darren, but correct me if I’m wrong – are genuinely lovely, down to earth folk. You could not ask for better behind the bar. It’s clear they love what they do and really value their customers.
Thumbs up for the Fighting Cocks Inn, Stottesdon. You could do a lot worse.