This gastropub is owned by film and TV star Neil Morrissey. There could be no mistaking that this is the pub owned by Neil Morrissey, given the amount of mentions of Neil Morrissey on pretty much every available surface at Plume of Feathers with Nick Morrissey.
Yes, his name is there on all the pub signs outside: Plume of Feathers with Neil Morrissey. When you walk through the door there are old family photos of the star and a fascinating full biography of Neil Anthony Morrissey from his early years in Stoke through to national film and TV success.
All the menus bear a silhouette of his face, while at the bar you can order a pint of his very own Morrissey Blonde pale ale (which is very nice actually).
Alongside the bar there’s a giant wooden plaque saying “Men Behaving Badly – Gary and Tony” in homage to perhaps Morrissey’s most famous role in the 1990s comedy alongside Martin Clunes. On a walk to the toilets I discover more lovely pictures of Neil, one cuddling his pet dog, beneath a slogan that reads “men to the left because women are always right”.
He’s even framed and put on display in the bar the Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) he undertook back in 2009 to pay off debts from a previous property firm he owned.
You can probably get the picture by now that this is a heavily Neil Morrissey-themed pub. But it’s a credit to the man, and his team, that when it comes to the food and drink here there’s no gimmick. It’s just classic pub food and ambience and it’s done really, really well.
When I arrive on a Sunday afternoon to the village of Barlaston in Staffordshire, the pub is packed – which tends to be a sign that you’re on to something good.
It’s a pretty large space inside and I’m very glad I booked in advance because my family was shown to the one vacant table in the entire place, overlooking a bowling green at the back.
With both the kids and their grandparents in tow, we settled ourselves down around our large oval table, that had a sign bearing “HMS Bounty – Matthew Quintal” above it.
Morrissey’s superfans will no doubt know that is the role he played in 1984 movie The Bounty alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson. But to make my kids’ eyes light up and gasp in wonder I instead say: “Guess what, the man who owns this pub is Bob the Builder!”
The pub’s website is similarly proud of its association with its showbiz owner. It says: “Welcome to the Plume of Feathers, a fantastic new pub venture in association with Neil Morrissey. When you visit you have to sample some of Neil’s own beers and ales.”
Which naturally I did and they were excellent, a pint of the refreshing Morrissey Blonde ale priced at a very reasonable £4.30 as well.
The website goes on to add: “We pride ourselves that all our dishes are homemade from the finest fresh ingredients, sourced from local suppliers.
“Bruce Mackie is our Head Chef and Neil Morrissey, one of the owners, loves to spend time in the kitchen and might even be preparing some of your meals.”
Well I’m afraid if Neil was in the kitchen during our visit, or anywhere else in the pub, he definitely kept himself well hidden. And to be honest a sighting of Neil was the only thing I can say that was missing from what was an all-round excellent Sunday lunch out with the family.
We got through a fair amount of the Sunday menu, including some of the more unusual starters on offer. Being in Morrissey’s home turf of Stoke-on-Trent here, there just had to be some oatcakes on the menu but with a quirky spin and served as a starter with shredded duck (£8).
I was pleased to see it was one of those classic old school Stokie oatcakes that’s like a giant floppy spotty tongue, and it worked really well rolled up with the crispy duck tucked inside and a drizzle of plum sauce.
I also had a go of the Biscoff halloumi nuggets (£8) which were quite the taste sensation as I have to admit I’d never have thought about adding a sweet slick of biscoff with a savoury dish like this but it really worked.
For mains, there was naturally a big move for the beef and pork roast dinners (£17 each) around the table, but I preferred to give the Morrissey Blonde Ale Pie (£17) a go.
The pie was an excellent mound of slow-cooked beef brisket encased in a wonderfully light pastry, served with a pile of bubble and squeak and the excellent addition of crispy kale, which is a personal favourite.
The older folks around the table looked slightly stunned at the sheer size of the portions for the Sunday roasts when they arrived. They were all served with large crispy roast potatoes, giant Yorkshire pudding and a decent swill of thick gravy.
You then get a huge plate of vegetables to share around the table as well. Meanwhile my nine-year-old devoured his kids’ sausage and chips (£10) in record time and gave a verdict of 10/10.
By now we were all stuffed, but ploughed on with desserts regardless. I particularly enjoyed the chocamocca (£7.50) while elsewhere the raspberry ruffle (£7.50) was wolfed down and ice creams all round for the kids (£5 for two scoops).
Neil can count himself lucky that with a great team working on his venture here, the pub and its grub is the real star.