The Bell at Tanworth

The croquettes with the pork belly special at dinner were the highlight for me, crunchy outside and creamy and full of flavour inside. The pork itself was tender and tasty. Earlier, I had the bacon, brie and chutney baguette with fries for lunch. The smoky bacon, melted brie and sweet, tangy chutney worked really well together, and the crisp baguette and golden, seasoned fries were just right. The dining room is comfortable and a nice place to sit. The church across from The Bell in Tanworth-in-Arden has bells that are charming but pretty loud. After a bit, they felt like part of the atmosphere. Service at both meals was attentive, friendly and efficient. I’d recommend The Bell for the food, comfortable setting and welcoming staff.

Tasty, reasonably priced weekday lunch menu at a nice pub in a lovely little village. Worth a visit if you’re in the area.

It took me nearly 30 years to realise I’d been getting the village name wrong. I visited in the late 90s to see Nick Drake’s grave in TAMWORTH-in-Arden, then returned this weekend to TANWORTH -in-Arden and discovered it was the same place. On that first sunny weekday visit, we had a beer outside the pub before leaving. This time we stayed at the Bell in Room number 2, a superior room, and found the bed and bedding good, the bathroom nice, and coffee-making facilities in the room. The bed-and-breakfast was super value. After poor customer service from employees, particularly young people, at a few National Trust properties beforehand, it was especially appreciated how good the Bell staff were. The girl with very long blonde hair was particularly helpful, and nothing seemed too much trouble. Breakfast was brilliant, clean and good quality, cooked exactly as requested. The fried eggs and excellent scrambled eggs were both good options, and there was great toast and cereal too. There were more breakfast items available than I chose to have. Coffee with cream was great. Parking was plentiful, simple and easy to use. If we’re in the area again, we’ll undoubtedly return, it’ll be top of the list.

We’d definitely come back and explore the area, especially with the Bell’s beautiful setting. We stayed one night on our way to the NEC and found the room warm, lovely and spacious, with a really comfortable bed and the restaurant close by. Booking breakfast in advance was good value, and it was delicious and generous. Staff were attentive and looked after us well. They were extremely friendly and polite when we arrived, and even though the pub was busy, they made sure we were settled in. We also appreciated getting a welcome message as soon as we booked.