Back
in May my partner and I found ourselves with an excuse to celebrate as I had been
headhunted for a new job. Being averse to crowds and busy weekend dining we decided
to go for an early evening midweek meal, and fancied a bit of a change from our
usual haunts. This is when Tripadvisor reminded us of The Mill Restaurant & Hotel in Stone,
Staffordshire. We’d been once before but it had been about four years ago, so
we decided it was probably time to give it another go.
The
Mill’s location is slightly hidden to those who aren’t local, tucked behind
Morrisons and under a railway bridge it can seem tricky to find but it is well signposted. For fans of George
Clarke the location might be familiar as featuring on an episode of The
Restoration Man, as The Flint Mill next door was the subject of an episode and
now offers B&B facilities.
Built
in the late 1700s The Mill is an impressive building in its own right, and once
we arrived we were led upstairs to a table that gave us a lovely view outside
into the sunshine. Since it had been a warm day we both decided to indulge in
a refreshing sangria, both of which arrived full of ice and fruit, which was
ideal to cool us down. The restaurant itself was nicely decorated and it’s
obvious that weddings are a regular feature since shabby chic decorations
adorned the walls and ceiling.
I
was tempted to order a paella, but eventually we settled on a selection of
tapas. We were advised to order only five or six plates and it was just as
well because having arrived at the restaurant hungry it was tempting to order
everything on the menu! My partner particularly liked the chicken skewers and Spanish
omelette he’d ordered, whereas I couldn’t get enough of the battered white fish
with garlic dip: the batter was light and fluffy without feeling greasy. I was
also very keen on the broad bean salad, I love broad beans and yet they rarely
feature on restaurant menus.
 |
| Most of the dishes can be seen here, it was all so good! |
We
ate as much as we possibly could and – alas – had absolutely no room left for
pudding, of which the Portuguese tart had caught my eye but I guess I will have
to wait until our next visit for that. We settled our bill and waddled down the
road feeling very content indeed, there is always a risk on a weekday evening
that restaurants can become complacent but this definitely wasn’t the case here.
All of the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, and were on hand to
offer advice on the menu.
We
will definitely be going back again in the future for more tapas and sangria, I
imagine it would be great with a larger party as you could literally order one
of everything and then share. It’s quite uncommon to find a restaurant with a
Portuguese influence, and The Mill seems to be striving to set itself apart in
its field – and I can’t wait to go back.
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| We were inspired to make churros after our visit! |
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blog content and photos are Copyright of Charisse Sayers Proofreader &
Copywriter www.charisse-sayers.com I
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