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	Latest Reviews.

Find below & in the reviews section to the left, a selection of local establishments that we have given a review. You can find them in our business listings. For those of you who are wondering where the customer comments/reviews are they will be back soon. You can send your reviews to sarah@stafford247.info .


		The Restaurant!

	Frankie & Benny’s.

	The New Hough, Lichfield Rd, Stafford, ST17 4LL, Tel 01785 236940


		Stafford 247 Says:

	The Stafford branch of Frankie & Benny’s opened late last year & has quickly become & popular place to eat! The building was once used by GEC for entertaining guests & was hidden from the public eye for many years. Now it’s been given a new lease of life & is entertaining again! Frankie Giuliani & his pal Benny took over the family business from his father in 1953 & with it’s mix of traditional American & Italian food seems as popular today as it was back then!

The menu at Frankie & Benny’s is extensive to say the least! For starters choose from Soup of the Day served with crunchy Garlic Ciabatta croutons at £2.95 or Mushroom Alfredo at £4.25-fresh button mushrooms baked in a rich cheese sauce topped with melted Mozzarella & served with garlic Ciabatta. The choice of mains is mind boggling & I defy even the fussiest eater not to find something they like! For carb junkies like me there’s a mouth watering choice of pasta dishes, from a traditional Spaghetti Bolognese at £6.95 to Pasta Marinara (seafood) at £8.25. If pizza is your passion how about an American Hot topped with pepperoni & chillies at £7.65 for a 10inch & £10.95 for a 15inch. There is also a range of House Specialities including BBQ Chicken & Ribs-for £11.45 you get 1/4 chicken & baby back pork ribs with coleslaw, corn on the cob & a choice of Herb potatoes, House Fries or Jacket Potato.




	The singing had to stop however, as our food had arrived (that & the fact that we didn’t want upset the other diners!!). To call my choice a sandwich could be considered an understatement, but if you’ve been to the U.S. you’ll know that a sandwich there is quite different to a British butty! The Chicken Americano consists of a whole chicken breast topped with pepperoni & Monterey Jack cheese & then smothered in BBQ sauce & Mayo all crammed in seeded bun! Before I started I cut it in half, it was obvious this was going to get messy! Messy but delicious, the chicken was moist & the pepperoni & cheese made it feel like I was eating pizza in a bun!


	We arrived on Saturday lunchtime & were given a friendly welcome before being shown to a table. Our drinks order was taken & we were left to peruse the gargantuan menu! After much deliberation I decided on a Chicken Americano Sandwich at £8.75 & Steve went for a Classic Hamburger at £7.95 & a side order of Onion Rings at £2.75. There is music playing constantly, mainly 50’s & Rat Pack stuff but it’s played at a volume that doesn’t intrude. I was rather enjoying it & found myself singing along much to Steve’s amusement, although he did join me on “Fly Me to the Moon”!!!



Meanwhile Steve was enjoying his burger! The beef was good quality, thick & not overcooked & tasted just as you would want a good burger to! The onion rings were fresh & the spicy coating gave quite a kick! Now the House Fries are something special! Some friends of ours who had come to Frankie & Benny’s a few weeks before had raved about them & we couldn’t wait to try them for ourselves! I don’t know what they do to them but for fries they are delicious, really crispy on the outside & fluffy inside, maybe they coat them in something but whatever they do they are fab!!

As well as their main menu Frankie & Benny’s offer separate brunch, lunch & dessert menus & they also cater for parties. There is a cocktail menu too but it was a bit early in the day for me!
As our plates were cleared away the waitress asked if we would like a dessert. I declined; all I really wanted was a little nap!
The service is good, the staff are fairly attentive & we weren’t rushed. We felt that for a restaurant chain the food was of a very high standard, & if their sandwiches were anything to go by you get a great deal for your money! It’s going to take a fair few visits to get through that menu-it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it!!


		The Real Ale Pub!

	The Swan Inn.


	18 Stafford St,Stone, ST15 8QW, Tel 01785 815570


	Stafford 247 Says:

	These days it can be hard to find a good traditional pub, there are more chain pubs than you can shake a stick at & even though they are popular they can feel soulless & without character. On a recent trip to Stone the weather took a turn for the worse & shelter & refreshment was required! The Swan Inn is a good old fashioned & traditional pub with a great selection of real ales & inviting open fire-just the ticket! We were greeted with a friendly smile & although it wasn’t busy we got the feeling that it was a popular place.




	Steve went to the bar & ordered our drinks. I was in the mood for a Guinness & obviously Steve stuck with cider & after a little sample he asked for a pint of Black Rat Cider from Moles Brewery. A half pint of Guinness was £1.35 & a pint of Black Rat Cider was £2.50. I don’t really need to tell you about the Guinness except that it was as good as you’d expect (if you like Guinness that is!). The cider was of the traditional cloudy type, a good golden colour with a subtle apple flavour & a little fizz.

There is quite a reasonable selection of wines too with a good choice of reds, whites & roses, starting at £2.45 for 175ml, £3.20 for 250ml or £9.50 for a bottle (prices apply to all wine).
Most pubs nowadays offer food & The Swan Inn is no exception-however the choice is small. If you are peckish though baps are available with a choice of fillings: Tuna Mayo, Ham, Cheese & Onion & Egg Mayo all at £1.50, Pork Pies at £1.30 & Steak Pies also at £1.50 or £1.75 if you want gravy!
The emphasis at The Swan Inn seems to be on the real ales & their live entertainment-a refreshing change from alcopops & Sky Sports!
Stafford 247 P.S. Click here for The Swan Inn Gig Guide & make a note in your diaries of their 10^th Annual Beer Festival in July!


			The Shop!

	TK Maxx.


	Friary Green Retail Park, Stafford, ST17 4BA, Tel 01785 250639


	Stafford 247 Says:

	TK MAXX has a huge range of clothes, accessories & home wear so be sure to set aside plenty of time for browsing. The store is clearly dominated by clothes, closely followed by shoes & accessories. The Fashionistas among you will pick out designers such as Ronit Zilkha & Betty Jackson & names like Miss Sixty & Moschino.

	As a self-confessed handbag-aholic I couldn’t resist a quick peek in that department! Again there is so much choice & I literally had to drag myself away!

My mission today was to find something gorgeous for my equally as gorgeous 10 month old niece! The selection of children’s clothes is equally as good & I knew it was time for a good old rummage!
After umming & aahing over various party frocks & pretty summer dresses I eventually found the perfect thing! An unbelievably cute long sleeved top in baby pink with “Wannabe Princess” printed over a silver tiara-very appropriate & a snip at £5.99! (RRP £18!)
On my way to the cash desk I did a quick detour to the shoes! I wasn’t looking for anything pretty, more like sturdy & comfy! In no time I had found just what I wanted, a pair of walking shoes by Regatta-a well known maker of outdoor clothing- at the bargain price of £16.99. (RRP £50!) They were good & comfy, in nice neutral colours & also waterproof, which will be a bonus when I’m trudging over Doxey Marshes!
TK MAXX is a great store & is likely to have whatever you’re looking for-just make the time to browse!!


		The Breakfast!

	The Swan Hotel.


	46 Greengate St, Stafford, ST16 2JA, Tel 01785 258142


	Stafford 247 Says:

	If you’re ever in town early & aren’t in a hurry to get to work or do your shopping then pop into The Swan Hotel & try their “Early Bird” breakfast deal. For just £2.35 choose from either a Bacon or Sausage sandwich or Croissant or Toast (with butter & preserve) plus tea, coffee or orange juice.


	I had a Croissant & upgraded my coffee to a Latte for an extra 60p & Steve had toast & orange juice. The Latte was nice & milky & went well with my croissant, Steve enjoyed his toast & the freshly squeezed orange juice was delicious! Stafford 247 Verdict: The Swan’s Early Bird Breakfast is the perfect start to the day!!


		The Service!

Cottage Delight.

	Brooklands Way, Leekbrook, Leek, Staffs, ST13 7QF

Stafford 247 Says:

Cottage Delight offers a wide range of luxury foods made using traditional methods & the finest ingredients. If you’re after something different, whether it’s a gift for someone special or a treat for yourself then Cottage Delight is sure to please!
You won’t find any of their products in supermarkets either as they are only available to independent traders & to the public online or by mail order!
We had sampled a packet of their Mini Breadsticks with Tomato & Basil (purchased at a garden centre!) & were very impressed, so after spotting the web address on the back of the pack we thought we’d take a look at what else they had to offer & ordered a catalogue.


	We received our catalogue within a couple of days & had a good browse. There’s an excellent choice of jams, pickles, pates, biscuits, sauces, condiments & more & it took us quite a while before we made our decision on what to order! We wanted to try a range of products & so here’s what we eventually decided on:


	1 jar of Lemon Curd (315g) at £2.35 1 jar of Thick Cut Orange Marmalade (340g) at £1.85 1 tin of Pork Pate with Stilton (125g) at £2.35 1 jar of Mushroom & Smoked Garlic Pasta Sauce (270g) at £2.65 1 jar of Beer & Black Peppercorn Mustard (200g) at £2.30 1 packet of Mini Breadsticks with Tomato & Basil (200g) at £2.15 Peanut Butter Fudge (100g) at £1.80 Raisin & Rum Fudge (100g) at £1.80 The total bill was £22.20 which included a delivery charge of £4.95 (There is no minimum order.) There are several ways in which you can place your order-by phone or fax, by post or online. We chose to order online & our items arrived about 4 days later (you may have to wait for up to 21 days if some items are out of stock.) It was packaged well with lots of bubble wrap & we excitedly unpacked our goodies! I couldn’t wait to try out the Peanut Butter Fudge & dived in as soon as it was out of the box! Although it was VERY sweet it was scrumptious & apparently so was the Raisin & Rum! Over the next few weeks we got to try everything out. For me the things that stood out were the Mushroom & Smoked Garlic Pasta Sauce which was used almost immediately, & the Beer & Black Peppercorn Mustard which had a multitude of uses including salad dressings & sandwiches! The pate also went down well; it was beautifully rich & a little went a long way! We were very impressed with the quality of foods we received & although they were a little more expensive than supermarkets we felt it was more than worth it for something extra special! So if you fancy trying Cottage Delight for yourself call 01538 398801 for a catalogue or log on to www.cottagedelight.co.uk It’s a foodies heaven!!!


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