Stafford 247 says:

There can be very few Staffordians who haven’t had the pleasure of visiting The Soup Kitchen!
This beautiful 16^th Century building is one of Stafford’s most cherished landmarks & sits in the heart of the town centre in the picturesque Church Lane. Flowers & hanging baskets adorn the exterior in the summer months & as well as being popular with the locals it attracts scores of tourists all year round!

Today however, we had breakfast on our minds with a busy day ahead of us, what better way to start it! We found a table & one of the friendly waitresses gave us the breakfast menu.

The interior is positively labyrinthian with lots of nooks & crannies to tuck yourself away into, not to mention the rooftop garden for an alfresco lunch on a sunny day.

On our recent visit to Trentham we had trouble deciding where to eat, there being a great deal of choice. After a lot of pacing we finally decided on Café Davide whose claim to “serve classic dishes with a contemporary twist” sounded too tempting an offer to pass up!

I decided on the Soup & Sandwich Combination-for £8.95 choose any sandwich & add the soup of the day, today’s being Mushroom. My sandwich of choice was Flaked Tuna with Watercress, Shallots & Mayo (single price £6.25) served on multigrain bread.
The sandwich was generously filled & delicious but it was the soup that really impressed me! The flavour & texture was superb & it was probably one of the best I have tasted! Served in a coffee cup there was just the right amount too!

Inside Café Davide is a cosy brasserie with smartly dressed, friendly staff. We were shown to a nice romantic table for two in the corner & given menus. Our drinks order was taken (a Magners Cider & an orange juice & soda) then we were left to check out the menu.
The lunch menu alone is quite extensive with a good choice of sandwiches, salads, tapas & platters plus a “Soup of the Day” & a “Hot Dish of the Day”!

Steve just couldn’t resist & went for his favourite-a Chicken Caeser Salad at £7.25. Crispy Cos lettuce, anchovies, crunchy herb croutons with tender chicken breast & bacon lardons. Again the portion size was generous with quality ingredients & excellent flavours.
Café Davide also offers a fixed price menu served from 11am until 9pm, 2 courses for £12.95 or 3 courses for £15.95 & a Patisserie menu with a mouthwatering selection of cakes!
We felt that Café Davide’s food & service was excellent & we thoroughly recommend it-I have to go back & try the Carrot Cake!!

Stafford 247 says:

The Shire Horse is part of the Chef & Brewer chain of pubs & is a great place for family meals or a quiet pint! Situated just off of junction 14 of the M6, it is popular with people coming in or out of town.
We turned up on a busy Bank Holiday Monday for a family get together & being fairly regular visitors to The Shire Horse we were sure of a good afternoon!
A full menu is available all day plus a specials board & dessert menu. 

Dad surprised us all by going for something a little different! He chose the Free Range Pork Loin with a Herb Crust with Provencal Vegetable Ratatouille & British New Potatoes at £10.50. The Pork was very good & he quite enjoyed the Ratatouille, all that was left at the end was a few potatoes!

Our plates were cleared away & the waitress asked if we would like dessert. Mum & I did have a quick look at the menu but decided that we didn’t really have enough room-shame!!

I chose the Breaded Breast of Farm Assured Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Mushrooms, & Asparagus with Tagliatelle at £8.95. The chicken was excellent, tender & moist with a lovely crunchy coating. The veg was equally as good but, sadly, the pasta was quite cold & bland which was a real shame considering that the rest of the dish was piping hot & full of flavour! I mentioned this to a passing waitress who offered to take it back for me but I declined as I was very hungry & didn’t want to wait for a replacement. I did, however, ask her to pass on my comments to the chef although I didn’t receive any feedback on the matter!

Mum played it safe & had the Sausages & Mash with Red Onion Gravy at £6.75. The sausages were good quality on a bed of lovely creamy mash with lashings of rich gravy. The verdict was obvious from the clear plate!!