The Great Stone, Northfield, Birmingham

Official site of The Great Stone - www.thepeoplespub.co.uk

Official site of The Great Stone - www.thepeoplespub.co.uk

Less than the sum of its part - an idyllic setting that seems a million miles away from the busy A38 neayby. Check out the glacial erratic that lives in the animal pound to the side of the pub. History boards on the side of the pub and a plaque on the stone itself. Inside, its low ceilings, multiple rooms, lit up by the flashing lights of one armed bandits. Food promotions. My HPA was in reasonable condition but served in the wrong type of glass. And pork crunch are not scratching, regardless of what anyone tells you. Worth seeking out - as it is a lovely location for the area.

Fine old village pub, located opposite the parish church but both now buried away deep in Birmingham's southern suburbs... Retains a two-bar layout, with the area around the main counter partly opened-out to link with a much larger side seating / dining area down a couple of steps, and a comfortable lounge on the other side. Pleasantly traditional furniture and decor throughout. Various food offers from an unbranded (Stonegate) menu. Sizeable rear (part-covered) patio and old-fashioned outside toilets. Three real ales on handpump: London Pride, Marston's EPA and a very nice pint of Holden's Golden Glow (just £2.50 on a 'cask ale Tuesday'). Keg offerings include Brew XI and Banks's Mild.

This is a really nice pub, located in Northfield Old Village. It used to run a couple of footy teams in the 80s and has a nice beer garden. It takes its name from the glacial erratic which is in the animal pound next door. Older, it was rebuilt in the 18th century and is of whitewashed brick with irregular casement windows. The interior has a couple of rooms. An entrance lobby allows access to a snug to the right, which is in cream, salmon and wood, with red bench seats, and has a TV (not on) and a number of prints on the walls. The main room is in two parts. The bar faces you on entry, where there is also a brick fireplace with a burner fire - then you can pop down a few steps where the pub opens out. It is in cream and wood, with a cream and beam ceiling. Old pictures are on the walls and there are red bench seats. The service was fine and the clientele mixed, sadly, with one very loud lot that went through me like a Lily Allen album. Beer; usual tap stuff with GK IPA, Backyard Blonde and a decent Ringwood Young Scrumper. Not the greatest beer choice, but the pub makes up for it. A more than pleasant experience.