King Charles II, Worcester

What a wonderful little pub! Historic, authentic, and a fine selection of local real ales longside ones from further afield (the Jaipur was excellent!) I can't end this review without mentioning the pies. My daughter and I popped in for a drink and something to eat and the one item on the menu was pie and mash, but what a selection of pies and mashes! My Matador pie was the best pie I've had in many a year and the cheesy mash was exquisite. My daughter really enjoyed her Troll pie and horseradish mash too.

A wonderful, historic, traditional pub with a warm welcome and a mixed clientele. The dark wood surroundings - floors, beautifully panelled walls, furniture - and two wood burning stoves make it very easy to feel comfortable here and many clearly do. If Wetherspoons is your bag then this is one to avoid. The welcome from the two youthful barmen was friendly enough, knowledgable on beer and efficient. There were one or two finishing off food on our Thursday evening visit but many more were drinking and it felt much more pubby than restaurant like. All the beers were from Craddocks and its associated breweries: Craddocks Troll, Saxons Gold and Crazy Sheep, Two Thirsty Brewers Matilda's Mild and Bridgnorth Kings Escape, River Steam and Monarch's Way. Two local ciders were also on and the last of the ten handpumps was unused. I've come across Craddocks before at their Duke William in Stourbridge where their beers were excellent. I wasn't disappointed here and the Crazy Sheep was in good shape and flew down. A really inviting pub with great beer.

This is such an Olde Worlde pub it almost becomes a cliche. Inside it's all you would expect, low ceilings, beams, wooden floors and wood panelling. I was surprised to learn that this was a restaurant as it looks like an original pub and to host ten hand pumps must have some sort of cellar. The sign outside suggests that Sadler's Ales might be here but all the beers that were on were from Cradock's and their two subsidiary brewers. I went for the Cradock's Crazy Sheep (£3.20) which was an excellent pint. This is a decent enough pub where the beer choice is the appeal for me rather than all this historical guff, most of which was probably made up by an owner from the distant past. However, on a visit to Worcester I can't see how it can be ignored.