Hand and Cleaver – Restaurant and Inn, Ranton Green, Stafford,
Reviewed by: Tony Burgess
Hand and Cleaver – Restaurant and Inn
Butt Lane, Ranton Green, Stafford, ST18 9JZ
Tel: 01785 822367
Hand and Cleaver – Ranton Green
Our Most recent date of visit (we have been quite a few times now) was Sunday 5th October 2008
As always, we were warmly greeted by the owner and staff upon arrival.
We chose to browse the menus in the bar area before going through to the
restaurant area.
There is a great selection of real ales which is part and parcel of a
great eating out experience for me.
The food is fabulous! There is something for everyone.
The Inn has recently been assessed for the Red Michelin Guide and was
successful – they will appear in the 2009 edition according to the owners,
Cathy and Trevor.
We were served a free appetiser of ‘paper bread’ which is a delightful
touch.
A bowl of mussels for starter and a Sunday roast dinner for the main
course. Wonderful! Top quality and plenty of it!
This time I resisted the tempting dessert menu and a favourite from
previous visits is a South African ‘malva’ pudding which is simply divine!
The welcome is second to none in my view!
In my opinion this is the best Inn in Staffordshire!
Web: http://www.handandcleaver.co.uk
Hand and Cleaver – Restaurant and Inn
Butt Lane, Ranton Green, Stafford, ST18 9JZ
Tel: 01785 822367
We had dinner at the Hand & Cleaver last night. The food was OK but nothing special. But the service was terrible. The young lad who did most of the service was probably on his first week in the job &, considering that, didn’t do too bad. The young lady who was obviously experienced had this nack of doing little but always looking busy, for example our coffees were delivered one at a time & the cream & sugar later. When the coffee arrived I asked for the bill. A good while later we were sitting at an empty table when she came over & asked “are you OK?”. “Still waiting for the bill” I said, “have you asked me for it?”. What did she think we were doing there – waiting for morning?
During much of this time the chef & a couple who I assume were the owners were sitting at another table in the restaurant. They took no interest in what was going on & did not supervise their staff in any way. As I mentioned, the new boy did quite well, but he’s not going to get any better if nobody supervises him & tells him where he’s going wrong.
I have been to the Hand and Cleaver quite a number of times and it was most satisfactory , i.e the food , drink and service .
However due to changes in mine and my husbands work patterns we now require to dine and drink at different times and I was completely shell shocked that on all occasions we arrived at the pub , it was SHUT ! .
Contrary to most , if not all pubs wether in the country or not , the opening hours are thus :
NOT AT ALL ON MONDAY
IN THE EVENING IT DOES NOT OPEN UNTIL 6.30PM ALL WEEK
IT IS CLOSED SUNDAY EVENING
Now Im no expert , but surely these are prime times to be open and lets face it , not opening until 6.30PM all week is completely barmy , especially as most people finish work at 5PM and may want to call in for a drink or their tea before going home . If its shut , they still want a drink or food so they get into a habit of going elswhere all through the week and probably dont bother going at the weekend also .
PLEASE PLEASE dont ruin the pub yet again , give it a chance to work and with the drink and food reputation , it wont take long to become a very thriving pub . Lets not forget , the Shropshire Restaurant and pub is just a stones throw away and people might just become fed up enough to make that their first and foremost choice of venue , because its OPEN !
I would just like to respond to Richard
Richard – Thank you for your comments some of which are constructive. Training staff is an on going process and sometimes watching them in action is necessary. The following day we sit with them and discuss firstly the postives and then the negatives as encouragement is most important. You must be very lucky if you have never had to learn anything and have never made mistakes, sometimes the best way to learn is from making mistakes. Our regualr customers know that we always welcome feed back, good or bad, it is the only way in which to improve.
Mrs Revey
What a shame you did not tell us of yours and your husbands change in work patterns we could have changed our opening hours to suit you!!!!!!!!!
The pub is running very well with very regular and great customers who are more than happy to come when we are open. However if you feel the need to have a drink at 5pm then as you say the Shropshire is the place for you.
Thank you for your not so constructive comments.
Cathy
I was looking for somewhere to take my wife to celebrate a special occasion…thank you,thank you thank you……
You have just saved me from yet another restaurant owner(allegedly)that thinks the customer is just an inconvenience who should put up and shut up,and just pay the bill for second rate service at first rate prices….
Customer feedback is preicous….abuse it at your peril….your SMART ATTITUDE comments to Mrs Revey have just cost you this customer who willingly pays top money for top service….needless to say you will never be in either bracket with this kind of attitude to your customer….
Regards
Mr P Stubbs
I would just like to reiterate Mr P Stubbs. I was on the verge of booking a table at the Hand and Cleaver, but thought I would check a review first. I am very glad I did! Cathy Clarke has made it painfully obvious how she feels about customer feedback. Needless to say, I will be looking for somewhere else to go.
Well all I can say Cathy Clarke is that you do not deserve the honour of being the Landlady of such a well respected Public House. One that has served the Community for an amount of time that I am sure you have not even bothered to research, as if you had I am sure you would hopefully of realised that having the honour of being host in such a place is truly one to be respected, as has been in previous times. Obviously you do not fall into this catergory and possibly never shall, the disrespect that you seem to have for peoples opinions is quite rude so why should people frequent a place that is obviously lacking in atmosphere (by the look at the above comments) I personally have spent many a pleasant evening in the Hand and Cleaver and I am only to glad to say that it was before you had ever heard of the place. I thankyou kindly for ruining a perfercty pleasant Public House that has given alot of people enormous pleasure and fun times. And I must say that I am not speaking alone with My comments the feeling locally stems much the same opinion. I look forward to seeing all of those who have seen sense and chosen not to frequent such an unwelcoming place in other very welcoming venues.
I was completely un-impressed with my last visit to the hand and cleaver on a previous saturday night, we had a satisfactory meal at first rate prices, we sat on a table eating and had to wait half an hour untill a member of staff to come and check if we wanted a drink and by that time i had to go up to the bar myself and struggle through some drunken middle aged blokes and not giving us a chance to see the bar-person. I hope things change rapidly at the h+c and for it to become what it used to be!
My previous visit to the hand and cleaver left a bitter taste in my mouth.There was a poor atmosphere with an unfriendly landlady., who made it perfectly clear that she did not want people having a drink in the pub. The food was expensive, and the service was poor. I cant believe how much it has changed since it has been taken over, the locals have disappeared which says alot about a place if even the locals wont visit the pub. What a shame, it was such a great place.
Blimey – looking at some of the comments above I am wondering if the customers have been to the same ‘Hand and Cleaver’ as we have been to (and still do regularly). The one at Ranton near Haughton is delightful!
I encourage anyone reading all of the comments above to go and see for yourself and make your own mind up because most of the comments I have just read are very far removed from our own experiences. We have nothing but praise and appreciation to express for the excellent work going on at this lovely pub.
Myself and my partner and friends and extended family and also work colleagues and my paying clients have ALWAYS been delighted by trips to the Hand and Cleaver. We take clients there because we know they will be treated very well and that matters to us. We are looking forward to taking many more of our important clients there in the future.
The food is cracking! The beer is great! The service is fabulous!
If ever any mistake was made or service was ever substandard (which it NEVER has been on any of our many trips) I know it would have been totally contrary to the intentions of very caring and very pleasant owners who are passionate about providing high quality food, drink and service.
I think it is totally fair enough for the pub to be closed during certain times – after all the opening times are very clearly shown on the website for all to see. Clearly Mrs Revey (commenting above) uses the web or she would not be posting comments on this site.
There are loads of Staffordshire pubs closed on Mondays
There are loads of Staffordshire pubs closed between 3pm and evening.
There is nothing unusual with the pub opening hours at all.
Also – they work so incredibly hard – they deserve a break at some points in the day and week.
I am sure that Trevor and Cathy also have some kind of life to live beyond the considerable time they invest in working in the pub.
We went to the August Bank holiday event at the Hand and Cleaver – it was fantastic!!! Overflow car park full. Loads of really happy people enjoying live music and a great atmosphere and the staff were bending over backwards to ensure everyone was feeling looked after and special.
We also went to the New year bash there as 2008 turned into 2009. Wonderful!! Sold out and I am sure it will sell out very quickly next time too!
We also went to the Valentine’s do – again – brilliant! Only just managed to get a table because it was so popular and again sold out!
Any time that we want to treat our friends it is the Hand and Cleaver that we think of as our first choice.
We eat out at plenty of places around the country (including ‘posh’ hotels and ‘top class’ restaurants) and there are so many times I have finished a meal thinking ‘That was good – but not a patch on the Hand and Cleaver for quality, service, atmosphere and great value’. It is why we head back there time after time!
Anyway, as I said, i encourage you to go and find out for yourself.
If you can’t have a great experience at the Hand and Cleaver then I wonder if you can have a great experience at all?
The Hand and Cleaver is getting more and more popular – considering that there is virtually no passing trade it is testiment to their growing positive reputation that they are getting busier and busier.
It is growing by spreading positively through word of mouth. People travel out of their way (after checking opening times on the web first) to dine out there and rightfully so!
My parents are travelling from Doncaster to stay at our home next week and they have already asked if they can visit the Hand and Cleaver. Of course they will get at least one trip in during their stay!
Anyway, must dash – need to check my diary to see if I can fit in another trip to the Hand and Cleaver before our next business trip.
Keep up the great work everyone at the Hand and Cleaver!!!
From one of your many fans!
I totally agree with the above. Bring back the old Cleaver. I remember the nights when the bar was four deep between 7-11pm. Each table in the dining room used at least three times. Eight – ten waiting staff on duty and having to park down the road. I doubt we’ll see those nights again anytime with the current tenants looking after the place. It’s such a shame to see what was a beautiful country pub in tatters.
We have eaten at the Hand and Cleaver several times. I have no complaints in that department, the food is nothing spectacular but boy the prices are steep. Steep? They’re steeper than Ben Nevis.
Mr B
I have, like Tony Burgess above, read all the comments above and have regularly visited the Hand and Cleaver. Cathy and Trevor are superb people with a wonderful welcoming attitude towards their customers and their food is superb. There is a good supply of drink options although can, at times, be a little limited.
I really only have one comment that may be thought to be negative and that is that some of the staff can be a little stand-offish and inattentive but overall I find the majority to be very friendly with most of them being very smiley and happy to please. I also like the way that Cathy and some staff come to the table to check that all is well and that the food is as expected. I have also found it necessary to go to the H&C on speck for a meal and have always been welcomed despite how busy they are.
The ‘occasions’ held at the H&C are superb – New Year/Valentine/Bank Holiday and I look forward to forthcoming events including Halloween. All these events are well thought out and most enjoyable.
Mr D Johnson makes the comment regarding ‘drunken middle aged blokes’ at the bar – is this not a public house where people go not only for food but for a social drink. I have as yet not found it difficult to see a bar person, but at busy periods there is a need to wait but this is to be expected. All you have to do is ask for people to move and as a rule this is what happens. The hours of opening are clearly stated Mrs Revey and yes, there are other establishments in the area, but not all as welcoming or as traditional.
It is a shame that people make a decision about an establishment based on a few bitter people. Don’t base it on someone elses opinion, at least give it a try once.
Cathy and Trevor, keep up the good work!
I can only endorse Tony Burgess’ comments above. I do not recognise the Hand & Cleaver in Ranton from the earlier reviews on this page. My family and I have visited the Hand & Cleaver many times, both in the evening and at lunchtime, and have had unfailingly pleasant, polite and efficient service. In our experience, Cathy is definitely concerned about customer feedback and has accepted compliments and constructive criticism with the same polite attitude.
It is totally unreasonable for Mrs Revey to expect the pub to be open at her convenience. It does not make good business sense for any pub to open all hours – incurring all the attendant energy and staff costs – if demand is insufficient. But Cathy and Trevor are in business and I am sure that they would open at other hours if the demand was there.
This establishment does not do fast food – the food is cooked to order and is excellent in both quality and cooking skills displayed (just try the Wood Pigeon starter as an example), whilst the beer and wines are also good – with a decent choice of real ales. In my opinion, the Hand & Cleaver easily surpasses any pub in the area in all the important elements of a pub and Cathy & Trevor deserve success and not the brickbats that have been thrown in some comments on this site.
Take a trip out and try it for yourself. I expect you would be very pleased with your visit and, if so, please record this on this and other review web sites but – if you are not – speak to Cathy and/or Trevor first and extend them the courtesy of a chance to rectify the situation before you slag them off in (electronic) print.
For the avoidance of doubt – I have no financial or other relationship with Cathy,Trevor or the Hand & Cleaver other than being a very satisfied customer.
We’ve just booked our tickets for the Halloween event that is coming up and I expect it will be as great as previous events! We are really looking forward to it!
A trip to The Hand and Cleaver again this week had us delighted with the experience – as usual! It was busy and vibrant and there was a great atmosphere (popular place!). The roaring fire was most welcome!
We bypass several eating and drinking establishments to enjoy the food, drink and friendly welcome at The Hand and Cleaver despite the fact that it usually involves one of us driving or us both getting a taxi back – it is worth it!
Mark Winnington above says the pub has been ‘destroyed’ by the current owners. I couldn’t disagree more fully. It is a fabulous place that I tell all my friends and business associates about.
I am trying to imagine what mood I would have to be in to NOT enjoy The Hand and Cleaver experience. I guess if I was feeling ‘grumpy’ or ‘angry’ perhaps when I was on my way over there I might talk myself into having a bad experience, although I still sense that the team would win me over with their welcome!
Mind you, If I were in such a mood I could probably save the other customers my company by staying at home! The Hand and Cleaver tends to attract mainly happy, content, good spirited customers and that is part of the joy of any visit there!
About the ‘steep’ reference to the food pricing by Mr B (above):
I experience it as a very fair price for a freshly prepared high quality meal! Great portions too! (It is so different to the food that some ‘cheap’ places serve up that often comes out of the kitchen so fast that it can only have been prepared in the microwave!)
If you wish to spend less on any particular night, there are also some wonderful ‘nibbles’ to choose from, freshly prepared for you to have with your pint!
I love the ‘plant pot’ packed full with chunky chips!
Go and check out The Hand and Cleaver for yourself!
I think you’ll love it!
Remember to take a warm smile with you as you will certainly receive plenty of them from Cathy and Trevor in return!
Tony
Hello,
Just thought i would say how i enjoyed the meal we had at the hand and cleaver the other nite, i came in with my friends and we really appreciated the food and drink that was supplied to us. We will be in again.
Thankyou
I would like to say that The Hand and Cleaver is by far the best place in the area for food, myself and my husband regularly enjoy the wonderful food served there and never leave disappointed. We recently had our daughters Christening and 1st birthday party there. Both events were held when the Hand and Clever was ‘closed’ and I wonder if Mrs Revey had considered that sometimes when the pub has been closed to the general public it has been available for private hire as I am sure it is not just myself who has had the pleasure of using the Hand and cleaver in this way. Both events were wonderfully catered and the food as always was amazing.
As well as regularly eating out my husband and I have also been welcomed there when we have simply gone in just for a drink or two and have never felt like we could not visit if we were not having a meal.
I would like to make it known that we have been using the hand and clever for many years before the current owners took it over and have continued visiting because we find the service, food and the welcome given to us by Cathy and Trevor far superior to any other establishment in the area.
I would like to thank Cathy and Trevor for making the Hand and Clever by far the best place to enjoy great food and drink in the area.
Just a quick note to say that it was a Wonderful Halloween party at the weekend! We had been speaking at an event in the afternoon out of town and I am so glad that we managed to get back in time to put on our costumes and ‘make-up’ and join the fun!
Great DJ, lovely food, lots of fun with everyone in fancy dress – and as usual the staff made it very special with their great customer focus and with them joining in the fun with everyone!
Now looking ahead to the medieval night on 27th November! I know we are going to have to move some existing arrangements in order for us to be there and I know it will be worth it!
Thank you Hand and Cleaver!
Thanks to all at the Hand and Cleaver this week.
We brought a very important client for lunch and you delivered quality food, great customer service, a warm welcome and friendliness!
Our client was impressed – as we knew she would be – which is why we continue to return to the Hand and Cleaver again and again!
Keep up the great work!
Warmest wishes
Tony
We have been in the H & C this very evening. It is the first visit for myself although my friends have all been previously.
We read the reviews on this website, but decided to take the plunge and go anyway. We were not disappointed.
Granted it wasn’t very busy, but the food served was of excellent quality, the service was good, we joked with the staff and the owner Trevor. (Keep up the good work on the diet Trevor!) I was impressed!
As regards the prices being steep, you get what you. pay for. I have been in local pubs and paid almost the same for a meal that has been only half the quality of the food I was served this evening. If you want cheap fast food, then visit your local takeaway or a Macdonalds! (How they can call themselves a ‘restaurant’ is beyond me!).
We will certainly be visiting again, the only downside to me was that it was a 30 minute drive for us, so it’s not exactly ‘local’.
As ex licensees, I can understand the opening hours, if you’ve never run a pub / restaurant, then you won’t know what it’s like – it’s not a ‘job’ it’s your life, of which you are entitled to outside of the opening hours.
Thank you Cathy and Trevor and your staff for your hospitality and excellent food!
The Hand & Cleaver is now serving food until 7pm on a Sunday. This fits in with the time my family and I usually eat Sunday dinner so we arrived at 5:30 last Sunday to give it a try.
The usual menu was augmented by traditional Sunday favourites such as roast beef and roast pork and we all ate a superb meal, be it from the usual menu or one of the Sunday “specials”. There were quite a number of people eating, even though the new Sunday hours started only a few weeks ago, and everyone we spoke to were very pleased with their choice of food. The welcome was warm – as were the real fires – and the service was good.
With this welcome change to the opening hours my only suggestion for an improvement is that the menu will need to be changed more frequently as we are likely to visit more often and will have sampled everything on offer!
Well Done Cathy, Trevor and all the staff!
13 / 02/ 10.
My husband and I visited the Hand and Clever for Valentines Day.
As soon as we walked into the place we were greeted by a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The staff were attentive and friendly.
The table was decorated with little hearts and beautifully candle lit.
The food was wonderful, each course was superbly presented and we will definitely be visiting again.
A. Bradbury
I was delighted to hear that the Hand and Cleaver has once again made the Michelin pub guide (one of only two pubs in Staffordshire to do so) and note that the opening hours have now been extended to meet riding demand.
However I am writing to draw attention to the owners’ support for people who are gluten free. Cathy and Trevor offer a gorgeous gluten free version of fish and chips – totally indistinguishable from ‘the real thing’ – along with numerous other dishes that are safe for coeliacs. They will also prepare gluten free versions of other meals where possible (eg the sunday roast, where they supply gluten free gravy when asked and will even do gluten free yorkies i’d asked in advance).
‘Ordinary’ folks may not understand just how important it is to be able to eat exactly the same food as everyone else in a place that looks like a pub. In my opinion, anyone who is gluten free should make a beeline for the Hand and Cleaver and have a really enjoyable and totally equal night out with your friends.
Sean
I haven’t visited the Hand and Cleaver since the early seventies. At that time it was my “regular” for two years. The ownership, service, local friendship and darts were one of the finest resources of my dining and social life at the time. Great Memories. I am so glad the pub is still thriving.
Trevor and Cathy must have read my last comments – they have introduced a great new menu. It includes pub favourites such as burger and chips and their fabulous fish and chips but also more “foodie” offerings such as grilled oysters (as a nibbles), a fab asparagus starter and a main course selection that includes lobster and mayonnaise! Clearly, you pay more for the oysters and lobster than for a burger but the difference is well worth it.
This menu cements the Hand and Cleaver’s credentials as a pub worthy of inclusion in the Michelin guide! Congratulations to Will (the chef), Trevor and Cathy – we look forward to sampling more items from the new menu.
Pingback: Do You Ask These Blogging Questions? |
Hello!
I just thought i would leave a note on here for the last bank holiday weekend we came to your pub. We come from Shrewsbury so we dont venture your way very often but im glad we did. As we only popped in for a drink there was music and animals to look at, but most of all i was treated to one of those beef burgers how delicious were they!! Hopefully we will come back soon and would the chef cook us another! As we were only going to stay for 30 mins on the way home we ended up staying for an hour! The only thing that annoyed my husband and i was the girl that was collecting money for the charity was a little rude, but apart from that i was lovely to pop into your pub! Hopefully see you again!