The Ladybridge

 In keeping with my usual infantile behaviour I normally refer to The Ladybridge as the Lady Boy however unlike a dude (who) looks like a lady there are no hidden surprises with this establishment. 

It could probably be described as a multi function venue, there is a fairly unimaginative pub, a Beefeater restaurant and, for those who like snuggling in next to Lenny Henry at night, there is a Premier Inn…

The views can certainly be described as mixed, Madonna once sang of La Isla Bonita (the beautiful island) I’m sure she wasn’t referring to what she saw out of the window at The Ladybridge…

…the island (or roundabout to non Brummies) is adjacent to Tamworth’s main retail outlet Ventura Park with the pub being a welcome escape for brow beaten husbands who are understandably weary from being dragged round Next, M & S et al. NB I strongly refute any accusations of sexist undertones to this blog !! 

The view from the other side of the pub is much more aesthetically pleasing…

I will admit I did zoom in a bit when I took the photo and I was careful not to include the high rise blocks of flats adjacent to the castle but that is a quite a view in my humble opinion. 

Just to prove that Tamworth isn’t resting on its historic laurels the view from the back of the pub is very 21st century….

…rumours are that one driver actually managed to get all the way to Lichfield without having to stop for a recharge!! 

My most recent visit to The Ladybridge was early on a Saturday afternoon. I was greeted at the door by a friendly lady in a leopard print blouse, the sort of which used to be adorned by Bet Lynch behind the bar in The Rovers, ‘Have you booked a table’? she politely enquired, easy tiger (okay that’s more than enough feline references in this paragraph!!) I thought, and timidly enquired if it was okay if just had a drink. I was warmly welcomed in and surveyed the drink choices…the was only one cask option namely Doombar (not available) begrudgingly I opted for the keg Atlantic Pale (also not available) at this point I thought a trip back to the shops might be a more attractive alternative !! 

Birra Moretti was my expensive third choice and I resisted the urge of saying Ciao Bella to the barmaid as I took my overpriced Italian beer to my seat. 

The pub itself is an Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards ski jump away from Tamworth’s Snowdome and judging by his apres ski attire one punter had presumably either got dressed in the dark spent too much time on the piste..

Now, I don’t know whether it’s because I’m a gentleman of advancing years or if it was down to the winter chill but I’d barely taken the top off my designer brew when there was a requirement to break the seal. I had to hope that Tamworth’s multi coloured version of Franz Klamner wasn’t a fan of Italian lager as I had to leave my pricy pint unattended. Now, I’m no prude but my trip to the loo was a real eye opener..

…there was a support formula, a delay formula, a ribbed and dotted option and even paracetamol meaning there was a ready made solution for the ‘not tonight dear I’ve got a headache’ excuse !! 

I blushed call the way back to my seat and looked round the pub for distractions. Being a Beefeater there was a diagram of a cow showing, I presumed, the various cuts of beef…

….what’s that I see?!! Rib tickler !! Is there no end to it?!! 

Mercifully the drinks menu was smut free, I did smile when I saw the following offer..

During some seasons at St Andrews we’ve barely registered an attempt on target by the start of October, if the owners (whoever they are) offered a similar deal these days I’d happily turn up with twenty quid at the start of the season and await the resulting goal fest !! 

The clientele was fairly mixed, as it was 1.30pm on Saturday there were quite a few in there killing time ahead of the 2pm check in stipulation of the Premier Inn, bringing along an irritating misbehaving child is seemingly a prerequisite of all families staying in this particular hotel chain judging by my experience at The Ladybridge!! 

There were also a large number of people dining and, whilst it was standard pub fayre, the food looked pretty good. A quick trawl through the reviews confirmed that fact however that doesn’t make for amusing blog material although this particular review got me chuckling …

….It doesn’t matter how many times I read and re-read the first sentence I simply don’t understand it. Istanbul?!! Maybe the reviewer had Turkey !! I can only assume they weren’t at school on the days when punctuation was being taught, however the highlight for me is ‘Yorkshire were cold so sent it back’….I wasn’t aware that there was a returns policy on a county due to inclement weather !! 

I received an email when I was checking the reviews and it appeared that Percy Filth had raised his head agin..

….and before you ask I heeded their warning and didn’t check out Emily’s revealing clothing !!

Two young women sat by me were knocking back the pints and as a result the volume of their conversation began dramatically increasing. Mercifully they decided food was a good idea however their laughter bordered on the uncontrollable when they noticed a dish 

on the menu called Sloppy Joe and one remarked that it reminded her of one of their mutual friends who seemingly had a reputation of being of easy virtue !! 

Disappointingly the girls regained their composure, after guffawing at their over amorous acquaintance,  and ordered their food. Seemingly poultry is the dish of choice at The Ladybridge because one of the girls announced loudly on a mid meal call that her chicken wings were ‘absolutely ****ing lovely’ !! 

All told an amusing visit with apologies that this particular entry carries a PG rating !!