Neil Morrissey at his pub The Plume of Feathers (Image: Sentinel)
Dianne Bourne and her family recently went out for at the Plume of Feathers, a owned by renowned film and television actor Neil Morrissey. It was impossible to miss that this was his pub, as his name appeared on nearly every available surface.
“As you approach the pub, his name is prominently displayed on the signs outside, which read: “Plume of Feathers… With Neil Morrissey,” explained Dianne. “Once inside you’re greeted by old family photos of the actor and a comprehensive biography that chronicles his life, from his early years in Stoke to his national success in and . Even the feature a silhouette of Morrissey’s face, and at the bar, you can order a pint of his signature Morrissey Blonde pale ale.”
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A large wooden plaque pays homage to one of Morrissey’s most iconic roles (Image: MEN/Dianne Bourne)
Next to the bar, a large wooden plaque pays homage to one of Morrissey’s most iconic roles, featuring the words “Men Behaving Badly – Gary and Tony”, a nod to the hit comedy from the 1990s that he starred in alongside Martin Clunes.
A trip to the toilets reveals yet more charming photos of Neil, including one of him cuddling his pet dog, accompanied by the slogan “men to the left because women are always right”.
Dianna explained that Morrissey has even framed and displayed the Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) he undertook in 2009 to settle debts from a previous property firm he owned.
“It’s clear that this pub is a tribute to all things Neil Morrissey, with his presence and personality permeating every aspect of the establishment,” she wrote in the .
Despite references to the actor being literally everywhere, his physical presence was very much missing. Without the need to employ fancy gimmicks at his establishment, Neil has opted instead for classic pub fare and a convivial atmosphere.
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His likeness can be found on the menu offering hearty pub fare (Image: MEN/Dianne Bourne)
Dianne continued: “When arrive on a Sunday afternoon to the village of Barlaston in Staffordshire, the pub is packed. It’s a pretty large space inside and I’m very glad I booked in advance because we were shown to the one vacant table in the entire place which overlooks a bowling green at the back.”
With both the kids and the grandparents in tow, the family settled down around a large oval table, that had a sign bearing “HMS Bounty – Matthew Quintal” above it. Morrissey’s superfans will no doubt know that is the role he played in 1984 movie The Bounty alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson (and apparently he pretended to be Mel’s brother on set to ‘beguile the ladies’).
While the HMS Bounty fact might not impress everyone, Dianne was able to make my kids’ eyes light up and gasp in wonder when she said: “Guess what, the man who owns this pub is Bob the Builder!”
The kids were impressed by the link to Bob the Builder (Image: MEN)
Proud of it’s connection to Mr Morrissey, the website says: “Welcome to the Plume of Feathers, a fantastic new pub venture in association with Neil Morrissey. When you visit you have to sample some of Neil’s own beers and ales.”
Naturally, Dianne did and described her pint of the refreshing Morrissey Blonde ale as “excellent” priced at a very reasonable £4.30.
The website goes on to add: “We pride ourselves that all our dishes are homemade from the finest fresh ingredients, sourced from local suppliers.
“Bruce Mackie is our Head Chef & Neil Morrissey, one of the owners, loves to spend time in the kitchen and might even be preparing some of your meals.”
The shredded duck oatcake (£8) (Image: MEN)
As a family group, they explored a fair amount of the Sunday menu, immediately opting to try of some of the more unusual starters on offer.
Being in Morrissey’s home turf of Stoke-on-Trent here, Dianne was pleased to see oatcakes on the menu.
The diner was delighted by the traditional Stokie oatcake, likening it to a “giant floppy spotty tongue,” which paired excellently with the crispy duck and plum sauce drizzle.
The Morrissey Blonde Ale Pie (£17) (Image: MEN)
Dianne also had a go of the Biscoff halloumi nuggets (£8) which were quite the taste sensation where the sweet and savoury flavours really worked.
For mains, there was naturally a big move for the beef and pork roast dinners (£17 each) around the table, but Dianne preferred to give the Morrissey Blonde Ale Pie (£17) a go.
She said: “The pie was an excellent mound of slow-cooked beef brisket encased in a wonderfully light pastry, served with a pile of bubble and squeak and the excellent addition of crispy kale, which is a personal favourite.”
The Plume of Feathers Sunday lunch (£17) (Image: MEN)
Some of Dianne’s fellow diners looked slightly stunned at the sheer size of the portions for the Sunday roasts when they arrived. They were all served with large crispy roast potatoes, giant Yorkshire pudding and a decent swill of thick gravy, as well as a huge plate of vegetables to share around the table.
Meanwhile her nine-year-old son devoured his kids’ sausage and chips (£10) in record time, given them a solid rating of “10/10.”
Despite feeling a little stuffed, the family pressed on to indulge in desserts enjoying the chocamocca (£7.50), the raspberry ruffle (£7.50) the kids ice creams (£5 for two scoops).
With no complaints from any of the group on the quality and value of food here, what could be the one thing that they felt was missing?
Was Dianne hoping the Neil would be there pulling pints? (Image: Sentinel)
Dianne questioned: “Did it matter that Neil himself wasn’t there? Well, I don’t suppose you really go to Gino D’Acampo’s Italian or Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat restaurant and expect to see them serving you up do you?
“Neil can count himself lucky that with a great team working on his venture here, the pub and its grub is the real star.”