Rose and Crown

Tucked into the corner of Warwick's Market Square, The Rose and Crown hums with life all day long. A favourite with the townspeople, who use it variously as a watering-hole, the place for a spot of lunch or a celebration dinner.

It would be possible to enlarge upon all this indefinitely, but our purpose here is to tell you about The Rose and Crown and how they put into practice their strongly held principles. First the property, a handsome building in the middle of a busy county town which draws heavily on visitors to Warwick Castle nearby, and many other attractions on the south Midlands.

They have 5 en-suite B & B rooms, 2 of which can be family rooms, the other 3 doubles, all suitable for those wanting comfortable, straightforward accommodation in Middle England. Inside, bold but graceful features such as large open fireplaces and furnishings to match make for a series of spacious and attractive rooms.

At the heart of a true gastropub is, of course, the menu. Head chef Gavin Alcock reckons he's worked everywhere; he's definitely been in some of the loveliest parts of the country, from the Lygon Arms in Broadway and Lower Slaughter Manor to the Grapevine in Stow-on-the-Wold. It was a yearning to try new things which brought him to the Rose and Crown.

"What I really wanted was more scope with my menu and the challenge of creating something wonderful with the ingredients that arrived that day. It's all about being inventive and having to survive on your wits".

Gavin and his team have designed a menu combining traditional pub favourites as well as something a little different. They are in the kitchen every day preparing all the dishes fresh on the premises. On the menu, you will find the very best quality fresh ingredients - fantastic sausages; free range chicken; simple, pan-fried fish and seafood; 28 day dry-aged Aberdeenshire rump cap steak - sourced from producers who take pride in their products and an ethical stance in their production.

Food is served from lunch through to dinner with the express menu running from noon to 6pm which offers plenty of hot, main meals so you can be sure that whenever you pop, you won't leave hungry! The a la carte menu served at lunch and dinner carries a number of either/or options including a well packed Caesar salad where 25p from every one sold goes to promoting healthy eating in local schools.

When the menu emerges can the wine list be far behind - in this case, no, thankfully since tucker like this deserves a sympathetic and timely response from the cellar which, whilst drawing quite heavily on France by no means neglects the exciting new outlets for quality wine. Fullers London Pride, Black Sheep and Old Speckled Hen are amongst the well kept and endlessly popular ales.

The Rose and Crown opens daily at 8am for full English or continental breakfast. The à la carte menu plus a selection of great Sunday Roasts is also served  noon - 4pm and 6.30 - 9.30 on Sundays and Bank Holidays. The all day menu is not available on a Sunday.

Click on their Website for latest news, reservations, private room hire and nice comments from happy diners. Like the look of The Rose and Crown? See their two sister pubs, The One Elm - Stratford Upon Avon and The Almanack in Kenilworth.