THE Swan Inn is a proper pub. Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Worcestershire village of Birlingham, it is an obvious gathering spot for the locals who, when my dining partner and I arrived, were filling the bar with happy chitter-chatter.

As it was a week night, we hadn't booked a table, but luckily the dining area in a conservatory at the back of the pub could accommodate us.

We were greeted cheerily and shown to our seat before being advised that the meal choices were chalked on the blackboards.

What we saw was a selection of good old-fashioned pub favourites, with no gastro-pub pretensions in sight.

For starters, traditional prawn cocktail sat alongside other favourites like soup of the day and garlic mushrooms - and all priced at under £5.

I went for the prawn cocktail which arrived with a delicious hunk of warm, home-made bread. The plentiful portion of sea food was covered in just the right amount of Marie Rose sauce and nestled on top of crunchy, fresh salad. My partner's garlic mushrooms arrived in a steaming hot, moreish creamy, garlicky and mustardy sauce which he mopped up enthusiastically - again with warm home-made bread.

Next up for me was scampi and chips, accompanied by generous helpings of peas and sweetcorn, homemade coleslaw and salad. The huge portion proved too much to manage in the end, but would have readily been polished off had I not been saving a bit of space for a sweet. The tangy homemade tartare sauce was especially delicious and worth a mention. My partner's steak, ordered as rare as possible, was cooked to perfection. It was incredibly crunchy and char-grilled on the outside, yet exactly how he wanted in the middle - a feat managed disappointingly rarely. Again, the portion size was more than adequate, with chips, tomatoes, onion rings and mushrooms making delicious accompaniments.

Despite our full bellies, the fabulous sounding puddings were too appealing to turn down.

Our shared treacle, orange and walnut tart arrived perfectly warm, with a helping of vanilla ice cream beginning to melt into it. It was heavenly.

The perfectly sweet dessert with a kick of orange and slightly contrasting, bitter walnut, melted in the mouth and the texture, with just a slight crunch, was sublime.

With a glass of wine and a lager, our bill came in at just £42. We left in high spirits, determined to make a return visit to this traditional inn with friendly staff and customers and real, honest - and exceptionally tasty - pub grub.

The Swan Inn, Church Street, Birlingham.

Tel: 01386 750485

Service: ****Food: ****Value: *****Ambience: ***