An ode to The Anchor Inn, Caunsall

Loved by many, spanning every generation, The Anchor has been a keystone for the surrounding community for more years than I can imagine. Every day of the week, rain or shine, getting a parking space is nothing short of a miracle, especially when there’s motorbikes strewn across the carpark. Never mind a seat inside or a bench in the sun dependent on the weather.

With the pub trade in a steady decline across all regions, The Anchor has clung on stronger than ever. A proper traditional British pub, real ales and ciders and the lure of their famous cobs continue to keep the punters coming.

All that salad!

Often followed on from a walk down the canal, thirsty and hungry day-trippers swarm to The Anchor for a pint of HPA and a beef cob to rest their weary legs. It is of course, in the middle of nowhere, yet whilst pubs in the closest towns struggle to keep their businesses afloat, this small pub must have more staff than your average Wetherspoon’s to ensure their customers are served and cared for.

You can guarantee to see a certain few locals sat inside the side entrance upon every visit, and at the same time hear every sort of regional accent in the beer garden not just restricted to us Black Country folk.

The decor probably hasn’t been changed for as long as I’ve been alive, but guess what? It doesn’t have to. There’s something inherently wrong with drinking a pint of proper ale in a metropolitan bar, or your run of the mill chain pub. The Anchor is exactly why the old-fashioned pub is making a comeback.

This tiny bar keeps up with a constant flow of customers, particularly on a lunchtime. But what I really want to highlight is the fact the staff manage to smash out hundreds of cobs a day at the same time. These cobs aren’t just any cobs… Bread from the local bakery, ham joints they prepare and slice themselves, and the most divine roast beef you’ll ever taste. All this comes with a greenhouse worth of salad, and the choice of every condiment possible. These cobs are that good, people order them to takeaway as much as they do to eat in.

There’s nothing quite like a pint of Thatcher’s Gold and a beef cob from The Anchor on a British Summer’s day, and for that, I thank you The Anchor for showing all these fancy, run-of-the-mill pubs exactly how it’s done.