Great views and even better food as golf course puts on lunch

It has become a staple part of menus for pubs and restaurants as well, with many putting on a carvery or special menu offering beef, chicken, pork and lamb with a range of vegetables and other items.

One place which is mixing the traditional Sunday lunch with other top quality dishes, all freshly prepared with locally sourced ingredients, is South Staffordshire Golf Club, located on the edge of Tettenhall.

The club, which boasts an 18-hole championship-standard golf course, also has a newly refurbished clubhouse which offers views across the rolling fairways of the 1st and 18th holes, as well as updated dining and venue rooms.

As part of the experience, the club provides a weekly Sunday lunch menu in the Danescourt Restaurant, a room which opens out onto the course and provides a comfortable dining experience and a three-course meal.

The menu changes each week and on the week myself and my mother Diane turned up, the menu offered a fine selection, with the food and beverage manager Jeanette telling me that while the club offered a different meat each week, it would also provide Roast Topside of Beef, as this was the most popular option on the menu.

There is also an extensive wine menu, updated seasonally, with white, red and rose wines from Italy, Australia, France, New Zealand, South Africa and Chile, plus a well-stocked bar with spirits, beers, ciders and soft drinks, suiting people of all ages.

We arrived early for our booking, but were led in without having to wait and given a table next to the window, meaning we could watch people practising their putting, getting their first drive off and also watch as the groups hit the final hole, including one man who took four shots to get out of the bunker on the 18th hole.

The restaurant itself was airy and light and, considering the heat and humidity in the air, feel cool and comfortable, so we were able to sit and take in the surroundings, as well as order our drinks, with my mum having a gin and tonic and myself, as the driver, a blackcurrant squash and soda.

There was only one group in when we arrived, a family of four, but within about 25/30 minutes, each table was full with a mixture of couples and families out for lunch.

Speaking of food, the menu offered a two-course meal for £23 or a three-course meal for £28, and a selection of three starters and desserts and, alongside the eponymous beef, three other main courses.

Of these, the starters consisted of a broccoli and stilton soup, homemade fishcakes and a tandoori chicken terrine, replete with mango chutney and mini poppadoms.

My mum decided to just have a main and a dessert, but I decided to go for all three and ordered the tandoori chicken, which came fairly quickly and, while it wasn’t big, it was certainly flavourful.

Well-dress with the poppadoms and a cucumber salad on top and drizzled with mango chutney and a nice orange sauce, the chicken looked well prepared and nice cooked and, upon cutting into it, I found it to have a lovely smoky and rich flavour and a nice consistency, only breaking up in my mouth as I was chewing it.

The mango chutney added to it, as did the cucumber salad (a rarity for me as I’m not a fan of cucumber) and while it went down quickly, it served as a very nice and tasty start, plus I defy anyone to not get one of the mini poppadoms and spoon up the remaining mango chutney.

With the starter done, we waited for our mains, with mum having ordered the grilled plaice with prawns and caper butter sauce and myself having gone for the beef, which the menu said came with a large Yorkshire pudding.

We were not disappointed when the food arrived as my mum was given a plate full of colour and flavour, with the plaice almost hidden under a mixture of succulent prawns, glowing caper butter with the capers spread all over, and I received a plate with glazed and crispy brown potatoes, a big and crispy Yorkshire pudding and several pieces of wonderfully cooked beef.

I also received a big bowl of crispy vegetables, including carrots, runner beans and broccoli, a huge pot of cauliflower cheese mixed with spring onion and covered in breadcrumbs, and a jug of thick and aromatic gravy, so I ended up with a very full plate.

I’m also happy to report that the beef is just as good as they say it is, easy to cut and full of flavour that melted in your mouth. It made it clear to me why it is a mainstay of the menu, plus the potatoes were packed with flavour, the vegetables had a satisfying crunch and the Yorkshire pudding was crispy and tasty and big enough to be a meal on its own, perhaps with something inside it.

As for the plaice, my mum reported back that it was really nice, full of rich flavour and was like a good comfort food. She also liked the club, saying it was comfortable and welcoming and the menu was something designed for all ages.

With main courses sitting comfortably, we both ordered desserts to compliment the meals we’d had, with mum ordering the tiramisu with berry compote and myself ordering the white chocolate and mango panna cotta, even though I had no idea what a panna cotta was.

On arrival, I was met with a rectangular, dark yellow block with grey ice cream next to it, while mum received a large dish with a tiramisu covering and red and black interior.

Strange though it might have looked to me, I realised I was in flavour country when I took my first taste, with the panna cotta providing me with a tangy and rich taste and the ice cream, which was chocolate crunch pistachio, also adding a mixture of taste to it. It didn’t last very long, but was an excellent dessert.

Mum’s tiramisu was also very well received, with the coffee flavouring of the tiramisu mixing well with the compote. Considering she doesn’t eat as much these days, the dessert went down a treat, leaving us both full and satisfied.

The staff were delightful as well, checking during each course to make sure everything was ok and making as feel welcome without every rushing us (the family of four were still there when we left).

I would say South Staffordshire Golf Course have taken the idea of the Sunday Lunch and made it something nice, fun and comfortable, something you can take your whole family to and enjoy a relaxing afternoon meal amid stunning surroundings.

It fills up fast, so book now at southstaffordshiregolfclub.co.uk/wine-and-dine/ to avoid disappointment. 9/10

Sample Menu (£23 for two courses, £28 for three courses):

Starter

Broccoli and Stilton Soup with a garlic crouton

Homemade Fishcake with tartar sauce and pea salad

Tandoori Chicken Terrine, mango chutney, mini poppadom and cucumber salad

Main Course

Roast Topside of Beef with Yorkshire pudding

Slow Roasted Pork Belly

Grilled Plaice, prawn and caper butter sauce, gaufrette potatoes with tender steam broccoli

Wild Mushroom Risotto with parsley, tarragon and crispy shallots

Dessert

White Chocolate and Mango Panna cotta, chocolate crumb pistachio ice cream

Tiramisu, berry compote, biscotti biscuit

Cheeseboard

The South Staffordshire Golf Course, Danescourt Road, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, WV6 9BQ