Regional & Seasonal: The Fleece Inn

Home-cooked food is enjoyed under ancient beams at a Worcestershire pub filled with treasures of the past

Every one of the three log fires at the Fleece Inn is blazing. Customers have pulled their chairs in close to the polished wood tables and sit laughing, talking and relishing their meals. The aroma of mulled wine and cider mingle with wood smoke and, as another dish is delivered to a table, the savoury smell of a richly-filled pie. The Fleece is tucked discreetly down a short lane, just off Bretforton village square in rural Worcestershire. The whitewashed, timber-framed building is approximately 700 years old. Its roughly tiled roof is scattered with a light dusting of snow, and warm light emanates appealingly from the windows. “When it snows, everyone descends from the village,” says landlord Nigel Smith. “The fire and the cosiness keep it going through the darker months. We’ll get the toasting fork out so people can make toast on the fire. I even treat everyone to crumpets once in a while.” The inn is now maintained by the National Trust, after remaining in the ownership of the same family since it was built in the early 15th century, by a local man named Byrd. Its first use was as a farm until, in 1848, his descendent, Henry Byrd gained a licence to sell alcohol, and it was converted to a pub. Henry’s great-granddaughter, Lola Taplin bequeathed it to the Trust on her death in 1977, and much of it remains as it has done for the last several hundred years. “We still have a lot of the old artefacts,” says Nigel. “Approximately 95 per cent of them were left by the family. Some are approximately 250 years old. All these things are left out in the open so people can look at them. There’s a lot of trust here.” In one room, a glass-fronted oak cabinet is filled with Stuart pewter. A collection of pewter teapots lines a shelf above one doorway; a series of handbells is hung above another. Old framed photographs, some black and white, some in faded colour, show the building at various stages of its life. Little has changed here over the years. “The last real renovation was in 1670,” says Nigel, “when they built another bit on the side that we call ‘the new extension’. Between 1848 and 1912, they brewed beer in there, and we still have some of the equipment.” Though much of the building’s structure and decoration has endured, a fire in 2004 damaged the roof and first floor. “All the locals turned up and helped us to get everything out,” says Nigel. Events were run alongside the restoration project, to draw attention to the skills needed.

Little sign of any damage is evident, and the pub looks much as it did, even the witch circles which were repainted on the flagstones before the fire, said to prevent evil spirits entering through the chimney. “I love the fact that you get a wide variety of people through the door,” says Nigel. “You can have a good home- cooked meal and learn about the social history of England. People are wowed by that and, at the same time, we’re still very much a village pub.” Food and drink are a focus, the menu changing regularly with the seasons. Damsons, plums and walnuts are collected from the pub’s orchard where several ancient varieties of apple trees grow. “In winter, you’re quite likely to see the chef out there, collecting apples for the apple pie,” says Nigel. “We make our own cider too. It’s not for the faint-hearted.” Later in the month, their annual Wassail will take place here, and several hundred people will walk down to the tree where the ceremony is held. The night continues in revelry and traditional music. “It has so many layers of history that I’m part museum curator, part publican,” says Nigel. “I think it’s a shining example of English hospitality. It has an integrity which makes it a rare thing indeed.”