9 September 2026

Beer and sandwiches: At The Angel Inn in Staffordshire

This column is our weekly pub review, written by pintsmen, women and children across the nation. Suggestions to letters@newstatesman.co.uk

By New Statesman

Illustration by Marta Signori

“There is nothing that has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn.” Whatever Samuel Johnson was referring to, it wasn’t the watering hole in Lichfield named dubiously in his honour – a pub that was declining rapidly during this writer’s formative years.

Samuels was a frightening place, boasting one of the UK’s most incongruous dancing poles. But it had a semi-functioning pool table and that was good enough for us. Until the frankly remarkable quantity of dog poo on the floor became intolerable. One imagines that the Angel Inn – which replaced Sammy’s in 2014 under the ownership of Joule’s, a brewery in the West Midlands – would be far more to Dr Johnson’s tastes.

Pole position

The 18th-century tavern has since been restored to its former glory, with the cursed pole making way for inviting nooks partitioned by wood panelling, log fires and a cosy walled beer garden. An extensive selection of beer is served, with a permanent line-up of the core Joule’s range bolstered by the brewery’s seasonal cask ales and plenty of guest pints.

Refuge of the scoundrel

It’s no gastropub, but there is a satisfying range of bar snacks at tempting prices: Scotch eggs and sausage rolls, generously filled cobs and an array of cheese boards. There’s regular live music, the vibe is unfailingly welcoming and the pub is dog-friendly (although the floor is thankfully far cleaner than in the Sammy’s days). A good tavern indeed.