You will find the atmosphere at the swan with two necks friendly and relaxed.

We hope you find our attention to detail and service truly memorable, and we look forward to hosting you, your friends, and family time after time.

The Swan With Two Necks, at Blackbrook has undergone an almost fairytale transformation, as Jenny Amphlett finds out.

Jenny Amphlett (North Staffordshire Magazine)

There can't be many North Staffordshire folk who haven't eaten at The Swan With Two Necks over the years, or found themselves thinking that it could do with a bit of a facelift.

It's located in a perfect spot for a drive out to a country pub restaurant, near busy arterial roads linking the Potteries with Shropshire and Stone.

Yet for years it was part of a national chain, serving identikit food created with lavish use of the freezer and microwave.

It looked genteel from the outside, but housed an ice cream machine and breaded everything within.

But, just over a year ago, it was placed on the market and snapped up by four local businessmen. A month-long overhaul and nearly £500,000 later and the Swan was ready to emerge, reborn.

The first difference we noticed was that it looked, well, completely different.

The brick facade has been painted white and a fashionable shade of grey.

The grey tones continued as we stepped inside, where fussy furnishings had been replaced with minimalism. The colour palate was neutral and the lighting subdued.

The children's play area has gone, and acompletely new bar installed.

We were asked whether we would like to eat in the restaurant area or bar, and chose the bar as we thought it would be livelier on a rainy January evening.

Despite the weather, and the fact we hadchosen a Monday evening to dine, quite afew tables were taken, including a mix of diners and drinkers.

After finding a table, we ordered our drinks and food at the bar, paying for each order separately as we went along.

As a starter I chose goats' cheese salad(£4.95), which included a chunky wedge of baked cheese on a veritable mountain of mixed leaves and roast vegetables. It was tasty, well assembled and would probably have sufficed as a main course.

My dining companion opted for field mushrooms with Shropshire blue cheese and garlic sauce (£4.95). Another sizeable portion, the mushrooms were served on blinis and came with dressed rocket.

Other starters on the menu included a baked Camembert wheel with French bread to share (£7.95), or slow roasted pork belly (£4.95).

As a main course I chose sea bass fillets with seasonal vegetables, crushed potatoes and a lime and caper dressing (£13.45).

The portion was more modest than my starter, but it was delicious and beautifully presented.

My dining companion chose a main course from the chargrill section of the menu, which features local meat and fish from sustainable sources.

His 10oz Staffordshire sirloin steak (£15.95) was served with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and a choice of hand-cut chips, creamy mash or mixed salad.

The steak was tender and the chunky chips were perfect.

Other main course options included Leffe beer-battered haddock with hand cut chips and pea puree (£10.95), or chicken breast with a mushroom filling, fondant potato and wholegrain mustard sauce (£10.95).

Our meals were delivered quickly, and the service was polite and friendly but informal.

From the dessert menu I chose chocolate fondant (£4.95), which was warm and gooey and served with a scoop of Staffordshire Red Lion Farm vanilla ice cream.

My dining companion chose the cheeseboard for one (£4.95), which would have easily served two people, and included six different types of cheese, two varieties of grapes, celery, tomatoes, a strawberry and crackers.

Other dessert options included treacle roulade with treacle butter icing and vanilla ice cream (£4.95), and vanilla cheesecake with wild fruit compote (£4.95).

The Swan With Two Necks has certainly changed. Vive la difference! Our bill for two people, including drinks, was £54.90.