The Fountain

Clent, West Midlands

Marston's Pub Company leasehold

Richard and Jacqui Macey have made the Fountain such a sought-after place to eat that there is an eight to 10-week waiting list to get a table on a Saturday night.

Word-of-mouth recommendations about the quality of the food have spread throughout the Midlands and many customers are prepared to regularly travel many miles for the gastronomic experience. "We've even had someone ring from Hong Kong to book a table," says Jacqui.

The Maceys are just about to enter their 10th year at the Marston's leasehold. When they arrived, the previous fare was of the chicken-in-a-basket variety. Now, under chef Richard's leadership, the 62-covers inn produces between 1,000 and 1,200 meals per week.

The menu changes every day and there's a tantalising array of dishes. Diners get a choice of three vegetarian options, five fish dishes, eight meat dishes, and a grill menu offering steaks and chicken. During lunchtimes on Monday to Saturday, a condensed version of the à la carte menu is offered, comprising nine dishes. For the less hungry, a "butty board" with 12 different sandwich fillings is available.

Within the tempting range of food lies the Fountain's signature dish - lamb hotpot. It has been a firm favourite since day one of the Maceys' tenure. Jacqui recalls: "We tried to take it off the menu a few years ago, but there was such uproar from customers that we had to reinstate it on the third day."

To keep pace with demand, an outdoor dining area has been added to help alleviate the rush of customers in the summer months. However, as the Fountain is in a conservation area, nothing can be done to extend the building. Nor is there much room to display the countless awards the pub has won, which span from food, wine, and beer to the Maceys being the BII's licensees of the year in 2006.

Jacqui says the awards keep coming. "We are constantly looking at what we are doing and trying to raise customer service," she says. "We never forget people will go back to a place that offers good food and good service."