THIS beautiful countryside inn perched majestically upon an ancient riverbank has remained true to its roots (and they go deep) so it is no surprise this riverside rose shows no signs of wilting.
It's tempting to wax lyrical about The Talbot at Knightwick, nestled by the verdant banks of the River Teme, but this is tempered by the somewhat formidable owner's aversion to pretentiousness of any kind.
If you succumb to such flights of fancy, owner and director Annie Clift, will be be more than happy to bring you back to earth (where we all belong) as reliably as gravity itself.
The building has existed in some form or other, since around 1500 and its fortunes are inextricably intertwined with the Teme itself. She coils close by and can be a fickle mistress, 'volatile' as Annie describes her.
"She gets above herself," says Annie with her customary laconic, deadpan delivery and a subtle twinkle of mischief in her eye.
The inn, around nine miles from Worcester off the A44, has flooded periodically since at least 1908 and on various dates since, including in 1947 and 2007, but the Teme shows no signs of pushing this game old bird off her perch.
The inn owes its existence to a nearby river ford - travellers would stop at the Talbot to wait for the swollen river waters to recede so they could cross again.
The Flying Horse, now a butcher's on the other side of the Teme, performed a similar function. Annie says the inn was on the route from the salt mines of Droitwich to South Wales.
You may have heard of the witch circles or witch marks at The Fleece in Bretforton to keep out malign forces. The Talbot can boast of something even more unusual in its battle against spectral shenanigans - they found a dead cat in the chimney in the 1990s, used to 'ward off evil spirits'.
Annie, who grew up nearby in Lulsley, describes the inn as being in an idyllic setting and has learned that flooding is 'a fact of life'.
Annie is the daughter of the late Jean Clift, who helped lay the foundations of a successful family business. She died at the age of 97 in 2022 but her influence is still strongly felt.
The great-grandmother was the last of 'the Teme Valley Ladies', a group of strong local women who were very active in the community and 'set the standard' for the rest of her family to follow.
Known as 'Mrs C', it is impossible to mention the Talbot without mentioning this shrewd, Yorkshire-born businesswoman who helped lay the foundations of the business.
Her father, Eric, took on the tenancy of the Fox and Hounds in Lulsley, thereby forging a longstanding connection with this corner of the county.
The inn serves breakfasts, lunches and dinners and is well known for the Teme Valley Market in the second Sunday of every month, one of the oldest farmer's markets in the UK.
There is a full calendar of events to draw people here including the Summer Solstice party on Friday, June 21 from 4pm. This will feature a barbecue, outside bar and live music, including Step Dancers playing Appalachian music, the Malvern Delta Blues Band, Reba ('sultry vocals, Irish bouzouki guitar, looping pedal and the occasional kazoo') and Faithful City Morris.
The Talbot is also the home of Teme Valley Brewery (opened in 1997) based in the old squash courts.
Here they brew the popular This, That and T'other. This, at 3.7 per cent light real ale, is the most popular.
It is made from Goldings hops, a very old English variety, and the ale is popular within around 20 miles of the inn but sold in bottle form much further afield.
Chris Gooch, one of the brewers, said: "We're very proud of the part the Midlands plays in maintaining the British brewing tradition."
Mr Gooch is homegrown himself, born in the Bromyard Downs in Herefordshire. The Green Hop Beer Festival takes place this year on October 11, 12 and 13 and gives visitors the chance to try green hop ales (normally hops are dried in a kiln). Green hops ales carry the potential to have 'more flavour'.
Around 12 green hop beers, including from other brewers, are served which 'reflects regional pride and regional history'.
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A further beer festival takes place in April although details of this have yet to be finalised.
The Talbot also has its own kitchen garden which grows a number of fruits and vegetables which make their way onto the menu including tomatoes, lettuces, cauliflowers, coriander, gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries, potatoes, chives, rocket and rhubarb.
Annie hates to see good meat wasted, including the offal, and game is served all your round including pheasants, partridges, roe deer and muntjacs.
"I don't believe in wasting any part of the animal," says Annie.
Still mounted on the wall is a 32lbs salmon Annie caught in Scotland in 1993 - skinned and eaten before it was sent away to a taxidermist to be preserved in pride of place above the fireplace.
"Take the tone of surprise out of your voice," says Annie with a wry smile when she explains how she caught the monster salmon while spinning with a Toby hook.
It is certainly not hard to see why visitors are hooked on the Talbot.
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