Famous as the only thatched pub in the county – and the reason the landlady's insurances premiums will not allow her to light a real fire inside – it is awesome inside.
Think of an archetypal English country pub and you'll imagine the Black Bull – low, beamed ceiling, white-washed stone walls, heavy dark-wood furniture, nooks, crannies and character aplenty.
It's a long, narrow pub on different levels with a bar straddling the middle. Low-key music added to the vibrant yet relaxed atmosphere.
The landlady's fascination with witches has attracted a welter of memorabilia from all over the world. Old hags on broomsticks hang from the beams, others light up, some just lurk at your shoulder.
But I was most spellbound by the menus. There was a good mix of traditional dishes and more imaginative creations and vegetarians were treated to a whole page to themselves, with eight dishes including sweet pepper and mushroom stroganoff (£6.75), goat's cheese lasagne (£6.95) and vegetable goulash (£6.75) among others – not quite utopia for non-meat eaters but a good way there.
Children, too, are well catered-for with a menu 'free of hidden e-numbers and additives' – they can have shepherd's pie, chicken bites, sausages, cowboy pie (baked beans, sausage and mash), fresh slices of haddock or a small roast of the day for £3.99 each.
Starters ranged from prawn cocktail (£4.45) to home-made Thai fish cakes (£4.55) and garlic mushrooms (£3.45) to deep fried goat's cheese (£3.75).
On the main menu simple dishes like sirloin steak (£13.95), mince and dumpling (£6.95), liver and onions (£7.25) and scampi and chips (£7.50) rubbed noses with the more exotic choices on the specials board: House speciality smoked fish pie (£10.25), oven-baked whole trout with either a Pernod and mushroom sauce or buttered almonds (£10.25), medallions of fillet beef Rossini-style (£12.95), duck breast in a sweet honey sauce with stir-fry vegetables (£11.25), chicken Kiev on Italian bread with savoury rice (£9.95) and braised lamb shank on a bed of minted King Edward potatoes finished with redcurrant glaze (£10.25), for example.
The specials used local produce and were therefore just a bit more expensive. There was a polite warning on the board to allow 30 minutes for some meals as they are all made from fresh. Fantastic – worth the wait in my book.
For us the chef weaved his magic on his home-made soup of the day, which was sweet pepper and tomato (£3.50) and the black pudding wrapped in bacon on a corned beef mash topped with crunchy onions (£4.50).
I had been issued with a challenge by a colleague at the Gazette to eat the black pudding starter and still manage a main course. Not only was it filling, it was also extremely tasty – a most satisfying combination of flavours, beautifully presented in a tower topped with rings of onion and set on a base of onion gravy.
I could have gone home happy at that point but decided to press on.
My wife's soup was thick, equally enchanting and strongly-flavoured. Home-made garlic croutons were sprinkled on top, adding a welcome crunch.
The home-made chicken, leek and Stilton pie (£7.50) caught my eye for round two, while my wife went for the fish pie from the specials.
We couldn't fault either pie, mine with a suet crust and packed with deliciously white chunks of chicken in a creamy, cheesy sauce. Even the dish of simple vegetables – carrots, swede, cauliflower and broccoli were cooked to perfection (and it's not often I can say that!). The home-made chips were delightful.
The fish pie was not overpoweringly smoky and was free from bones, the peas freshly cooked. This was high-class pub grub.
I had met the challenge to get through two courses but had to wait a while before I could manage a sweet. A pint of Black Sheep ale (and a couple of pints of Guinness for my wife) helped pass the time pleasantly.
The desserts (all home-made) were mainly £3.99 and included the traditional or solid favourites of fruit crumble, apple pie, sticky toffee pudding, cheesecake, bread and butter pudding, death by chocolate and Doddington ice cream.
Our first choice, cheesecake, had sold out so we decided to share a sticky toffee pudding. A work of art soon graced the table, with splendid attention to detail. The light pudding and accompanying sauce were scrumptious.
It had been a very comfortable, relaxing meal – a lovely all-round experience that we would gladly repeat.
A nearby diner summed it up when asked whether his meal was OK. "Brilliant," he replied.