King's Head in Sidbury has 'best Guinness in world'

The King's Head in Sidbury in Worcester is larger and more cavernous than you might expect when you first view it from the busy main road, giving up its many secrets one step at a time.

Passing beneath the blooming hanging baskets, the drone of traffic fades to a faint and inoffensive whisper. With a courtyard and beer garden, there is an oasis of calm to be discovered within.

LUSH: The beer garden in The King's Head in Sidbury is an ideal location to watch the canal boats glide by on a summer day (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Fit for a king perhaps, the building within proves to be positively palatial, revealing hidden depths the further you delve into it.

Certainly this is a pub earns its Royal name for she lies little more than a pike's length from The Commandery, the Royalist headquarters during the Battle of Worcester on September 3, 1651.

HISTORY: Leigh Charman put in this striking stencil of a beheaded King Charles I at The King's Head in Sidbury in Worcester (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Perhaps it's fortunate that Charles II isn't around to see one of the grisly motifs on the wall of the grade II listed pub - the gory severed head (complete with dripping blood) of his executed father Charles I stencilled on one of the walls. 

But there is more to come. Landlord Matt Collins hopes to create a new bar and cocktail lounge upstairs to make even better use of the available space. Its depths, it seems, are deepening.

SPACE: One of the many seating areas in The King's Head in Sidbury in Worcester (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Landlord Matt Collins said: "In my opinion we serve the best pint of Guinness in the world. It could well be a world record."

Pouring a pint of it just to remind himself how good it really is, Mr Collins said he had it on good authority from some 'really impressed' Irish visitors that his Guinness (with apologies to dear, decapitated King Charles I) was head and shoulders above its competitors.  

'BEST': My Goodness, My Guinness - Matt Collins of The King's Head in Sidbury has had high praise from the Irish for 'the best pint of Guinness in Worcester if not the world' (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that if an Irishman loves an Englishman's Guinness, he must be doing something right. How many of us have heard 'it's just not the same over here'? 

One of the pub's treasures is an inner courtyard full of seating and, even further on, a verdant beer garden where visitors can watch the canal boats glide silently by.

Mr Collins, 45, took over the pub nearly two years ago and, since then, it has undergone a dramatic metamorphosis. Speaking of Guinness, the redecoration and refurbishment may be a world record in itself - a team of 20 completed it in just nine days.

SPORT: The King's Head in Sidbury makes a feature of its courtyard which is one of several locations in the pub where you can watch live sport from Champions League and Euros football to Six Nations rugby and the Olympics (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

It no doubt helped that Mr Collins has a keen eye for detail and a certain natural flair, partly the result of his time as a carpenter and joiner.

The colour scheme of cream and blue is subtle and helps foster a relaxed atmosphere. 

Although the pub is tied to a brewery, Mr Collins said: "I feel I've put my own independent mark on the pub. I think we're quite chilled out. We're not trying to force anything in your face. We're trying to be easy going and relaxed."

Born and bred in St John's in Worcester, Mr Collins said he had built up a loyal following of around 250 regular customers since he took over. 

VIBRANT: Matt Collins is particularly proud of the hanging baskets at The King's Head in Sidbury, courtesy of Matthew Tree Baskets (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

"I have concentrated on building up a loyal customer base," he said.

Often The King's Head is where people start when they go on a crawl around Worcester's many pubs and bars. 

The pub also reveals yet more Royal connections - chef Jamie Foote has worked in the kitchens of a Royal household and has Michelin star experience. 

Burgers and sandwiches are their biggest sellers but, from mid September, Sunday roasts will also be served (a two or three course menu).

ROYAL: The King's Head in Sidbury has art to reflect its Royal name not to mention six big screens during the Euros to show the football, making it a good choice for watching the Three Lions in action (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Food, ordered at the bar, is all homemade and locally sourced from Knightwick Butchers and Three Counties Produce in Worcester. The menu changes with the seasons. 

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Sides at the moment include garlic bread, smoked pork belly, crispy chilly beef and dirty bacon and cheese fries while mains include chicken ciabatta,  beef burgers, kofta spiced lamb burgers, pork belly ramen and rump steak.

There are also 'sharers' such as baked camembert, a smoker (home made pastrami, sesame and honey glazed pork belly, shredded chick mac 'n' cheese, picked slaw and barbecue gravy) and nachos.

The pub serves Birra Moretti, Thatcher's Haze, Thatcher's Gold, Stratopramen, Neck Oil, Peroni, Estrella Damm, Shipyard and Wainwright Gold.

Live music from Jamie Knight, the Acoustic Jukebox, is coming on Saturday, August 17 at 6pm. 

The King's Head, it seems, is a Royal banquet for the senses.