DRIVING down the A38 in Kempsey, I had the choice between two pubs: The Talbot and The Anchor Inn.

The latter has Sky Sports and I wanted to watch José Mourinho’s debut as head coach of Tottenham Hotspur.

It was lunchtime on Saturday, the rain had halted briefly and I was hungry, having only eaten a pot of Chilli Chicken Ramen flavour Kabuto Noodles.

Listening to the match on the radio as I drove in, Harry Kane appeared to have put Spurs ahead only for it to be ruled offside.

Inside the little pub, there is two TV screens, with a small group of staff and traders huddled around one.

The lady behind the bar was very cheerful and directed me to the menus. She was apologetic about there being not much to choose from, with the landlords having only taken over two or three weeks ago. She assured there would be more dishes soon.

But there was plenty there nonetheless, including six mains. It’s all classic homemade pub favourites and I opted for Steak and Kidney Pie, served with chips or mash and peas.

The barmaid said things were going well so far and said the pub’s newly introduced breakfasts were the perfect hangover cure.

“Sounds ideal,” I said.

Apart from the small group over the other side of the pub there weren’t many others in there. Next to me was a group of older folks discussing politics. They appeared to be Lib Dem party members.

Talking about Labour, one said: “They need to wake up and smell the coffee, it’s about making practical deals.”

Although, he said the Lib Dems had “shot ourselves in the foot” by not putting effort in the “right places” and said he was against the election anyway. He wanted a Brexit deal from the “other side” on the table sooner rather than later.

The conversation quickly escalated to technology and the potential for the end of the world.

“In this country, take the internet down for three days and we’ll be killing each other,” he said, sipping his coffee. They all left soon after that.

At this point, Tottenham had taken the lead against a lacklustre West Ham. Underrated attacking midfielder Son Heung-min had scored in the 36th minute before setting up Lucas Moura with a peach of a cross into the ‘corridor of uncertainty’ in front of the keeper to add a second.

But it was Dele Alli’s acrobatics to keep the ball in on the touchline that had initially set up the move.

Under Mourinho he could really flourish in the same way a young Frank Lampard did when the Portuguese arrived at Chelsea 15-odd years ago.

Although I did just take that from what the commentator said.

The food came out very quickly and was steaming hot and plentiful. A little pot of thick gravy soon found itself over the pie, while the chips had been cooked to perfection.

The landlady who brought me a bottle of Ketchup asked me a few questions and I had to think on my feet. I told her I work nearby and I was on my lunch break. None of which was a lie.

Her husband was the landlord and also the chef who had cooked the meal. They’re both from the North East.

With no other customers left I was worried they may ask me more questions and blow my cover. By half-time it was still 2-0.

The landlady began to press me more on where I worked. I told her an office. Luckily she was distracted by a colleague before she could push any further.

The pub is very charming and the staff are very friendly. I detected a couple more North eastern accents and assume they are all related. It certainly has a nice family feel and who doesn't want a breakfast that guarantees a hangover cure.