Chez Maw

Alongside the River Severn in the historically important Ironbridge Gorge, the Valley Hotel makes a convenient watering hole after you retreat footsore and culturally overdosed from the world-renowned wonders of the cradle of Britain's Industrial Revolution.

The cuisine is not easy to define, beyond saying that it is broad to the point of being eclectic, without any over-fussiness. The A La Carte menu offers a range of dishes with English and Continental influences, with a good selection of vegetarian dishes; honest, wholesome food is the order of the day and the support for the restaurant is not by any means confined to those who only seek the nearest refuge. The wine list is supportive and house wine is at £9.95.

A new individually priced menu has been introduced to enhance the whole experience, incorporating the best of local ingredients, as in pressed Wenlock Edge ham hock and parsley terrine, or Bing's Heath locally smoked salmon with wasabi ice cream, oatcakes, wild garlic and baby herb salad. Not so local but just as appealing for those who like something honest and full bodied from the sea there is marinated fillet of mackerel, garlic and smoked paprika with soused vegetables and confit potatoes.

There is something tremendously reassuring about confident starters, removing any possible element of doubt about what comes next, leaving you free to anticipate with pleasure the rest of the meal, the company, the view over the Gorge (try to coincide your meal with an early summer sunset) and something exhilarating from the cellar.

If I said, which I not infrequently do, that in some restaurants I could eat happily and satisfyingly from the starter menu, the word tapas might cross your mind, and you'd be absolutely right.

For the time being, however, we move on to a selection of main courses that would do credit to a menu in a stylish West End brasserie. Mercifully all Welsh Black beef does not remain in Wales, and here it is served with shallot marmalade, potato fondant with buttered spinach, a poached free range egg and béarnaise sauce.

Pan seared sea trout, breast of Gressingham duck and local tenderloin of pork are all regular attenders on the menu, which finishes on a note of triumph with rhubarb and ginger fool, or maybe a dark chocolate and Bailey's torte, laced with chocolate ice cream and milk chocolate sauce. An excellent wine list does not disappoint, and with house wine at £9.95 it's smiles all round.

The Chez Maw Restaurant has undergone a recent re-furbishment to create a stylish, relaxing place to dine. Currently holding a 2 AA rosette award for high standard cuisine and service, this is most certainly one of the better restaurants in a part of Shropshire renowned for its outstanding scenery. The dining room, for instance, has the benefit of an adjoining bar and patio area, which overlooks award winning parkland and the River Severn, in the centre of this World Heritage site.

For more information, and details about staying at the Valley Hotel, do visit their Website.