The Crown at Hopton is a period inn that has long carried a reputation for good food, served either in the informal Rent Room, the newer Shropshire Restaurant or the more traditional Poacher's Restaurant.

If you're someone who loves old world charm, Poachers will surely impress you with its exposed beams, stonework and large inglenook fireplace.

The cuisine is imaginative and draws from some of the more classical dishes of England and France. Local produce is invoked whenever possible and fish is a speciality of the house. So, dill pancakes with smoked salmon and lemon mayonnaise or grilled strips of pork belly with a spiced tomato relish could give way to mains of hearty fillet of beef on beetroot risotto with a port reduction or leg of lamb steak with dauphinoise potatoes and red wine gravy.

A local Shropshire wine merchant has contributed to a drinks list that includes a range of fine ports, armagnacs and cognacs.