A touch of Le Francais in the culinary jungle of Shropshire is always to be welcomed. It is provided at Ironbridge by Johnny Coleau, a legendary figure in his time who has transformed The Grove Hotel complex into a credible watering hole for the residents of Telford and many thousands of tourists who descend upon the Gorge every year to bring themselves up to date with the Industrial Revolution so ably presented by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.

Transformed it may be, but French it remains, from the candlelit basement with the check cloths to the bistro bar where such dishes as coq au vin or boeuf bourguignon mingle with the baguettes.

At weekends, however, a whiff of old England is to be detected, with traditional Sunday roasts of beef and lamb, and a casserole perhaps to keep the Francophiles in a state of serendipity. They extol the virtues of a lack of chips on Sunday, but quite gladly provide them for the rest of the week - and there's me thinking the chip was pretty universal by now.

Friendly staff do a good job looking after what is without doubt a busy place, with a good atmosphere well tuned to the locals, and for party occasions.