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hand picked restaurants

Ludlow is often referred to as the gastronomic capital of Shropshire, and in the midst of its many food fairs, speciality food shops, splendid new Food Centre, and restaurants, an authentic Thai dining venue called Chang Thai has firmly marked its presence in the market town's historic streets.

Led by Head Chef Phokong, the restaurant imports fresh herbs and spices from Thailand to ensure diners get to sample the most authentic flavours. Stand by to enjoy some of the most exciting creations that range from a classic gaeng keow wan moo or green curry with pork, peppers, bamboo shoots, courgette and basil cooked in coconut milk to ped yang pad khing, slices of roasted duck stir-fried with ginger, spring onion, soybean and peppers.

The à la carte offers more than ninety eclectic dishes that delicately balance the cuisine's five fundamental flavours, sometimes all in one dish such as the tom yang goong prawn soup.

The Globe Bar, known by the locals as 'The Thai Bar', offers guests a chance to relax over a glass of wine and Thai tapas in a peaceful garden lounge atmosphere.

In 1841 Thomas Penson built Walls as a school for the young of Oswestry. Following a brilliant conversion in 1993 his work lives on, now offering entertainment and good food for, shall we say, people of all ages. There is a country house feel around, assisted by the elegant grand piano that comes into its own at Sunday lunchtimes in particular.

As befits a former seat of learning starters are referred to as the Foundation course and may include pan-fried peppered fillet of salmon served on a horseradish potato cake accompanied by soft, garden-herb crème fraiche finished with a red pepper and chilli oil, or a delicious home-smoked chicken terrine wrapped in ham that has been air-dried and accompanied by a marinated apricot and kumquat chutney with lemon and basil oil and toasted walnut bread.

For the Main Event perhaps the braised half shoulder of lamb, Welsh of course, with honey roasted root vegetables and potatoes in a red wine, redcurrant and mint sauce or the seared calves liver on a black pudding and spring onion mash with a sherry and roast shallot sauce, finished with roasted parsnips. You may have difficulty ignoring the baked dark chocolate and orange pudding, served with a generous helping of clotted cream, in which case consider the caramelized mango and passion fruit tartlet topped with a lime sorbet.

Service is friendly and the range of wines extends round the world. House wines kick off at £10 a bottle, or £2.75 a glass. Sunday lunches are a real speciality with three decent courses for £13.95 and a wonderful atmosphere - people travel for miles.

Located to the south of Market Drayton and overlooking the Shropshire and Staffordshire countryside, the family-run Goldstone Hall is often referred to as one of the finest small hotels in Great Britain. The Georgian manor house welcomes guests with open fires and a blend of ancient and modern architectural styles and facilities.

You could relax in one of their twelve individually styled bedrooms, enjoy a glass of champagne on the lawn, or visit the restaurant for a great British meal. A well-stocked kitchen garden and abundant local produce give the menu a firm foundation that has been recognised by the AA with two rosettes.

Consider starting your meal with seared pigeon breast that appears in the company of shredded confit of duck leg with Hidalgo Clásica syrup and pear chutney before progressing to a main course of braised ox cheek with swede and horseradish mash, bath chaps and purple potatoes. Desserts are a treat, whether it is a pumpkin brûlée with praline crisps or plum and almond tart with cassis cream.

The Hall and gardens are attractive venues for weddings.

With a genuinely welcoming atmosphere, friendly service and great choice of food and drink, Frank Café Bar is quite simply, a wonderful place to stop by for an evening of relaxed dining in Shrewsbury. This tapas and cocktail bar can be found on the west bank of the River Severn in Frankwell, next to the new Theatre Severn.

Enter the cosy bar area and you're sure to notice that it's the centre of all the action. Passionately created cocktails are served alongside spirits, wines and champagne. Music is an integral part of the Frank experience and the owners belief that it helps create the perfect environment for a great evening is obviously shared by their customers.

When it comes to the food, the café bar offers an exciting tapas and a more traditional pre-theatre menu. Feast on smoked salmon, Frank chilli beef strips with garlic, ginger and peppers, spicy chilli and lemon chicken wings, and crispy salt and pepper squid.

Original artwork created by locally based artists is exhibited in the bar and all works displayed are available for purchase.

At last somebody's done it! The waterfront overlooking the River Severn at Ironbridge Gorge has been crying out for years to shake off its tearoom image and host a proper restaurant, and Eric and Beb Bruce have picked up the challenge. Fresh from their highly successful operation at Oswestry they have established a serious restaurant that offers a flexible and fast changing menu that still manages to retain the favourites of the regular customers, of whom there is an increasing number.

Amongst starters you are likely to encounter expect black pudding with chorizo sausage, mushrooms, bacon and a soft poached egg, with its wonderful overtones of that splendid meal we call breakfast. Or perhaps prawn and smoked haddock ravioli with shellfish sauce appeals?

Main courses can offer individual roast rack of local lamb, medallions of venison with sun-dried cranberries and a cognac cream sauce, whilst even hardened carnivores might feel drawn to a plum tomato, red onion and mozzarella tart wild mushroom soufflé.

Desserts of apple charlotte with clotted cream and apricot sauce, or dark Belgian chocolate torte with their own preserved cherries in cognac are frequently to be seen, and their cheese platter is a work of the art.

Décor is tasteful and exudes warmth. This is a long overdue addition to that exciting historical hot spot that surrounds the Iron Bridge.

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.

The only intimidating thing  about The Armoury is its name. For once you pass the massive red brick exterior and step in, you'll be welcomed by the lovely laidback atmosphere of a country pub and long runs of huge arched windows that illuminate the interior and offer views across the broad River Severn.

In 1995, the armoury building was renovated into an impressive pub with such charming features as an open plan interior with bare brick walls, a display of floor-to-ceiling books, a stone fireplace, stripped wooden floors and mixed wood tables and chairs.

The bar offers a fantastic choice of drinks that include eight real ales, great wines, around fifty malt whiskies, spirits and rare liqueurs.

And when it comes to the food, get set to feast on well-created pub dishes from a daily changing menu of soups, sandwiches, light bites of, say, Welsh rarebit with poached egg on toasted white bread or grilled sea bass fillet with a rocket, fennel and orange salad, and mains of braised shoulder of lamb with roast new potatoes and vegetables, or teriyaki chicken, pak-choi, oyster mushrooms and sesame broccoli.