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From a picturesque golf course and calming spa to excellent conference facilities and smart bedrooms, the Telford Hotel and Golf Resort has what it takes to be an AA four star hotel. Located on the edge of Telford in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ironbridge Gorge, the resort offers the perfect reason to leave the city and enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation.

Food is taken very seriously indeed, and a visit to Restaurant 1779 will prove that Telford's chefs have created a modern European menu that offers diners a great balance of simplicity and variety.

A meal there could begin with a bowl of French onion soup finished with port and Gouda cheese crouton or seared smoked salmon with pumpernickel bread, wasabi and balsamic dips before advancing to chicken stuffed with wild mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes rissole potatoes, fine beans and thyme jus or fettuccine carbonara with creamy smoked bacon, mushroom and garlic sauce.

The Club bar serves a range of drinks alongside tempting salads and light meals.

Shifnal's charming market place is home to Fennels, a cosy traditional restaurant that is popular with locals and visitors thanks to its relaxed ambience and young chef Dan Vasey's eclectic cooking.

The restaurant has enjoyed a chequered history; nothing to do with the food, which has always been interesting.  However, things have changed for the better and Fennels should now be set fair for a secure future, creating something special in a town with many restaurants, but few of much distinction.

The wine list offers a fine choice of well-priced numbers.

The Horns is at least 300 years old and was a regular stop-off for cattle drovers taking their charges along the old Holyhead road. In recent years it has had its ups and downs but new management has recently (2004) ensured a return to the good days and an air of relaxed enjoyment now pervades. The panelling and warm decor in the restaurant make for discreet comfort in which matters of business or more social inclination can equally prosper.

The menu aims to hit a spot somewhere between brasserie and gastropub. The food is not fancy, but freshness, attractive content and comfortable portions prevail. For starters expect to find around ten choices, plus specials, to include avocado, Parma ham and prawns with a sour cream and chives sauce, venison pate and an imaginative range of home-made soups.

Main courses, excluding the excellent range of steaks, number around sixteen - choose from a half shoulder of lamb, fillet steak medallions wrapped in smoky bacon and served with a hollandaise sauce, a delicious home-made steak and kidney pie, or a potato and red cabbage layer cake with Madeira sauce. Vegetarians are particularly well looked after.

A sensible, both in content and pricing, wine list offers a range of choice that will bring a mellow contentment to the occasion. It is encouraging to see what used to be decent pubs that suffered from the decline caused by the breathalyser, having new life injected into them by proper management able to drive a safe line between profitability and customer satisfaction.

Located in one of Shrewsbury's quiet little side streets and renowned for the value and quality of its carvery menu, The Coach and Horses is a real piece of old Shropshire. The panelling and what remains of the Victorian interior sets the scene, with hand-pulled, CAMRA approved ales and a proper wooden bar.

On typical evening menu expect to find amongst the starters a black pudding and mushroom tower with honey and mustard dressing, crevettes sautéed in chilli garlic and lime juice, or a bowl of remarkably good homemade soup, served with crusty bread.

Main courses yield a sirloin steak with a mushroom and Stilton sauce, a pan fried pork fillet with green peppercorns, cream and brandy, or Cajun spiced tuna steak with a sour cream and chive topping. All the main courses are served with new potatoes or fries, vegetables or salad.

A perfectly adequate wine list ensures that chef's efforts are suitably complimented.

The great carvery roast is a feature of Sunday, with all the attendant menu items and then some. There are deals to be had Monday-Wednesday, and on Thursdays a range of fish and seafood specials makes The Coach and Horses a popular spot to be. Value for money overall is extremely good.

When Chef Paul and wife Anna decided to relocate from London to Shropshire, little did they know that their decision would give the sleepy village of Brockton a wonderfully warm and welcoming pub and restaurant. Since 2004, The Feathers at Brockton has gained loyal support and recognition and Paul and Anna have moved on to refurbish four bed and breakfast rooms, open a children's cookery school and introduce a new takeaway service.

Since the building dates back over two hundred years, it exudes a marvellous old world charm, and with its cosy nooks and crannies, the dining area is no exception. A menu of British dishes is offered, all created from fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

For starters expect hake goujons with a garlic mayonnaise or Feathers pâté stuffed mushrooms sizzling in a hot pan of garlic butter. Classic main courses encompass half a roasted Gressingham duck and slow-cooked pork belly with black pudding, apple and cinnamon chutney and crackling.

New and Old World wines make up the sixty strong drinks list and at least ten can be enjoyed by the glass.

Originally part of a working farm, the house was bought by Mike and Jo Abraham and completely renovated giving it a new character that combines original oak panels and pine floors with contemporary luxuries. The interior of the small and cosy cottage restaurant features fresh cream and white décor accented with terracotta and chocolate brown. The kitchen has been awarded the prestigious AA rosettes for its modern British cuisine.

Start with tender pieces of marinated chicken fillets on crisp shredded iceberg lettuce, drizzled with a rich peanut dressing and flakes of smoked mackerel combined with spring onions, horseradish, capers, parsley and mashed potato, served with a beetroot salsa. For mains you could order fillet of beef bourguignon and aga-baked breast of chicken with tomato, prawns and fresh fennel, finished with cream and a hint of Pernod, served with fragrant basmati rice. A banana marmalade sponge pudding will provide the right ending to the sumptuous meal.