Shropshire, Haughton

A makeover costing £500,000 has brought a real touch of class to Staffordshire's culinary scene - at an eaterie named after a neighbouring county, writes

.

For The Shropshire country pub and brasserie sits just off the main A518 road through the village of Haughton, some four miles from Stafford, and around double that distance from Newport.

For my wife and I it was a 32-mile round trip from our home in Telford, but was certainly well worth it.

In a previous life The Shropshire was just a shadow of what it is today - a drinking hole which has been transformed by owners Diane and Jit Takhar.

The original pub, which probably takes its name from the fact that it was once a coaching inn on one of the main routes from Staffordshire into Shropshire, was extended at the same time as a huge extension was built to create the impressive brasserie.

High vaulted ceilings and clean, simple lines certainly add to the attraction, as did the sixties music being played when we arrived for our 7.30pm booking on a Tuesday.

The first thing I noticed was that the tables are nicely spaced out - the second thing I noticed was that two tables for two were already marked reserved.

Apparently this is because some customers actually like to eat at a particular table each time they visit the eaterie, rather than just asking for a table for two, four or whatever the number.

While a number of customers went straight to their tables, we noticed that many called in at the bar first for a pre-dinner drink.

I prefer a pint of beer with my food, and was delighted to find they served Staropramen, a Czech lager brewed in Prague, which I duly ordered.

My wife decided to content herself with a large glass of red wine.

The menu is certainly interesting, a mixture of traditional dishes and some more adventurous.

Choices available on the menu include starters of oyster florentine, duck rilettes with date compote and mini baguette and clam chowder with crusty bread. The main courses offer rump of venison with fondant potato, turned carrot and chocolate jus, braised hare with celeriac puree, honey and mustard roast parsnips and garlic and black pepper sausage navarin with horseradish dumplings.

Acting restaurant manager Steve Locklin describes it as British/French, with a new menu introduced at the beginning of September to further tempt diners.

"Since our new head chef Mark Rafferty came in May, the size of the portions has gone up, so customers will now certainly feel full without being bloated," he said. "We are aiming to provide the highest standards of service, drinks and food," he said.

And if our experience is anything to go by, The Shropshire is well on the way to achieving all three.

My wife started with whole baked camembert, which came with a variety of freshly baked breads, and it certainly fitted the bill - in fact there was more than enough for two.

I soon dealt with three beautifully seared scallops with pea and mint risotto - both starters were priced at £6.95.

We were both taken with the pork and duck dishes for our main course - so had one apiece and shared.

The confit of duck leg with cabbage, lentils and foie gras, costing £13.95, and slow roasted pork belly with celaric puree and braised red cabbage, priced at £11.95, were equally delicious.

Popular with other diners were the two dishes to share - roast rib of beef with tomatoes, mushrooms, bearnaise and fries, costing £14.95 per person, and the fish, crustacea and molluscs platter with beurre blanc and hollandaise, again £14.95 per head.

After being given time for the food to digest, I decided on Red Lion Farm ice cream, £4.50, which is made in the village, while my wife finished off with the lemon thyme creme brulee with shortbread.

The quality of the fare spoke volumes, and the fact that there were at least two dozen people eating early in the evening in midweek is testament to the popularity of The Shropshire.

It goes without saying that weekends are extremely popular - in fact you need to book well in advance for a Saturday night.

The Shropshire opens in the evening at 6pm, with last orders at 9.30pm. It is also open at lunchtime between 12 noon and 2.30pm, with a menu offering sandwiches, pasta and salad, and an 8oz Shropshire burger and chips at £7.95.

The Shropshire, Newport Road, Haughton Stafford

01785 780904