The Horns of Boningale, Albrighton

This week we're eating in a drovers' bunkhouse. I'll say it again: a drovers' bunkhouse. Sounds good, doesn't it? The English language is a wonderful thing sometimes, writes The Insider.

It sounds the type of place they might talk about in an episode of Bonanza: "Hey, Hoss, can yew git yer butt daern th'drover's bunkhouse?"

Yep, that's what we're doing this week. Dining in a drovers' bunkhouse. At The Horns of Boningale, to be precise, recommended by reader Pat Carroll from Wolverhampton, who chanced across the pub by accident while looking for somewhere to eat on a Sunday.

"The surroundings and food were excellent, I will certainly be returning to this little gem," said Pat. And put like that, I thought it might be time for me to take the bull by the horns and drive my wagon down to this historic pub just outside Albrighton.

The history of this pub has been traced back more than 300 years, and the dining area, rebuilt a little over a century ago, used to be the drovers' bunkhouse - a room packed with bunk beds where the weary cattle farmers could crash out as they drove their animals to market, often walking for very long distances. Presumably, the cattle would have had to make do with a bed of grass.

As we arrived, a few people were making the most of a warm, if rather overcast Friday evening, sitting around tables in a small, neat seating area at the front.

Fortunately, the comfort levels seem to have improved a little since the day of the drover.

There is an attractive horseshoe bar and a relaxed dining area for those wanting a more informal meal, and a cheery, petite lady took us through to the restaurant. Disabled access is excellent, with level floors and gentle ramps throughout.

The bunkhouse is a single storey extension to the main building, with the exposed timbers of the high roof giving an airy atmosphere, and a large bay window beneath the array of huge bulls' horns at the end. The room is bisected by a large feature fireplace in the centre, with red tartan curtains to separate the two sections during private parties.

The room strikes a good balance between tradition and modernity: Wood panelling gives a traditional, sumptuous ambience, but the light finish prevents it from being overpowering.

Its deep red carpet looks a little old-fashioned, but it does give a quiet air of quality which is much preferable to the loud, corporate styles that many restaurants seem to go for these days.

The intricately-carved cutlery also gives a nice personal feel, and while I would have preferred cloth napkins, the paper serviettes supplied were quite thick and much better quality than normal.

While the main bar area often reverberates to the sound of live bands, the music was a little more restrained in the restaurant, with Abba hits providing the soundtrack to the dining experience. The Winner Bakes It All, I suppose.

Looking around the room, most of the customers looked to be families dining out to mark a special occasion: middle-aged parents with teenage or twenty-something kids.

There were a few couples and groups of friends, with one table including a very sleek shaven-headed man of around 40 wearing trendy designer specs, looking for all the world like an Italian football manager. But not Fabio Capello.

Talking of football, the toilet walls were adorned by sepia Express & Star reports on Wolves' triumphs - which gives you an idea of how old they must be.

With a choice of four good ales, I decided to give the Jennings Cumberland a try, and it made for a delightful accompaniment.

Seafood lovers are well catered for, with a special fish menu in addition to the standard fare. There was a good choice, and the prices were pretty reasonable for a fairly plush restaurant, although people wanting that little bit of extra spice might be disappointed by a lack of sauces.

The special sausage of the week seemed an appropriate companion to the Cumberland ale, but I decided to try the steak and merlot pie which made a refreshing change from the usual beef and ale offering, and asked for it to come with carrots rather than peas.

The pie itself was excellent, although the gorgeous-looking golden brown chips did not really taste as good as their appearance suggested, being a little on the hard side.

My companion could find no fault with her grilled salmon though, and commented that the green beans that came with it were particularly pleasant.

The staff oozed charm and really did seem to go the extra mile to make us welcome, but that is not to say the service was perfect. My pint of beer was a long time coming, after two inquiries of its whereabouts, and the delay in delivering the dessert was even longer, but worth waiting for.

My toffee ice cream rounded the meal off nicely, while my companion's giant serving of chocolate profiteroles proved too much.

The total bill came to £38.85, which I think was very good value for a restaurant meal, including a pint-and-a-half of ale, two glasses of wine, as well as coffees.

As the petite, blonde lady, who appeared to be in charge, wished us a friendly goodnight, I thought on the whole that this place really did live up to Pat Carroll's recommendation.

Not perfect, but the attractive surroundings, good value food, and most of all the welcome of the staff really did make me want to return. No bull.

MENU SAMPLE:

Starters: Warm breads and oil £1.95; Tomato, garlic and pesto bruschetta £3.95; Salmon and cod fish cake with chilli jam £4.75/£8.95; King prawns marinated in garlic and chilli oil, toasted ciabatta £4.95

Main courses: 16oz T-bone steak £15.25; 8oz sirloin steak £12.95; Beef burger with tomato salsa, chips and salad £7.75; Baked cod with herb crust, wilted spinach, saute new potatoes, white wine and mushroom sauce £10.95

Desserts: Dark and white orange mousse cake. served with a sprinkling of chocolate and ice cream with a dusting of icing sugar; Lemon flan with compote; Raspberry cranacan served with chocolate coulis

CONTACT:

The Horns of Boningale, Holyhead Road, Albrighton, WV7 3DA. Telephone (01902) 372347.