The Masons Arms, Kemberton, Shifnal

I have to say, there were some impressive plates here, they must have been worth at least ten grand each.

No, I don't mean staff at the Mason's Arms buy their crockery from Sotheby's, I'm talking number plates. AS4 adorned one huge 4x4 in the car park, 50V was attached to another.

It made me wonder whether it was time to join the club, IN51DER has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

But there are two main stumbling blocks to this plan, not least that it would be difficult for me to slip unnoticed in and out of the region's pubs and restaurants if my identity were there for all to see on a 20in piece of plastic in the car park.

But, there is a second more fundamental reason why you will be spotting IN51DER around the eating places of the West Midlands any time soon. It does not exist.

Ah, well, back to the drawing board. I suppose I could change my name by deed poll to BF61TRR.

But while there might have been a couple of flash motors in the car park, don't think for one moment there is anything aloof or pretentious about The Mason. This is a real village local, a proper hub of the community.

There was a pretty lively darts match in progress when we arrived, and one can only assume the young man sat below the dartboard keeping score was pretty confident in his friends' abilities. A broad cross-section of village life can be found here, from the decorator in his paint-flecked trousers reading his newspaper as he relaxed with a well-earned pint, to the older couple tucking into their meal on the table behind us.

The pub, sort of between Bridgnorth and Shifnal, dates back to the 17th century, and features period beams and a lovely brick fireplace. The lower half of the walls are painted a dark crimson colour, and the general atmosphere is warm and homely, although I wasn't too fond of the crepe paper table cloths, which I thought spoilt the otherwise homely ambience.

The menu hits the nail on the head, though, and I was particularly encouraged to see that whoever compiled it had gone to the trouble to include recommended wine pairings to go with each meal.

From my experience you are rarely disappointed when the chef shows such attention to detail.

For the more adventurous, there is a choice of tapas dishes devised by the pub's Brazilian co-owner, or for the more traditionally minded there is good range of classic British meat and fish options, with half a dozen vegetarian meals thrown in.

On another day, I might have gone for the lamb in red wine, the pork chop with cider and mustard sauce, or one of the home-made pies, and there was also a choice of fillet, rump or sirloin steaks.

But what really caught my eye on this occasion was the choice of four roast dinners, which you normally only see on a Sunday, and I decided that a topside of beef was the way to go.

As for drinks, you are spoiled for choice, and I really did find myself with a bit of a dilemma. Not only was there one of the best wine lists I have seen in a pub restaurant, but there was also a choice of four real ales.

Should I go for the Dry River shiraz, the recommended choice to with the meal, or should I succumb to the honeyed charms of the wonderful Enville Ale? I normally tend towards beer with a roast beef dinner, it just seems a bit more rustic, but since the chef had gone to the trouble to suggest a wine for me, it seems rude to say no, doesn't it?

Well the good thing is that the wine in question is available in 125ml measures, which you don't see that often these days. This meant I could enjoy the best of both worlds, a half of Enville before the meal, and a small red Aussie number with it.

My dining partner had opted for the fillet steak with diane sauce, and it did seem to be quite a while coming. But a waitress kept us up to speed with its progress, explaining that it was quite a thick cut and was taking a while to cook. You can't rush great food.

And great food it was, too. While my companion was raving about the beautifully cooked, tender steak, I could not help but think I had got the better deal.

All too often, particularly on Sundays, roast beef dinners seem to suffer a Cinderella existence, mass-produced factory slices churned out with very little care and attention.

This however, was superb, quite a thick, crisp cut with a strong flavour, served up in a heavy, rich gravy. It appeared to be freshly carved, and the roast potatoes were excellent, along with some fresh carrots, broccoli, new potatoes and red cabbage. For £7.95, it's a steal.

The wine had a dark, rich flavour with hints of plum, and perhaps it was this almost beer-like complexion which made it work so well with the beef.

For afters, we both had chocolate fudge cake, mine with ice cream, my companion's with cream. Mine should have come with mint ice cream, but it was off the menu – to be honest, I wasn't convinced by that combination anyway, and I was quite glad to be told it would come with ice cream anyway.

The total bill was £47.85, which I think represents good value for money, and it would have been less had we both gone for the superb roast dinners.

My only regret was that I never tasted the gorgeous-looking hand-cut chips which came with companion's steak.

Still, there's always next time . . .

ADDRESS:

The Mason's Arms, Hall Lane, Kemberton, Shifnal TF11 9LQ

Tel: 01952 684019

MENU SAMPLE:

STARTERS

Greek salad £4.50

Combo starter: Chicken goujons, mushrooms, onion rings and garlic bread £8.50

Poached asparagus spears with a soft poached egg £4.50

MAINS

Cottage pie served with gravy £8.95

Pan fried lambs liver £8.95

Pan-fried duck with a cumin sea salt crust £12.50

Baked fillet of trout with lemon and thyme butter sauce £10.95

Mixed bean cassoulet £7.50

DESSERTS

Cheesecake of the day with cream or ice-cream £4.25

Sponge pudding served with custard or ice-cream £4.25

Cheese board, served with grapes, apple, celery and crackers £5.55