Steak, street eats and super chefs: Our round-up of Midlands and Shropshire restaurants in 2018

Honest.

Inspectors from the Michelin Guide heard about the Greek Gods’ largesse and made haste to Ludlow, conferring three of their shiniest stars on the undulating market town.

They weren’t done. Having heard the late Poet Laureate John Betjeman describe Ludlow as ‘probably the loveliest town in England’ they returned with more gifts, providing a further shiny star in 2009. And then they came again, not wishing to leave out Mid-Wales, and offered another shiny star to Montgomery. For discerning diners, living in Shropshire was like living on the set of one of the late Sir Patrick Moore’s dazzling night skies.

Fast forward 18 years. Shropshire no longer resembles a twinkling gourmet universe. Rather than twinkling, twinkling little stars, the county is akin to the International Dark Sky Reserve on the Isles of Scilly.

The closure of The Checkers, at Montgomery, earlier this summer ended a continuous 18-year run of Michelin star representation by Shropshire and Mid-Wales. And, in truth, we really can’t complain about that. For while such chef titans as Claude Bosi, Shaun Hill, Chris Bradley, Will Holland and Stephane Borie deservedly earned their spurs, there are no chefs in Shropshire presently cooking to their level. However unpalatable that might sound, it’s assuredly true.

There are exceptional cooks, of course. And they’re congregated in Ludlow (quelle surprise). Wayne Smith, at Mortimers, is an exceptional talent. He formerly worked with Claude Bosi during the town’s Michelin epoch. And another name worthy of a mention is Cedric Bosi – brother of the Michelin-star-holding Claude – who deservedly earned a Bib Gourmand for the Charlton Arms, in Ludlow, this year. Cedric not only runs the county’s best bistro beside the River Teme, he also runs one of its best dining pubs, The Church Inn, which is also in Ludlow.

And before we tear ourselves away from the stunning and quaint market town, Fishmore Hall is fast improving under the tutelage of new chef Joe Gould while Karl Martin deserves every credit for stunning work at Downton Lodge, at Downton, though that venue is now undergoing a significant change.

And as for The Checkers – well, it’s still a standout venue, though now it’s focusing on light lunches and stunning cakes. The owners have children and commendably are putting their families before fine dining, opting to scale back their restaurant operation until their kids grow up. So while you might not be able to feast on seven-course taster menus, the work of joint gaffers Sarah and Kathryn is worth the ride out to Mid-Wales. Demeter, Dionysus, Priapus and Pomona are still hanging about, of course, though these days they prefer Birmingham. And that’s no surprise. Outside London, it’s the best place in the UK for food. Period. Fact. No argument. Bar none.

The Second City not only has more Michelin stars than any town or city outside London – Purnell’s, Adam’s, Simpsons and Carter’s – it also has a brilliant and diverse dining scene with everything from Ethiopian street food to informal menus conjured by Marco Pierre White and Tom Aikens, among others. Go there. You should. Book a dinner in Birmingham every single night for the next 365 days. You’ll never eat the same thing twice. You’ll never get bored. You’ll never eat anything you don’t like.

Magnificent

Birmingham rocks. Its street food scene, centred around Digbeth Dining Club, is magnificent and cheap. It’s craft breweries knock the socks off those in other parts of the UK. There are numerous independents offering great, inventive food at competitive prices while some of the bigger chains offering decent nosh, unpopular though they are with the purists. If anyone finds a better cottage pie than the one served at The Ivy they should call us now. We’ll be on to it quicker than Gordon Ramsay chops onions. Actually, Gordon doesn’t chop onions. He pays someone to do that. But I digress.

Alex Claridge is also one to watch in the year ahead. He continues to shake-up the Birmingham food scene with the unique and exciting food he serves up at The Wilderness, and his latest venture, Nocturnal Animals.

Other restaurants in Brum worth visiting next year – if you haven’t already – include 1000 Trades, Aktar Islam’s Opheem, Fumo at Selfridges, Gaucho and Peel’s at Hampton Manor.

We ought to be more tribal, perhaps, and extol the virtues of the Black Country and Staffordshire more enthusiastically. Where there is reason for that, we do. There’s plenty of decent food in Staffordshire. Essington Farm, in South Staffordshire, does a knock out afternoon tea; The Red Lion, at Bradley, near Stafford, is great for casual dining while The Boat Inn, at Lichfield; The Orangery Restaurant, at Acton Trussell’s Moat House; and Delhi 6, at Little Aston, Lichfield, are crackajack independent restaurants.

There are terrific farm shops in the region too: Essington Farm Shop and Bradbury’s, at Lichfield, are the pick of the bunch.

The Black Country has highlights of its own, too. Ann’s Thai, at Sedgley, is popular with customers, as is the nearby Summerhouse. The Old Glasshouse, in Dudley, is bringing decent food to the masses while Spice’s, also in Sedgley – what is it about Sedgley – is worth the trip for a decent curry.

Across the region – and taking Birmingham out of the equation – our strength isn’t in Michelin stars and the best restaurants that money can find. It’s in decent producers and skilled independent restaurateurs. There are none finer than the irascible and unpredictable Chris Burt, at The Mytton & Mermaid, in Shrewsbury, who has revived that venue’s fortunes.

As the year draws to a close, there’s also time to reflect on other significant moves.

One of Shropshire’s best chefs, Adrian Badland, rocked up at the town’s market, opening a gourmet sandwich bar, much to his customers’ surprise. It surely won’t be long before he’s back at the pass.

And the wonderful Suree Coates, an international award winner from Broseley, near Bridgnorth, called time on her exceptional King and Thai restaurant. She’s back with pop-ups – and we can’t wait to hear where she’ll be cooking next. We’ll book ourselves a table for six: that’s for my partner, Demeter, Dionysus, Priapus, Pomona and I.

Andy Richardson