The Fox Inn, at Great Ryton, near Shrewsbury, had been recommended as a good place for a meal out.

Inside it was nice and warm, a proper village pub.

At the bar we checked our booking and ordered drinks. Locally-produced real ale is a speciality here, the pub being Camra accredited, and I settled on a pint of Three Tuns.

We asked about a menu but were instead directed to a wall by the far side of the bar.

There, a choice of six starters, 22 main courses and 11 puddings were written out across blackboards fixed to the wall. It was a nice, if unusual, touch.

We sat down and decided on what to eat.

There is a good range of choices: plenty of fish and meat options, and the vegetarian dishes are clearly marked out with a red V.

I decided to begin with mussels cooked in white wine, cream and garlic, served with a bread roll (£4.95). I followed this with scampi thermidor — peeled scampi with a mustard cream sauce topped with cheddar cheese (£13.95).

Alison decided to begin with a goat’s cheese salad. This consisted of breaded goat’s cheese, deep fried and served on a bed of leaves, with balsalmic vinegar (£4.95). For the main course she chose a mushroom risotto of wild mushrooms, onions and cream served on aborio rice (£11.50).

We were given a table not too near the entrance and next to a window and a radiator.

In the bar I’d picked up a wallet card for The Fox which boasted that “ panoramic views across the Stretton hills can be enjoyed from the bar, terrace and restaurant”.

It’s a landscape that draws tourists and holidaymakers, so it’s a real pity that we came when we did: it was so dark I could barely peer out across the car park.

There is a bit of recent history behind The Fox. Five years ago it was being written off and fighting the threat of closure. At one point it was looking like this public house would be turned into a private one. Step forward John and Sue Owen.

Local to the county, and with no pub background, they took over and have set about building up the business. They hold quiz nights, themed evenings and say they have pitched their food above standard pub fare.

The chef, who has been with them from the start, uses fresh ingredients wherever possible, with the fish coming from Barkworths, of Shrewsbury’s indoor market.

The starters were of a very high standard. I’ve yet to meet a mussel that I’ve not liked, and these were particularly good, served in a wonderfully creamy sauce full of garlic. I was also given a second bowl for the empty shells and a third for washing my fingers. The goat’s cheese was equally good; warmed almost to melting and served with a decent side salad.

To drink we ordered wine. Once again there is a good choice, and we settled on a £12 red, which did not disappoint.

Our main courses maintained the standards set by the starters.

I was given a large, and very tasty, serving of scampi thermidor, with an equally generous separate serving of rice.

Alison’s risotto was equally good. Again, there was plenty of it, and we also had a side serving of vegetables, including broccoli and cabbage, to get through.

Sue Owen says she is a believer in big portions. “People should never go away feeling hungry,” she said when I spoke to her a few days later.

The service was good, but not intrusive. A waitress came to ask how we were, but other than that we were left in peace.

For dessert I chose cheesecake with chocolate ice cream (£3.95). It was perfectly nice, but I wish I’d had the sticky toffee pudding Alison ordered; a home-made sponge floating in a bowl of toffee sauce in which a dollop of ice cream was slowly melting. (As luck would have it she was quite full by the time we got to pudding, so I finished it for her).

I thought The Fox was a real find and I’m glad we followed up the recommendation.

I hope we go back in the summer to sample those views.

MENU SAMPLE:

Starters:
Fresh tagliatelle — pasta served in chef’s own cream white wine, garlic and mushroom sauce (£4.95)

Main courses:
Stuffed peppers with pesto rice and served with a smoked cheese sauce (£10.95), Breast of Duck served with roasted veg and an orange and ginger sauce (£10.95)

Sides:
Vegetables or home-made chips

Desserts:
Mixed berry crumble (£3.95).
Mincemeat tart (£3.95).

ATMOSPHERE: A proper village pub.
SERVICE: Excellent. Attentive and friendly.

Review by Andrew Owen.

Review from The Shropshire Star.

At the risk of repeating a colleague of mine who had a fine Sunday lunch at the Fox Inn over the winter, I too was staggered to think this beautifully situated pub could have closed. John and Sue Owen took on the 'lost cause' in September 2000 and I sincerely hope a queue of people thank them for that for a long time to come. This friendly couple don’t dwell on the pub’s somewhat controversial past ownership – former occupants wanted to turn it into a house – but most visitors would surely want to dwell on what must be one of the finest bar and restaurant views in the county – a wide sweep of the Stretton Hills and Caradoc with only a fine meal to distract you.

It was my first visit – but my colleague knew it inside out from her colourful past in the Young Farmers. We were both tremendously impressed by the pub’s re-birth. Their chefs conjure up an interesting and ever-changing menu for all tastes and budgets, while the welcome is warm and genuine. Gill and I gratefully accepted the chance of a table in the restaurant – complete with that resplendent view – and a notably fine pint of real ale later, we were tucking in to a pub meal as good as we’d had for many a long time.

Gill's mussels were sizeable and accompanied by a thick, creamy white wine and garlic sauce with a hefty chunk of warm bread. Top marks there, no question. The zander and lemongrass caught my eye – largely because I have never seen it on a menu before.

A pike-like predator, the zander has spent most of its time since arriving in Britain from abroad pillaging its fellow freshwater fish, so from that point of view, I suppose I was doing nature a favour by eating one. Either way, it was superb. I was presented with a huge fillet of succulent, ‘meaty’ fish, finely complemented by a bed of lemongrass and tasty vegetables. For fish fans, it’s definitely worth a try as a change from the more delicate and common salmon and trout offerings.

There was barely room for dessert but as all except the ice cream were home-made, the chance could not be turned down. Sticky toffee I later discovered is the most popular but my favourite, bread and butter pudding, was comfortably the second greatest I’d ever tasted.

The Fox Inn is another of Shropshire’s establishments which use fresh local produce wherever possible. Bookings aren’t necessary – but are advisable at weekends. And I’m hoping my lucky run of discovering some excellent pub eateries can continue...

ATMOSPHERE: Tranquil and exceptionally friendly.
SERVICE: Personal and attentive – superb.

Review by Nic Hanna.

Beef was our choice and, before we knew it, we were presented with a plateful of meat, vegetables and Yorkshire pudding. The beef was very tender and tasty as were the crispy roast potatoes.

And although we were very tempted by the range of puddings on offer, we had to admit defeat and opt for coffee to finish.