The Stables, Hopesgate

Reviewer's rating **** Rex M. Key journeys west, away from the madding crowd, to dine in a traditional village pub.

It was nearly possible, sitting at a bare wooden table in front of a roaring fire, to forget that the world seems to be imploding around our ears.

Molly, the giant Irish wolfhound which stood higher than our table, appeared as contented as we were.

Evenings have been spent in a relaxed and informal manner in The Stables at Hopesgate since 1690 and we were extremely grateful that the traumas wracking the international money markets felt more than a world away.

The Stables is a distance off the beaten track, which for me adds to its appeal.

We headed out of Shrewsbury into the west Shropshire hill country, following the winding road through Minsterley and up the delightful Hope Valley before forking right at Hope village.

Once inside the warm and welcoming village pub its rustic credentials are all around: heavy horse tack, huge rip saws and a crow's skeleton draped across the log burner (no idea why).

You may think the Stables, an unpretentious place with some bare walls and a quarry tile floor, is just the venue to head for after a long walk in the gorgeous west Shropshire countryside. And it is.

And we are not the only people to apprecreciate the hospitality offered by Chris and Kate Molloy, who have run the pub for four-and-a-half years – other diners have contacted the Star to recommend the Stables.

It offers some superb home-made pies with peas and chips and your first drink for £7.50. We know they are superb because we've tried them and can certainly recommend them.

But this night we were ordering from the "posher stuff" menu pinned up on the board.

The week we were there the pub offered five starters (plus garlic bread at £2) including farmhouse pork paté (£4.25) and goat's cheese salad (£4.75) although this option had been popular that day and all the goat's cheese had been eaten.

As a second choice Libby asked for the home-made leek-and-potato soup (£3.50). It came with two hot, crusty rolls and found favour immediately. It was thick, smooth, nice and hot, and very tasty thanks to the excellent seasoning.

My selection was the crayfish cocktail at £4.50. It was a treat. There were bags of lightly cooked, pink crayfish with a subtle flavour sitting on a large bed of rocket and salad leaves, garnished with a tasty dressing.

Crayfish are not as popular here as on the continent (which I suspect is something to do with our sensibilities about killing them by dropping them in boiling water) but I really recommend them.

I had a hearty appetite that evening and the starter was soon cleared.

For mains I had the unusual offering of two pan-fried duck legs. I did hesitate as you wouldn't expect too much meat on a duck leg. However I was not left disappointed, or hungry. What it may have lacked in bulk it more than compensated for in flavour. Perfectly cooked, delicious to eat and the rich port and redcurrant sauce was excellent.

We ordered the chips and veg and these were a treat in themselves. The tasty, home-made chips had been cooked to a golden brown and were an absolute joy.

Libby's main course was a vegetarian option, although she is not a veggie. Caramelised onion and Brie filo tart (£8.50) was, she said, a top notch main meal, full of flavour and (with a modest foray into the bowl of chips) more than enough to satisfy a reasonable appetite.

We took our time and savoured the relaxed, informal surroundings in a room full of good-humoured chit-chat ranging from local pig-feed problems to world affairs.

The aforementioned Molly is a popular attraction, displaying a benign character and extremely well-behaved and house-trained.

Our meals were in fact sufficiently filling as to make reference to the dessert menu unnecessary. We had eaten well, in extremely convivial surroundings and, with the wine, spent a mere £30.

The Stables has met the needs of travellers since the end of the 17th century when drovers would stop off for respite and sustenance.

Even if you are not after pub meals, they offer a selection of real ales, so the beer cognoscenti are catered for.

Hopefully the western world's economy will recover sufficiently in 2009 for it to continue for a few more years. It certainly deserves to.

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Duck leg (£3.50);

goat's cheese salad (£4.75)

Main courses

Home-made steak and Stilton pie (£8.25); lamb shank (£10.95)

Sides

Garlic bread (£1.50)

Desserts

Spotted dick (£4);

treacle pudding (£4)

ATMOSPHERE

Totally informal, with plenty of friendly banter typical of a traditional country pub

SERVICE

Very friendly and accommodating

DISABLED FACILITIES

No specific facilities for the disabled and one small change of levels but wheelchairs can be accommodated

Contact: The Stables, Drury Lane, Hopesgate, near Minsterley 01743 891344