The Squirrel, Ludlow

Star rating: **** Sharon Walters puts a brand-new south Shropshire venue to the test - and it gets off to a flying start.

This review will probably ruffle a few feathers, but please hear me out!

I have often bemoaned the demise of the local pub and its reincarnation as a 'gastro' eating establishment - a restaurant masquerading as a pub. Local pubs serving

honest-to-goodness food are fast becoming an endangered species, and indeed may already have made the list.

And then these pages have also been used to criticise the chain pubs serving up the same menu all over the country.

But I have to eat my words after sampling one of those chain eateries.

The Squirrel is a newly built pub on the Ludlow bypass and is part of the Marston's empire. It opened shortly before Christmas and I ate there a week to the day after it opened its doors for the first time.

It was after 8.30pm and we needed some fuel. Other places were full and I have to admit it was a case of last hope when we walked through the doors.

What a pleasant surprise. The place was heaving with couples, families and office parties, and frightfully busy. Yet as we approached the bar we were met and greeted and asked if we just wanted a drink or to eat. Indicating the latter we were shown to a table and our drinks order taken. Menus were handed over and we settled down to choose.

OK, these are menus that you will find at numerous other Marston's places, or at least very similar. The food will not set the world alight or propel you into paroxysms of delight ˆ la Sunday Times food critic visiting the latest must-visit chic eaterie. But it doesn't set out to do that. It offers good value, well cooked food with something to suit everyone - snacks, light meals, more substantial dishes, salads and a good choice for vegetarians, children and "young adults". The latter is an especially good idea for those young people who need more than kids fare but not quite a full-blown meal.

Food is served all day, seven days a week, usually from midday until 10pm, with last orders around 9.45pm.

Our pint of Coke arrived (£2.30) and a glass of wine (£2.60). If you want a bottle, prices start at £8.45. Oh how nice not to be ripped off.

I started with black pudding and goat's cheese (£3.65). Two sizeable slices of said pudding arrived topped with grilled goat's cheese, a crisp and fresh mixed-leaf salad, cranberry sauce and balsamic drizzle. Delicious.

Neil had golden breaded mushrooms with garlic dip (£3.25) - pretty standard pub grub, but in this case not overcooked so that you cannot spear the fungi with your fork without them flying off the plate.

Next I went for another good idea - a "light bite for the more modest appetites". This is a choice of main courses but at reduced sizes for £4.95. It had to be the beer-battered fish and chips - well there had to be a taste of Marston's in the meal somewhere. A haddock fillet which was still a fair size arrived, battered in Marston's Pedigree bitter with chips and mushy peas (you can have garden peas if you wish). The batter was golden, light and crisp and the fish white and firm-fleshed.

The other main course was pork and black pudding stack (£7.95). It was a large portion consisting of three, three-ounce grilled pork steaks layered with black pudding slices, coated with an apple-and-cider sauce served with wholegrain mustard mash and fresh, steamed vegetables.

Neil had to admit defeat three quarters of the way through!

There was simply no room for puddings and we called it a day.

What was so refreshing about The Squirrel was the care with which the staff had been trained, from the meet-and-greet to the service staff at the table and their smartly turned out appearance.

OK it's a new establishment and who knows what will happen when the shininess wears off? But I have been to many others where good food has been let down by poor service and the waiting staff in grubby clothes, revealing parts of their anatomy I would rather not see when eating.

The Squirrel , Foldgate Park, Ludlow.

01584 879940

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Today's soup (£2.45); King prawn skewers (£3.95).

Main courses

Chef's homemade beef stew and herb dumplings served with mash and fresh steamed vegetables (£7.95); salmon and asparagus en croute served with new potatoes and fresh steamed vegetables (£7.95)

Desserts

Bread-and-butter pudding (£2.95); 'Sundae'

sherry trifle (£2.95).

ATMOSPHERE

Busy, bustling pub, not a place for a quiet meal and a chat!

SERVICE

Friendly and attentive.

DISABLED FACILITIES

There is full disabled access and toilet facilities.