Food review: Checkers Pantry, Montgomery

It was full, as we might have known. You don’t go to the region’s most talked-about restaurant at 1pm on a Saturday without booking and expect to bag a table for two. Not unless you’re a nutter. Or a food critic.

But, happily, a couple who’d been feasting on jam, cream and scones had just finished the lightest of lunches as we arrived and BINGO! We were in. We were right about the table bit: there were none. So instead we sat on a small sofa-for-two with a tiny side table in front of us. It was so comfortable, I feared I’d fall asleep.

Times have changed and while The Checkers used to hold the last Michelin star in Shropshire and Mid-Wales, it omitted itself from the foodies bible at the last time of asking.

Head chef Stéphane Borie’s wanderlust had persuaded him to travel the world in search of private cheffing jobs. And so while the student of Michel Roux’s three Michelin star Waterside Inn used to knock out technically perfect tasting menus, he now cooks for the global elite in far flung corners of the globe.

His long-term partner, Sarah, now runs the kitchen. She too is one of the alumni of The Waterside Inn – Michel Roux described her as the best pastry chef he’d ever worked with – and Checkers Pantry is a radically different beast. Sarah runs it with her sister, Kathryn, who manages the front-of-house, as she did in its previous incarnation. Together, they form a formidable team.

Before rebranding, they called Michelin to tell them. They were, in effect, giving back their treasured Michelin star. It sounded a bit like ungrateful kids saying they didn’t want a gift, doesn’t it? But that’s not it. They loved having a star, the ultimate benchmark of their trade. But it was time to move on, for now.

Checkers Pantry is all about tasty food and a relaxed atmosphere. Kathryn and Sarah love to eat and drink beautiful things; flavour and enjoyment is key. There’s a children’s menu, lovely local wines, ales, gins and fabulous soft drinks.

The venue opens for breakfast and at lunchtime, which means Sarah and Kathryn can get on with the more important business of being mothers when school finishes and their kids come home.

There’s no evening service. Nor do they take bookings – unless it’s a table of six or above. Which explains why my partner and I were rolling the dice when we decided to rock up on a Saturday at 1pm. And, fortuitously, they were able to squeeze us in.

The formality that was prevalent in the Michelin-starred incarnation is conspicuous by its absence. People no longer talk in polite, hushed tones.

Now the dining room is buzzing with lively chatter. It’s still a discerning crowd – people who know their food understand better than most that they’re getting a remarkable deal by eating full-on lunches for as little as a tenner.

And professional greedy guts like me make sure they’ve fasted for 24 hours before calling – so as to eat around the menu and make the most of what’s on offer.

Service has always been good at Checkers. Kathryn has for some years been ably assisted by a skilled and experienced waitress – Leanne – who has remained. Two youngsters complete the team; a young woman who was calm and unflappable and a young man who did his best to please but blushed scarlet red when making a mistake. Don’t worry kid. You’re doing fine.

The food is stunning. Main courses are served in generous proportion, beautifully seasoned and feature accurate cooking and great ingredients. In some respects, it’s like eating Staff Dinner at a Michelin starred joint. The dishes are simpler but the quality hasn’t been compromised.

Sarah was in the kitchen when we called – ably assisted by her for-one-day-only sidekick, a certain Monsieur Stéphane Borie, who’d been able to pop in to help on a busy Saturday, in between flying off to the Middle East.

So there we were: two former Waterside Inn and Checkers Restaurant chefs cooking us soufflés for less than a tenner and main courses for £11. It was like being first in line at the Harrods Boxing Day sale – and being given an extra 50 per cent off.

My partner started with mackerel pâté on toast, which was whizz-bang fresh and came with a side salad of apple and bitter leaves. I ate the vintage cheddar soufflé with apple and almond and homemade bread. Both were divine.

The soufflé used to appear on the Checkers menu back in the day – and it’s lost none of its appeal. Absurdly light with a rich and satisfying cheese sauce that caramelises in a metal dish as it cooks through; it was sensational.

My dining companion washed her starter down with a glass of prosecco while I enjoyed some Lemony Lemonade. For her main, she ordered homemade beans on toast – it cost £5.50. I think I might move to Montgomery and eat there every day; it’s cheaper than cooking at home. The beans – a mixture of varieties, just like you-know-who makes – were cooked in a dense, rich tomato sauce and served with chorizo and cheese.

Indulgent, satisfying, filling and knocking the spots off anything served from a can, my partner most definitely approved.

I ate a brilliant smoky beef and chorizo chilli with giant cous cous, feta and guacamole. It was huge, precise, expertly seasoned and beautifully cooked. There was nothing not to like.

We stayed for dessert; both ordering an orange scented panna cotta with a compote of berries. It wobbled in all the right places and was subtle and sweet.

And then we gorged ourselves, on cake, at £2 per slice, just to make sure . . . Don’t go home without a slice of the lemon and poppy seed drizzle or carrot cake. Both are majestic.

The bill was less than we’d have paid for one during the Michelin days and the food was cooked by the same chefs and was of the same standard, albeit simpler and less complex.

The Checkers serves the best lunches anywhere in the county – and also offers the best bargain for those who are cost-conscious.

It’s a beautiful re-imagining of an exceptional and exquisite restaurant. In many ways, it feels as though Sarah and Kathryn are inviting you round for an informal supper – at lunchtime, if you see what I mean – where the food is of the highest quality and the dishes are the sort of thing that people eat at home.

In a word: brilliant.