Chez Maw - The Valley Hotel, Ironbridge

But Chez Maw has much to admire.

The restaurant, located at the Valley Hotel, in Ironbridge, is one of the county's most consistent performers.

Classically-inspired cuisine, cooked to the highest standard and service with panache has been on the menu for some years.

Like The Hundred House, at Norton, near Bridgnorth; or The Raven, at Much Wenlock, Chez Maw is an ever-present in the AA Guide. Head chef Barry Workman has been working hard for longer than he cares to remember about loyal lieutenant, Pete Duckett.

They form a Grade A team. Workman has an impressive game. He serves traditional flavours with style and flourish. He avoids the sort of fancy dan trickery that might be found in cutting-edge restaurants opting, instead, for re-interpretations of the classics.

His ingredients are of the highest provenance, his flavour and texture combinations work as well as raspberry and ripple and he is utterly, utterly consistent. I've eaten at Chez Maw on a number of occasions and the food has been of a similarly high standard each time.

Chez Maw derives its name from the businessman, Arthur Maw, who owned the property before it became a country hotel. Mr Maw made tiles at a factory in Jackfield, employing more than 140 men, and echoes remain.

The property has a longer history, of course, and would have welcomed a starry cast before it came into the possession of Mr Maw. It was formerly known as Severn House and it was built in 1757, 22 years before the famous Ironbridge. At some point in the early 1800's, the property was owned by Sarah Darby, the daughter of Abraham Darby II.

Traces of its former inhabitants remain. A stairwell and staircase, leading from the ground floor to the first floor, is enhanced by tiles from Jackfield. Deep ruby colours adorn a staircase while intricately-patterned tiles lead the way from the restaurant and bar to the reception. It creates an air of sophistication; the tiles are reminiscent of a golden age.

More recently, the property was bought by the Casson family, who acquired the property in July 1988 and developed a 35-bedroom hotel. The family oversaw extensive work to outbuildings, which were previously stables and servants quarters, to create many new bedrooms. A new reception area and function room was also built. The property has further improved, with an additional nine bedrooms being built in 2008.

One of the secrets of Chez Maw's success is continuity. Like Manchester United or Arsenal, its found a successful formula and stuck with it. While many Shropshire restaurants chop and change their chefs with alarming regularity, Chez Maw has stayed true. Chef Barry has worked for the company for more than 15 years and has been instrumental in achieving and maintaining 2 AA rosettes for the last 11 years.

Chez Maw has an enviable location and is popular among both tourists and locals. When my partner and I visited, the head count probably number 2 locals (my partner and I) and 32 tourists (I counted them), who were down for the day on a coach trip. That comes as no surprise. Chez Maw is situated in the picturesque Ironbridge Gorge and the gardens outside the restaurant run down to the winding banks of the River Severn.

In spring and summer, guests can enjoy drinks on the terrace while the fragrant aroma of blossom fills the air. It makes for a heady scene. Flowers burst into colour, birds and bees buzz past on their busy way downstream and the sun casts long shadows from the other side of the Gorge. In many ways, the scene is Shropshire at its best.

My partner and I visited for a midweek supper. We arrived early and enjoyed drinks in the bar while perusing the menus. Our waitress bought us a small appetiser, a deep-fried risotto ball filled with pesto, which was delicious. The golden outer comprised a crisp breadcrumb coating while the flavour of the creamy risotto was enhanced by the herby pesto filling.

The menu was an exercise in restraint. Though Workman's team could doubtless dazzle with unlimited choices, he provided a modest selection. He ticked all boxes. There were dishes that catered to fans of haute cuisine, as well as staples, like steak and gourmet fish and chips. It was a man-for-all-seasons menu that was substance over style.

My partner started with a seasonal soup while I went for the smoked chicken terrine. The soup was flavoursome and satisfying while the terrine was exemplary. It was a riot of colour and texture: spring on a plate, if you will.

A shard of crispy chicken skin was tucked into the edge of the terrine wihle a small, soft-boiled quail's egg provided richness and colour. A grain mustard vinaigrette, small salad leaves and swishes of vegetable purree added flavour. The dish was well-seasoned and presented with no little skill. It was a triumph.

My partner had chosen fish and chips as her main, though there should be no instant association with the humble dish that is served in yesterday's newspaper at the local chippie. The generous plate that she received had been expertly cooked. A crisp, golden batter surrounded tender chunks of fish, while I fought bravely to retrieve a portion of the triple-cooked chips from her plate. They were frankly delicious.

I'd opted for a roasted corn-fed chicken breast, which was served with a savoury chicken and chive farce. Wild garlic, a parmesan risotto, a crisp piece of parma ham and a savoury jus completed the dish.

It made for perfect eating. The chicken had been cooked with great skill. The breast was moist and tender, so that small droplets of moisture escaped when I cut through it. The farce was delicately balanced and lightly seasoned. The risotto was a little overcooked, in truth. The grains of rice had lost the requisite al dente texture, so that there was no 'bite'. The parma ham and wild garlic provided garnish and salty flavour, though the dish would have been just fine without them. The savoury jus was exemplary. It had been reduced to a sticky thickness and tasted like the very essence of chicken.

To describe the desserts as being 'generous' would be to call King Kong 'hairy', or Luis Suarez temperamental. They were XXXL Man Sized portions. My baked cheesecake would have been enough for two. It was packed with chocolate and raspberries and served with a small stack of raspberries, a delicious creamy and indulgent raspberry ice cream, a sweet/sharp coulis and a small dollop of chocolate sauce.

A tuile was placed across the ice cream. Truthfully, the portion was much, much too large. Even my hearty appetite was defeated by it. My partner opted for a sticky toffee pudding, which struck the only low note of the evening. The pudding had been left for too long in the oven, or had been cooked at too high a temperature, so the outside was scorched.

My partner would have politely eaten through it, though I asked our waitress to return it to the kitchen and replace it with another portion. She politely agreed, offering to return it to the kitchen. Within a minute or two, a second portion had appeared. Sadly, the error had been repeated – presumably, a second slice had been cut from the burned loaf.

The staff were politeness itself and the incident didn't spoil our evening at all. With the exception of the outer, the pudding was moist, sweet and delicious. It also provided our waitress with a chance to shine. She was deeply apologetic and worked with great speed and efficiency. She also deducted the cost of the dessert from our bill.

Chez Maw remains in the upper echelon of Shropshire restaurants. Workman is a savvy chef: he cooks with precision and skill – sticky toffee pudding aside – and presents his food with great flair. His combinations and textures sparkle and his front of house team dances to his beat. It would be churlish to offer a mark under four out of five: Chez Maw is in the Premier League of Shropshire restaurants.

The venue itself is engaging and enjoyable, particularly in the summer months when there are opportunities to wander down to the river. Offering style, consistency, flair and great ingredients: Chez Maw ticks most of the right boxes.

By Andy Richardson

Four stars