The Abbey, Shrewsbury

Star rating: **** Russell Roberts finds the ideal venue on a wintry night

On a cold winter's evening there is nothing better than a good hearty pub meal to warm the soul and satisfy a hunger.

With our bellies as empty as the cupboards and the roads thick with ice, myself and fiance Alison decided against a trip to the supermarket and thought where better than our local pub for a bite to eat.

The Abbey, part of the Ember Inns chain of pubs, is a fairly large venue with plenty of areas to seek refuge from the wintery weather.

Alison was immediately drawn to the warmest area by the fire as a perfect spot to heat up. So while I got some drinks and set up a tab at the bar she was left to scour the extensive menu.

After much deliberation I chose jacket skins to start with mature cheddar, salsa, sour cream and bacon, while Alison opted for the tempura prawns with a sweet chilli dip.

The great thing about a pub chain like this is the deals they offer on the food, although this can also often come with a compromise on quality.

Having made our choices I began to wonder whether we were awaiting an all too familiar fate. But on this occasion we needn't have worried.

The food arrived very soon after I ordered at the bar and it tasted good. The mix of flavours in mine was brilliant, although they may have been a bit too generous with the sour cream.

Alison loved her prawns as they were nice and crunchy and she adored the sweet chilli sauce she drowned them in.

After enjoying my starter I was again impressed at the speed the plates were cleared.

Even the main course came fast, maybe even a little too quickly as we didn't have much time to let our food settle, but prompt is always good in my eyes.

For the main I decided on a dish I love, beef lasagne. This was the no nonsense version with mushrooms and Italian red wine topped with cheddar cheese and served with garlic ciabatta. I also ordered a side order of chips for good measure.

It was a good choice, the lasagne was well presented and plenty large enough for any appetite, it was creamy and meaty and with the garlic ciabatta available for dipping it was great.

Unfortunately the only complaint was the small helping of salad on the plate, it was quite dry and let the dish down somewhat.

Alison, meanwhile, chose roasted sea bass fillet for her main. Being a fish lover this needed to impress and she said it didn't do too badly. It was again a very well presented dish with rosemary roasted potatoes which were nice and crunchy without being burned. On top of them was a mixture of baby carrots, green beans and peas and a basil and tarragon sauce covering the fish.

Alison enjoyed the dish and said the fish was well cooked and tasty but remarked that the sauce was a bit bland and could be better.

As full as we were we did manage to squeeze in desserts. I opted for the very unhealthy chocolate brownies with a scoop of ice-cream to help me smash the New Year's resolution of healthy eating in record time, while Alison was equally as bad and polished off a clotted cream cheesecake and ice-cream.

Both were great and did well to cheer us up on a cold night. If we had had room I'm sure we could have eaten 10 of these deliciously sickly desserts.

Overall for a pub meal it was great, the atmosphere was very relaxed and the service we got was brilliant with very friendly staff.

Michelin starred food it is not but with with a total bill of about £36 for two, three course meals and four drinks between us, I thought it was excellent value for money - well worth venturing out in the cold weather for and I'm certain we will go back again for more.

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

One plate £3.25; two plates £5.99; three plates £8.95. Jacket skins; tempura prawns; crispy mushrooms in real ale batter and sour cream and chive dip calamari with sweet chilli dipping sauce; sticky ribs in a barbecue sauce

Main courses

Scampi and chips with peas and tartare sauce £4.85; three Cumberland sausages with onion mash and red onion gravy £5.15

Desserts

Warm chocolate brownies with chocolate sauce and ice-cream £2.95; clotted cream cheesecake with soft toffee pieces and a biscuit base £3.25

ATMOSPHERE

Relaxed and friendly

SERVICE

Excellent. Could not be faulted

DISABLED FACILITIES

No great problems for the disabled

Contact: The Abbey, 83 Monkmoor Road, Shrewsbury SY2 5AZ. Tel: 01743 236788