The Swan, Marbury cum Quoisley, near Whitchurch

Star rating: *** DAVE MORRIS notes a few niggles but generally had an enjoyable time at a welcoming inn

What I would describe as a 'traditional' pub is now an endangered species.

But thankfully they can still be found in Shropshire and near its borders, though their numbers are declining as they are everywhere.

I would class The Swan in the picturesque village of Marbury near Whitchurch as a traditional place – independent, locals drifting in an out for just a drink and a chat, a dartboard, and pool table.

Plus a roaring fire and an excellent pint of mild brewed at Wem.

The fire was certainly a very welcome sight when Kath and I walked into The Swan on a freezing cold Saturday night.

The old farmhouse pub is about three miles from Whitchurch, with Marbury lying just on the south Cheshire border.

Those unfamiliar the area should look at the map or switch on the sat nav.

However I digress.

Would I recommend The Swan? – yes.

Was the food good? – yes.

Was it plentiful? – yes.

Was there a friendly welcome? – yes

Were we disappointed at all? – yes.

I will return later to some of the niggles we had.

The Swan has two rooms – a bar and a restaurant – and when we arrived we made our way into the bar where we settled on lovely comfortable leather seats by that wonderful fire.

This was a good start and soon we were looking at that day's menu.

As ever, I quickly made my choice from what appeared to be an excellent, but simple "pub grub" selection of dishes containing a number of British favourites such as steak and ale pie, and lamb's liver and bacon.

Kath, who doesn't eat meat, was taking longer to make her decision but was then offered an earlier Valentine's Day (I think) menu from which she chose a starter and main.

For my starter I went for the grilled Bury black pudding, with pearl barley and a poached egg.

Bury in Lancashire is town well known for black pudding making and it's not unusual to see the name appearing on menus.

It is a food I often choose when dining out but I have discovered that the offerings do vary considerably.

This, however, was excellent. There was nothing fancy but the slices were generous. The egg too was cooked just to my liking, neither hard or runny. In other establishments I have had the egg whites running all over the plate and felt queasy. Or the yolk has been very dry.

I had never had pearly barley with black pudding before but I thought it worked well.

As for the black pudding itself, well it was delicious and quickly vanished.

Kath had chosen backed mushrooms with ricotta and spinach. She tucked in but between mouthfuls did manage to say that it was very enjoyable.

For my main dish I had selected lamb shank, mash, market vegetables and a red wine sauce. Again I enjoyed the taste and the meat was very tender. But I felt more effort could have gone into its presentation.

And here I return to one of my regular criticisms. The veg were what we come across almost everywhere – carrots and cauliflower. But again they were cooked just right.

Kath's dish was a cod and prawns mornay. It was creamy, flavoursome, and though it wasn't anything special, she gave it good marks.

We had also ordered a bowl of home-cut fries between us, which were delicious. With some white bread and butter they would have made a great chip butty!

We were so full that we couldn't manage a pudding - not even to share.

So why were we disappointed?

Well we had booked a table in advance and had expected the table to have been properly laid out. Instead we sat down to an almost bare table and cutlery wrapped in paper napkins was put down in front of us.

The Swan says on its website – which I had visited before booking – that in the restaurant we would find lit candles and fresh cut flowers on the tables.

There wasn't a candle or flower to be seen.

Also people were walking from the bar and past our table to go outside. We found this to be a bit intrusive, not to mention chilly, when the outside door opened.

The young man on duty was both waiting on and looking after the bar.

But all in all we enjoyed our visit. And we hope that in this increasingly bland age, some old pubs like The Swan will manage to survive.

ADDRESS

The Swan, Wrenbury Road, Marbury cum Quoisley, Whitchurch SY13 4LS

Tel: 01948 662220

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Fishcakes with sweet pepper compote and salad garnish (£4.95)

Homemade pate with warm toast and Cumberland sauce (£4.75).

MAIN COURSES

Trio of sausages, creamy mash, vegetables and chef's special gravy (£7.95)

breast of chicken, market vegetables, mash and stilton sauce (£8.95).

DESSERTS

Fruit crumble with custard; dark chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce and ice-cream (all £4.95).

ATMOSPHERE

Friendly, old-style pub

SERVICE

Efficient despite one person waiting on and looking after the bar

DISABLED FACILITIES

Good access from car park into restaurant