Six Bells, Bishop's Castle

If you want atmosphere and history when you pop out for some pub grub, then the Six Bells is a good place to go,

. It is a 17th-century coaching inn at the bottom of the hill opposite Bishop's Castle's ancient church.

Steeped in history, the inn is also the tap room for the Six Bells Brewery.

The Six Bells is as quaint as any pub on a picture postcard. There were a healthy number of locals in the bar and quite a few people enjoying hearty meals in the restaurant area.

To begin I ordered a glass of red wine while my husband went for a particularly interesting Polish lager.

Once settled, we chose from a blackboard of food options. Although there were quite a few choices for the mains, the starters were surprisingly limited - especially if, like me, you are vegetarian and don't particularly like mushrooms.

On offer were mushroom soup or garlic mushrooms, and that was it. Not thrilled, I decided to ask if there were any other options, and was told that they also had a goat's cheese salad (hurrah!). My husband, however, decided to plump for the mushroom soup.

When my starter arrived, I have to say it was a little intimidating. That cheese was huge! And it arrived with an interesting, brightly coloured chunky sauce on it that turned out to be beetroot. It seemed slightly odd, but it was extremely tasty, and once I got stuck in I found myself able to eat most of it, despite its size. It was accompanied by an absolutely delicious dressing on the salad, and proved to be a perfect start to my meal. My only problem was, it left me feeling as if I couldn't face much more food.

My husband said his mushroom soup was truly delicious. It was a large, hearty serving, and came with slabs of excellent, tasty, crusty home-made bread.

Next I chose the rather intriguing sweetcorn pancakes with salad and chips, while my husband went for the more traditional lamb tenderloin in a red wine sauce, vegetables and new potatoes.

I found the pancakes to be quite nice, with a large portion of very crispy, chunky, clearly home-cut chips. There was an unusual dipping sauce with my dish. It turned out to be (I think) beetroot again, which proved again to be rather interesting on the taste buds.

After that huge cheese starter I found it all rather too much, left some of the chips, and didn't even get as far as eating the salad that came with it. But my husband really enjoyed his main meal, and polished off the lot.

He said his lamb was very lean and tender, ever so slightly pink, just as he likes it, and it came in a wine (and mint) sauce that was a bit thin but certainly enhanced the flavour. The meat was accompanied by new potatoes and a selection of vegetables including cabbage, carrots and cauliflower, all of which were perfectly cooked.

During our meal we were asked two or three times if the meal was all right, which some might consider over-attentive, but my husband said he thought the service friendly and not at all obtrusive.

My husband decided to round off his meal with strawberries and panacotta. The dessert was really lovely, a blancmange really with strawberries on top. We were a little surprised that it came in such a small portion, after the hearty servings of the earlier courses, especially as it cost £4. My husband said he could easily have eaten two.

Overall, I think the Six Bells is a great place to sit, relax, have a hearty meal and soak up the warm country pub atmosphere. With an attractive wooden floor, a wood stove and pine tables, it is homely, the hosts are lovely, and they definitely offer better-than-average bar meals. The meals are just the ticket for hungry ramblers looking for a robust meal after a day out on the hills.

It's a real ale pub with a fine selection of beers. My husband, however, likes his beer chilled, and prefers a good lager. They offered a Polish lager called Zywiec with which he was most impressed.

For around £37 we got a good meal and a couple of drinks each, which I thought was really good value for money.

The pub also does theme nights, including curry and Spanish tapas, along with traditional roasts on Sunday lunchtimes.

ADDRESS

The Six Bells, Church Street, Bishop's Castle SY9 5AA

Telephone 01588 630144

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS Soup (mushroom) £3.75; Garlic mushrooms £4

MAIN COURSES

Lamb tenderloin in a red wine sauce, new potatoes and vegetables £10; Sweetcorn pancakes with salad and chips £7

DESSERTS

Orange ice cream £4; Strawberries and panacotta £4

ATMOSPHERE

Friendly and informal

SERVICE

Friendly but perhaps a little too attentive

DISABLED FACILITIES

There is a small step at the front but there is access and ramp at the back and very helpful staff