The Red Lion, Ellesmere

and family head into town for a meal to celebrate her daughter's 20th birthday.

Life has not been great for the licensed trade. Many pubs have closed and others now have to depend on Fridays and Saturdays to keep them afloat.

But walk into the Red Lion Coaching Inn in Ellesmere on any night of the week and there is a buzz to the place.

The Red Lion always seems busy, whether with diners or people popping in for a drink.

And it attracts a good mix of locals, people from across north Shropshire travelling to Ellesmere for a meal, business people and tourists visiting the town - many on narrowboats.

So what is the secret of its success?

Its menu is certainly a big attraction, offering something for everyone.

Our recent visit was to celebrate daughter Sophie's 20th birthday and we were certainly a mixed bunch - two 16 year olds, two 20 year olds, two around the 50 mark and two pensioners!

Good job we booked in advance, it was midweek and we were amazed to find all the tables taken.

Landlord Mike and his staff have the knack of making everyone feel welcome and made us feel like regulars, even though we might only pop in perhaps once a month.

So to the menu. Grandma and Auntie Jan were chuffed to find that the senior citizens' blackboard was available in the evening as well as lunchtimes. It is incredible value, £5.50 for two courses chosen from a traditional type menu.

They both plumped for prawn cocktail for starters, a good portion served on a plate rather than the more usual little serving dish, with a side salad and brown bread.

The youngsters shared a huge plate of nachos, an ideal choice for those just wanting a snack.

Mel had Pepper Pot mushrooms, a nice change from the more usual garlic version. They were served in a really tasty creamy pepper sauce with garlic bread.

The specials board provided mussels, a huge portion for a starter, served in a lovely creamy sauce and again accompanied with garlic bread.

It was like two starters in one, mussels followed by a soup of the left over sauce! It would have easily sufficed as a main meal.

The main courses range from the traditional grills - including the Red Lion's huge mixed grill, to the unusual sizzlers and value-for-money light bites, jacket potatoes and wraps.

The Red Lion is also known for its big choice of vegetarian dishes.

Staff were more than happy to provide just a bowl of chips for teenager Sioned although "just" is an unfair word for the Red Lion's chips. Big fat chips with not a hint of greasiness and ever so lightly dusted in a special coating.

There is only one only pub in Britain that I have found that comes close to such good chips - for me anyway. Sadly my mum, who has very traditional tastes, didn't like the coating.

Her plaice and auntie's 4oz steak are billed as "lite bites" but looked like proper portions to me.

Joe's Ribs plus One was enormous. He chose a chicken breast to go with his half rack of ribs. Cat's 16oz rump steak was equally huge and she was delighted that it was as rare as she liked.

The pair don't like their plates full of all the accompaniments, but not wanting to waste anything we cheekily asked if they could be served in separate bowls - again no problem for the patient staff.

Mel's steak in his Surf and Double Turf was again just as he liked, well done. I went for one of the sizzlers, a chicken red Thai curry, so tasty and staying hot throughout thanks to the sizzling plate. You can have the sizzlers which also include other curries, sweet and sour, satay and duck in plum sauce, with rice or chips or, as many do, half and half.

We were so full, we simply couldn't sample the desserts, especially as we had a birthday cake. Again there was no problem with us lighting the cake and the pub supplied us with plates, serviettes and knives.

So to the success. It's a mix of good pub food, amazing value for money, a relaxed atmosphere and staff that make you feel incredibly welcome.

Just one thing to remember - the kitchen serves until 8.30pm, so make sure you get there early!

Despite this I am going to give my first five stars for a pub that has found the recipe for success, and stuck to it.

ADDRESS

The Red Lion 18 Church St, Ellesmere SY12 0HD

Tel: 01691 622632

Website: www.redlion-ellesmere.co.uk

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Crispy Chicken Strips (£3.95); Smoked Haddock Fishcakes (£3.95); Black Pudding Stack (£3.95)

MAIN COURSES

8oz Rump Steak (£7.65); Surf and Double Turf (£7.95); Steak and Ale Pie (£5.95)

DESSERTS

The dessert board changes daily

ATMOSPHERE

A nice mix of people makes for a pleasant atmosphere

SERVICE

Staff are friendly and very willing to help

DISABLED FACILITIES

Full disabled facilities