The Corn Store, Welshpool

and his party head into town and enjoy great food and service with a smile.

We in the UK might possibly learn a thing or two from our continental partners when it comes to the familyfriendliness of restaurants.

My experience of holidaying in France and Italy is of our small children being welcomed, and even fussed over, in a way that seems notable for its rarity here.

While I accept there have to be places where adults feel they can escape for a few "grown-up" hours – and sometimes no one appreciates this more than parents themselves – quietly-spoken, well-behaved children with impeccable table manners and adventurous palates that go beyond Turkey nuggets, are unlikely to compromise this.

And why is it that those parents keen to introduce their children to the sophisticated pleasures of dining out are often made to feel awkward about it, particularly in the evening?

The mere fact that the sign "families welcome" exists at all shows how deep-rooted even those in the hospitality industry feel this prejudice lies. It is clearly up to restaurateurs who they let in, but to turn away trade – and miss the chance to impress their customers of the future – doesn't seem sound business sense.

Its family-friendliness is just one of the points I love about The Corn Store.

Others include the excellent food and drink, friendly and efficient service and stimulating atmosphere. And no one who samples the portion size of each dish ever questions its value for money.

Yet it's the fact that staff go out of their way to accommodate your children that so impresses me. We've been going there for the past 15 years, taken our sons at varying ages from five upwards on several occasions and smiles have always been in plentiful supply.

So when we're looking for an evening of good food and delightful ambience for a family celebration, The Corn Store often tops the discussion of where to head.

Owner Becky Chapman should take a bow for operating a place that tries hard to achieve excellence without the slightest hint of pretension. Eight of us – including three teenagers and a seven year-old – were celebrating a birthday and were splendidly looked after.

Goat's cheese, spare ribs, chicken tikka salad and mushroom soup were just some of our delicious starters, all generously-enough sized to constitute a light meal in themselves. Plates and dishes, though, were all cleaned.

My chicken breast in lemon pepper and thyme sauce main course was delightfully tender and perfectly seasoned. Others in the party enjoyed top-notch fishcakes, lamb shanks, pork steaks and spare ribs. Meat always seems to be cooked as requested and herbs, spices and sauces are used as pleasant adjuncts rather than overpowering signatures.

Becky and her team cook wholesome food to be enjoyed, not self-indulgent fancy creations to be worshipped. Our mains came with a huge helping of salads, fresh vegetables and chips.

By the time desserts came around, the generous portions had taken their toll on the lightweights in our party. It was left to just three of us to uphold family honour and tuck into banoffee pie and cheesecake.

All desserts at The Corn Store are homemade rather than shipped in frozen and it shows in their quality.

This was another enjoyable evening at a place that has never failed us. Its reliability must, in part, be attributable to a sense of continuity brought by Becky, who has been involved for more than 20 years, having worked in the kitchen under the previous owners before taking over the reins.

It is to be hoped that she will be there for many more years to come but it is time of great uncertainty for Welshpool's town centre businesses, and not just because of the UK economy.

A new one-way traffic system seems bizarrely designed to either divert much passing trade away from the main shops, or send it speeding past them.

Those on the county payroll who brokered this scheme presumably don't spend too many sleepless nights worrying about profit and loss.

If they did, they might have spared a thought for the town centre businesses of this bustling market town, some of which have seen their takings badly hit.

I live four miles away and driving into Welshpool and walking around the centre is less of a pleasure than it was. By car, I'm needlessly diverted away from where I want to go. On foot, trying to cross the dual carriageway of speeding traffic (how's that for unfriendliness towards families with small children?) that is now Broad Street and High Street, is no fun either. And I'm a potential customer!

The Corn Store was badly disrupted while building work on the road took place. Now the work is complete, business has gradually started to pick up again.

Becky is hopeful that, when people get used to the traffic scheme, The Corn Store will thrive as it always has.

Me too. A visit is one of life's unalloyed pleasures – even if getting there isn't.

ADDRESS

The Corn Store, Church Street, Welshpool SY21 7DL

Tel: 01938 554614

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Prawn and crayfish cocktail (£6.95), Warm smoked mackerel (£6.95)

MAINS

Welsh beef strips in pepper, cream and whisky sauce (£15.50); Fresh pan-fried sea bass fillets with chilli, lime and coriander (£16.50)

DESSERTS

Lemon meringue roulade (£5.50); Chocolate and cherry trifle (£5.50)

ATMOSPHERE

Relaxed and family friendly

SERVICE

Affable and efficient

DISABLED FACILITIES

Limited