Dorrells, Hadley Park House Hotel, Telford

Rating:?**** British classics are a firm focus of this newly-named hotel restaurant, writes Andy Richardson.

If there's one venue in Shropshire that refuses to rest on its laurels, it's The Hadley Park House Hotel Restaurant, in Telford. The venue is like the comedian Lee Evans: it hits new heights only to recalibrate it sights and set even higher goals.

In 2010, it underwent a £1.5-million redevelopment, incorporating a new function suite, the Mulliner, and additional new bedrooms. It also invested in a shiny new restaurant, Dorrells.

The outlet gained its moniker in a 'Name the Restaurant' competition that ran towards the end of 2010 and early 2011, with surprising results. More than 1,000 people entered and the name Dorrells was suggested by competition winner Tom Farmer, from Wellington.

Hadley Park boss, Mark Lewis, says: "The history behind the name Dorrells goes back generations locally. Our new function suite is called The Mulliner Suite, after the family which lived here from 1901 to 1941.

"And Dorrell is the name of the family who lived here much more recently, around 40 years ago. So many people remember it when it was Dorrell's Farm, when it was possible to stop off and buy an ice cream here."

The Dorrell family lived in Mill House, the house next door to the main building at Hadley Park, from 1963. They worked and operated Hadley Park Farm, where Anne and her husband Ted farmed up to 2001.

During that time, Edward took over the running of the farm. And when Edward acquired Hoo Farm, Anne and Ted retired to Bank Farm in Leighton, near Little Wenlock.

Mr Lewis adds: "While at Hadley Farm, the Dorrells found that their dairy herd was producing too much milk.

"At a time when farmers were allowed to use the excess to produce ice cream, they started to produce Hadley Park Farm Real Dairy Ice Cream – which proved to be an award winner at the Royal Show right up to 2001."

Of course, the advent of a shiny new restaurant brings with it the appointment of a new chef and 29-year-old Mark Harris is the Shropshire Lad tasked to meet high expectations.

The new boss has enjoyed something of a homecoming, having learned his craft at nearby Radbrook Catering College, from which he graduated in December 1999.

Since then, however, he has worked at various establishments, most notably the 5-star Lowry Hotel, where he worked as chef de partie in the Marco Pierre White River Room.

Mr Lewis adds: "At the end of his spell there, and following other head chef postings, Mark set up his own chef consultancy business, and concentrated on event catering, with highlights being his time working at several of the world's top class sporting events, such as Royal Ascot, the Formula One British Grand Prix and Premiership games at Old Trafford, as well as the BBC Sports Personality Awards in Manchester."

Mark says: "It was all part of the learning curve. It's a completely different world when you're catering for between 2-and-5,000 people. And what it means is that numbers really don't scare me at all anymore. It's a great background for things like the wedding season, which is a key market here, at Hadley Park."

Mark is resolutely of the 'Fine Dining School of Gastronomy' and is delighted to be surrounded by such excellent produce. His aim is to celebrate classic British dishes.

"It's a privilege to be working somewhere, where the management has the foresight to give free licence to us sourcing the best possible local produce," he said. "So the meat, the eggs, the vegetables – everything – which comes through our kitchen door is of the finest quality. And none of it travels further than 50-miles.

"Having produce of the quality we are sourcing makes our job in the kitchen so much easier."

My friend and I visited Hadley Park to see what all the fuss was about.

We received an exceptionally warm welcome, being greeted by Mr Weightman while we were served drinks in a small bar to the front of Dorrells. The menu comprised an impressive selection of starters and mains, with Harris focusing on quality rather than quantity.

Six starters and six mains ran the gamut of ingredients and tastes. The combinations were simple and straightforward. A back-to-basics approach serves Dorrells well and customers can look forward to tried and trusted combinations, rather than gastronomic fireworks that are all sizzle and no steak.

We started with an amuse bouche, which underwhelmed. It comprised small rounds of toast with cured salmon and a homemade mayonnaise. It was fine, though lacked the pizzazz that diners come to expect from fine dining establishments. A little more ambition and sophistication would have been welcome.

My friend then started with a warm and filling soup of the day, which proved to be a masterclass in extracting flavour from seasonal vegetables, while I went for the seared scallops with pea mousse, crisp pancetta and salad.

Both courses were decidedly accomplished and showcased Harris's technical ability.

For my main course, I selected a pan-fried duck breast, with seasonal vegetables, which was a real treat. The duck was cooked supremely well. The meat was quiveringly pink and had been expertly rested, so that it offered melt-in-the-mouth moments of savoury deliciousness.

My friend was equally pleased with her vegetarian option. Harris impressed when our desserts were served, without reaching for the stars. He offers a good take on such time-honoured classics as bakewell tart, toffee apple pudding and crème brulee, without offering Michelin-style elaboration.

Hadley Park House has invested well in its new head chef. He oozes potential. His food is clean, well-judged and classic and it's to be hoped his willingness to dazzle will grow with time.

For now, he earns the venue a steady-as-she-goes four-out-of-five rating. Good food, polished service, great ingredients and precision cooking deserve such a mark.

ADDRESS

Hadley Park House Hotel, Hadley Park East, Hadley, Telford TF1 6QJ

Tel: 01952 677 269

Web: www.hadleypark.co.uk