Restaurateur's new challenge
Some might say Clive Vasey is mad. The owner of The Pheasant in Broseley is about to put his reputation as a restaurateur on the line by taking on a county eaterie that once received one of the poorest reviews to ever appear in the Shropshire Star.
Some might say Clive Vasey is mad. The owner of The Pheasant in Broseley is about to put his reputation as a restaurateur on the line by taking on a county eaterie that once received one of the poorest reviews to ever appear in the Shropshire Star.
"I tell people I'm taking on the Fox Inn in Hospital Street, Bridgnorth, and they say 'are you mad'?" reveals Clive, who with his wife Sue already runs the reputable Pheasant Inn.
Then he smiles and, insisting that far from being mad, the move on Bridgnorth is in fact a rather shrewd one - okay the town has a few decent places to eat out, but it could do better still.
Looking for somewhere to eat out - check out our Dining Out reviews section here.
His theory is similar to the model that has made Ludlow something of a food capital: the more decent places there are to eat, the better it is for everyone in the restaurant trade - and the better it will be for the growing reputation of Bridgnorth as culinary destination for people living both in the town and beyond.
The food chain is certainly in place. All the fabulous suppliers of homegrown produce - everyone from local farmers to topline butchers such as Beamans, nestling alongside a brace of delicious delis including Bridgnorth Delicatessen.
"We have always wanted to go into Bridgnorth," says Clive, "and we think there's room for a new venture, especially in Low Town. We are not going for the fine dining - we get a lot of special occasion eating at The Pheasant - but we needed a bar as well.
"This will be good, simple food like tapas, pastas that people will want midweek. If you take Ludlow, the more places that open the better."
Apart from an array of foodie outlets, he points to rumours that Marks & Spencer could be opening a foodhall in Bridgnorth - a commercial wink to the town's appetite for decent nosh if ever there was one.
"There used to be a saying that if Marks & Spencer opened a shop, Woolworths would open one down the road because it would bring people in, and this is like that."
He modifies the saying with: "If Marks & Spencer open a shop, the Vaseys will open up down the road."
Bridgnorth's reputation is certainly building, not least due to the culinary acumen of town butcher Richard Beaman who recently took over ownership of the King's Head and also owns the Stable Bar, both in Whitburn Street.
A planning application has also been submitted to transform Northgate House in High Street into a restaurant and bar.
Clive has noticed, too, that people's tastes - or rather their appetites for formal multi-course meals - are changing.
"I don't think people are into three-course meals like they used to be. They used to go out and have starters and main meals but this will be tapas and good quality light bites," he says.
Later he uses a description of his new restaurant that some consider to be a term of damnation. "It will be a gastro pub," he says without hesitation.
Although he thinks there could be room for improvement in the range and quality of restaurants in Bridgnorth, Clive is insistent that there are many eateries getting it right.
"The King's Head is a huge success," he says pointing out that this eaterie up in High Town also uses local produce and butchers.
"It has brought a whole new perspective to Bridgnorth - good ales, good food, good ambience."
Clive and Sue are taking over at the helm of The Fox at a critical moment for the food market - Christmas, a time when people like to eat, drink and be merry.
By taking over The Fox Inn they will be hoping to score another winner and certainly top the review it received last time.
By Ben Bentley
Looking for somewhere to eat out - check out our Dining Out reviews section here.