By merv
26 June 2008 21:24
I'm going to Church Stretton for a week in July, can anyone recommend good places for evening meals?
Answer
By Country Walking magazine
Church Stretton is perfectly situated to enjoy the best of Shropshire walking – the Long Mynd, Brown Clee, Caer Caradoc, Wenlock Edge, Brown Clee and the Stiperstones – all so tightly packed they fit on a single Ordnance Survey Explorer Map, number 217.
We reckon the perfect end to a long day in the hills has to be a cosy rural pub with good food and real ale, and the villages around Church Stretton offer plenty of choice. The Royal Oak in Cardington is the oldest pub in Shropshire and offers good beers and tasty pub fodder including Fidget Pie and Leek & Shropshire Blue Tartlets. It’s a peaceful place too, offering dominoes and darts instead of games machines and piped music.
Or try The Ragleth Inn in Church Stretton’s smaller sibling, Little Stretton. It’s easy to find on the main drag opposite the thatched church, and has a shady lawn for long summer evenings. Food is delicious and comes in stomach-stretching portions – the Ragleth Fillet with Shropshire Blue & White Port Sauce is delicious!
Another top choice is the Bottle & Glass at Picklescott (postcode: SY6 6NR, tel: 01694 751345), an old beamed farmhouse where the open fire burns year round -perfect if the July weather has been less than clement. The menu ranges from Steak, Kidney and Guinness Pie to Avocado, Goat’s Cheese and Tomato Bake.
And if you get back to Church Stretton by late afternoon, check out The Acorn Cafe (postcode SY6 6BW, tel: 01694 722495) a delicous wholefood cafe with great cakes and a gorgeous garden, or the Victoria House Tearooms where scones and cream mix with African antiques.
And one final tip – if you’re walking near the Stiperstones, check out The Bog Centre and its legendary slabs of home-made cake. And you can learn while you eat as the place-mats list some of the more colourful bits of local dialect.