Pictured: Matthew Strefford

Shrewsbury's Lion and Pheasant has welcomed a world-class chef to its kitchen whose food will be "at the heart" of the hotel experience, directors said today.

The Lion + Pheasant Hotel in Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, has seen praise heaped upon it from all sides since its doors were opened in November 2010.

The Sunday Mirror listed it as one of the top 10 boutique hotels for under £100 a night in the country and the Independent describes the décor as a "fresh, contemporary restoration" that gives a new lease of life to the historic building.

It also featured on the hiphotels.com site as part of their Daily Travel Inspiration calendar, described as a "Tudor Townhouse hotel with elegant interiors".

Also this week it has been launched in the Mr & Mrs Smith collection of selected budget boutique hotels which has put Shrophire on its map for the first time. 

But the team, led by manager Jim Littler, is continuously looking to build on what they have created and for 2012 have announced the arrival of chef Matthew Strefford.

Matthew, who was born in Shropshire, has worked in top class restaurants all over the world. In Australia he worked alongside chef Neil Perry -known as "The King of modern dining" at two of Perry's Restaurants.  

Mr Littler said: "He worked at The Rockpool - his flagship fine dining restaurant -  and he was fortunate to work with Perry on the opening and launch of the Rockpool Bar and Grill on Sydney's prime waterfront which was a fantastic experience for him."

Matthew has also worked at the five-star luxury castle hotel Adare Manor in County Limerick, Ireland, which is well known for its international business community clientele. 

He said: "I loved it in Ireland but if there was one place that would bring me back to the UK I knew it would be Shropshire.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity to work in this innovative hotel and to each season as it brings exciting local produce which will feature on the menus.

" Whether it's locally foraged mushrooms in the autumn, wimberry's from the Stiperstones in July or of course the abundance of local game during the winter months I am looking forward to working with all that Shropshire has to offer."

Mr Littler added: "Matthew and I are passionate about the same things and we are lucky to have him. 

"I look forward to seeing him make his mark on the menus and look forward to serving them to our guests and customers."

And it is not only the types of dishes that Matthew has plans for but also where they come from.

"Growing up in a farming family, I have a lot of respect for farmers and for their produce. My main belief is that we should be cooking food that we would want to eat ourselves so I want to bring a lot of local produce into my menus," he says.

"It is all about flavor for me and working with the wonderful flavors and ingredients that can be found in Shropshire and the Welsh coast. 

"I like to cook all sorts of cuisine, British French, Asian, rustic slow Italian cooking and I am also fascinated by the history of food and old recipes, this is something that makes Shropshire so wonderful for cooks, the food here is steeped in history and legends."