The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury. SY1 1UY
01743 353 107
www.thelionhotelshrewsbury.com

Shropshire in general, and Shrewsbury in particular, owe a special vote of thanks to Howard Astbury. He has been patiently restoring to life the venerable old coaching inn, the Lion Hotel on Wyle Cop. He has been doing it in a way that is as sensitive of its glorious past as it is to the 21st century needs of the modern traveller.

A Shropshire lad, Howard comes from the Clee, he has returned home from working in hotels in the West Country. Now, he has been working day and night not only to restore the hotel's charm, but to win back much of the goodwill and custom lost by the previous owners who took the property on in 1996 from Trust Houses, who acquired it in 1920.  In the two years since Howard bought the Lion he has refurbished the ground floor and is just finishing the last of the fully en-suite 59 bedrooms.

In a world full of glass box hotels run by itinerant managers for faceless owners in far away cities Howard is  an exception.  He lives and works on the premises together with his superior cat, "Sabre" - an exotic cross between a Siamese and Burmese - who can often be found asleep on the most comfortable wing chair in the bar.

In winter huge log fires welcome you through the front doors that have received such illustrious guests as in 1803 Prince William of Gloucester, who became King George IV, and the essayist and critic Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859).  in 1841 Benjamin Disraeli stayed there before the election that returned him to Parliament as the MP for Shrewsbury.  Another guest was the illustrator Hablot K Browne, better known as Phiz , who illustrated the Pickwick Papers and subsequent books by Charles Dickens who himself stayed at the hotel in 1858

Each of these gentlemen would instantly recognise the hostelry and still be able to admire the magnificent Adam ballroom where in 1830 Madame Tussaud presented an exhibition of her wax works, and from whose gallery in 1831 Paganinni gave two concerts and where in 1849 and again in 1856 Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, enchanted the ladies and gentlemen of the county with her singing..

Elegant Restaurant

They would certainly admire, but not recognise, the excellent Sam Hayward restaurant, named after the coachman who took the 'Shrewsbury Wonder' from the Lion to London in fifteen and three-quarter hours, including time taken to change horses every 12 miles. It as an elegant room with pristine white table linen, shining glassware and gleaming cutlery off-set by a most eclectic collection of old paintings on the walls that range from portraits of some less than pretty old ladies to bucolic countryside scenes.

The dinner menus include a choice of both Table d'Hôte (£25 for three courses) and an a la  Carte.  I was fortunate enough to be dining with Howard which not only gave me a chance to practice my roving fork technique, but provided the opportunity for me to learn about the hotel from the proprietor himself.  My starter was a dish of scallops and king prawns in a carefully studied Thai curry sauce that was a perfect appetiser; it set the taste buds racing in anticipation of what was to follow.  In my case this was roasted duck breasts, cooked as I like them - pink -  and served in a delicate sweet orange and Grand Marnier sauce that showed the kitchen's ability to create sauces that enhance rather than smother a dish.

I learnt that the chef, Mbark Jbara, came from Morocco and was an absolute stickler for perfection.  His sauces certainly indicated an exceptional skill and by this time I was regretting not ordering a couple of North African dishes on the menu, a starter of grilled Haloumi (a hard, salty ewes milk cheese) with a fresh cranberry sauce followed by a Moroccan lamb Tagine served with a refreshing mint cous cous, But never mind, I now have an excuse to return.

We shared a bottle of excellent un-oaked Hunter Valley  Chardonnay that showed just how well Australian winemakers in this leading New South Wales vineyard region can create elegant, well-balanced wines. There was more than sufficient mouth weight and citrus tones to accompany my duck and the fish dishes being enjoyed by my host.  I wasn't surprised to discover that the wines come from Tanners, who regularly win the accolade as best regional wine merchant in the country.  It is an outstanding wine list, like a miniskirt: short enough to be interesting, yet long enough to cover all eventualities, and I noticed some old friends including Château du Grand Moulas from the Rhône that Tanners introduced me to some years ago, as well as Churchill's splendid Douro red, from the Port wine region.

Local Produce

I was delighted to see that the menu provides a list of local suppliers that includes no less than eight in Shrewsbury itself, but somehow or other omits any mention of Tanners! I only wish more restaurants would support regional suppliers and so make sure we can enjoy the best of local produce while keeping the dreaded carbon footprint down in size....one salient point that Howard kindly pointed out, is that they no longer provide tuna on the menu, due to 'sustainability of stocks' Bravo!

At the best of times choosing a pudding is difficult enough, but the Lion's list of nine home made desserts made it very difficult.  But my roving fork enabled me to sample a yummy Apple Crumble with an excellent custard and Howard's outstanding classic Italian Tiramisu, a dish that far too often disappoints than delights -but not this time.  My own choice of a vanilla Crème Brulée had a crisp caramelised top over a delicate cream.

Over a cup of quite excellent coffee I came to the conclusion that this was one restaurant that richly deserves more official recognition; perhaps even a red AA rosette.

And so to bed, and what a bed.  I was fortunate enough to have the Charles Dickens suite complete with a half-tester bed, some delightful pieces of old furniture, a full en-suite bathroom, all set on an ancient un-even floor that was pure 'Old Curiosity Shop'.  They say that this was the room in which the great man worked during his stay at the Lion.  But the bed was so comfortable that I just slept until my wretched alarm clock woke me.  For guests who don't have their 'sea legs', so to speak, all the other rooms have level floors and are being brought up to the highest standards with excellent new mattresses.

Breakfast was another very pleasant surprise.  The usual selection of fruit juices, fruit and cereals, but thank goodness none of those awful hot buffets servings dried out bacon, rock hard sausages and solidified fried eggs. Not only was the hot breakfast cooked to order - excellent rashers of real butchers' bacon, proper pork sausages and a pair of fresh golden eggs - but it was cooked to perfection by mine-host, Howard Astbury himself.

As I drove out of the hotel's covered car park I thought to myself, that this old lion must be purring like Sabre, because at long last it was also being cherished.