Clock Tower, Donnington

Without apology, I don’t like chain pubs and try to avoid them at all costs. However, it is difficult in the Telford area to find places which welcome toddlers with open arms and high chairs.

So we decided on the Clock Tower at Donnington, which reopened earlier this month after a £350,000 revamp.

Bosses at Whitbread said the refurbishment would create a “more stylish and sophisticated feel”, with lounge areas with sofas and an extended bar area.

Gone is the Brewer’s Fayre tag and the children’s play area. In comes the sophisticated decor and open fires.

It’s clearly aimed at the gastropub market, but doesn’t go quite far enough in the menu.

You get the impression that the menu designer got together with the interior designer and decided offending no-one was the best option.

The old pub standbys of prawn cocktails and steaks are still there, but there is also a more sophisticated choice of sea bass fillet and prawn risotto.

What the pub does offer is a warm welcome to families, especially those with rowdy two-year-olds and harassed parents.

We arrived at around 6.30pm and were seated in seconds, offered a bag with a book and crayons for Joe - which kept him amused for at least 30 seconds while we speed read the menu.

The children’s menu is super (two courses for £3.50), offering starters, mains and desserts, and not all included chips.

He went for the pasta - I gave him no choice - which came with garlic bread.

Lingering over dinner being no longer an option with kamikaze boy launching himself off dining chairs, we avoided the starters and went straight to the main course.

My Thai green chicken curry arrived promptly, but was served in a dessert bowl on a plate, with rice on the side and a small salad of spring onion and cucumber.

It wasn’t the warmest, being served on cold plates, and certainly wasn’t the largest portion in the world, but it was tasty. The authentic sweet, sour, bitter and hot flavours were all there, and the chicken breast pieces were cooked to perfection.

Mark’s pork belly with apple barbecue sauce, was also very small. He said it was fine, the sauce was thick and flavoursome but it wasn’t great enough to rave over. It was also quite cool which was a surprise because Joe’s pasta in tomato sauce was so hot we had to blow on it for ten minutes before handing it over.

Again the children’s menu for dessert was a winner - ice-cream was the choice of the boy who struggled with a tall sundae glass and long spoon. When you’re serving children who can only just reach the table, it’s perhaps better to consider a pudding bowl instead.

I went for chocolate fudge cake - good but not inspiring.

Mark, thinking of his waistline, decided to push the boat out and ordered the Chocolate Indulgence - a £3.75 ice-cream sundae with Maltesers, marshmallows and chocolate brownies. He thought it was chocolate heaven.

But in appealing to the masses, the Clock Tower is unlikely to bring in the foodie crowd. I think the pub’s bosses believe that by using the word Rusticata instead of crusty to describe the bread and by offering olive oil and balsamic glaze instead of butter, they will fool diners into thinking its worth paying £7.99 for a Thai curry which didn’t fill even half way up a small dessert dish.

No-one minds paying a bit extra for great food (like the nearby Fox at Chetwynd where prices have crept up as the punters kept on coming) but I’m not sure whether the Clock Tower yet offers value for money on its adult menu.

Drop the prices (or increase your portions), and visitors will come back for good honest pub food. Otherwise sales of the £11.99 whole seabass may be few and far between.

The Clock Tower, Donnington Wood Way, Telford01952 677568

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Moules Marinere (£4.99) Garlic and herb breaded mushrooms with garlic mayonnaise

dip (£3.30) Warm whole Brie with Rusticata bread and cranberry sauce (£3.99)

Main courses

Salmon Fillet with King Prawn Skewer, (£7.99) Beef bouguignon (£7.99), Lamb steak (£11.99) Sausage and mash (£5.99)

Desserts

Profiteroles (£3.50), Fruit salad (£3.35)

Caramel Apple Betty (£3.50)

ATMOSPHERE

Relaxed but no real buzz

SERVICE

Quick and friendly

DISABLED FACILITIES

There are disable toilet facilities and access is available

SMOKING POLICY

Smoking is only allowed in one section of the bar

by Amy Bould