Seven Stars, Beckbury

Rating: **** It has been a few years since I visited the Seven Stars at Beckbury so I was keen to find out if it was still a welcoming and enjoyable venue.

It is now under new management, with Andrew and Caroline Haddon having taken over just over a year ago.

The verdict was a resounding Yes. We cannot award the Seven Stars seven stars, but it certainly warranted the four.

There wasn’t anything we could specifically mark it down on, although clean air fanatics may have been puzzled by the ambiguous smoking restrictions. We went in the lounge where smoking at the bar was not allowed, but tables all around the room had ash trays, and lots of people were smoking despite the fact bar meals were being eaten.

The restaurant was, of course, smoke free.

We’d arrived after 7pm, so they’d stopped serving bar meals. A friendly young man provided the restaurant menus and took our order and we were then looked after by Lyndsey. She was polite, polished and professional.

We had just about finished our pre-dinner drinks in a not-too-smokey corner of the lounge when Lyndsey, very courteously, apologised for interrupting our conversation and invited us, when ready, to take our seats in the dining room.

And that set the tone for the evening. She was helpfulness and discretion personified, with a dash of fun and good humour. We enjoyed the cheery atmosphere engendered by Lyndsey, and I believe she did too.

From the six starter choices I’d gone (predictably for me) for the garlic mushrooms (£4.95). Not an overly exciting way to start a meal, you would think. You can guarantee they will be tasty and not too filling. But at the Seven Stars they think outside the saucepan, as you might say.

I was given a piping hot dish, with piping hot, button mushrooms cut into halves, a piquant garlic sauce and a beautiful topping of melted cheddar, flash grilled to give it a pleasing crunchiness. The brown bread toasties added to the satisfaction.

It’s a truism in our family: cook Libby a fish and she’s happy all day, give me a fishing rod and she gets rid of me for the whole weekend. So Libby picked the whitebait (£4.95) and was not disappointed. A huge plate, a mountain of fish and plenty of fresh, crunchy salad. “Just right, a crisp light batter on the fish which added to the delicate fish taste rather than masking it,” she said. The tartare sauce came in a ramekin rather than a plastic bag, so full marks there.

Add to this the basket of bread, and we are not talking Mother’s Pride here. In fact we aren’t talking bread as we know it. This was chunky slices of Guinness and ginger bread with a touch of rosemary, invented and home-baked by Caroline Haddon and her staff. They also do cider bread. All I can say is you must try some.

So two satisfied diners, and that was only the starters.

For main course I’d asked for a 10-ounce sirloin steak (£11.50) although I did hesitate as my local butcher Simon provides a choice cut every Saturday for my weekend treat. Would the Seven Stars’ offering be as good. No worries, it was top order. Cooked medium rare (actually more rare than medium) with an edging of fat to bring out the flavour, it just melted in the mouth. Onion rings, tomato, a mushroom and gorgeous home-made chips as well as a shared dish of carrots, cauliflower, mange tout and a side order of cracked black pepper sauce made my night.

Before the days of fast food with “fresh” vegetables being flown half way round the world you could have seasonal offerings. That has now, sadly, faded into obscurity but when Libby saw pork medallions on a bed of sliced apple (£10.70) it felt almost nostalgic. Late autumn is apple time (although they are now available all year round, of course) and at the Seven Stars they had been carefully cooked and served with choice, thick-cut medallions of nicely cooked pork. The vegetables (including out-of-season mange tout) and the whisky and cream sauce were all enjoyed.

Lyndsey tried politely to tempt us with the desserts but there was no available capacity, delicious though the puddings sounded.

We asked for a coffee and a cup of hot water and slice of lemon (Libby’s drink of the moment). I was also able to enjoy a complimentary coffee top-up, which is always a nice touch.

So for less than £40 we’d dining on excellent food, in convivial surroundings, by genuinely pleasant and attentive staff; with chef Caroline leaving the kitchen late in the evening to greet her diners and to chat amiably and discover directly what the customers thought of her cooking.

If you can’t make it to Beckbury during the week they do Sunday lunches of two courses costing £8.20 and three courses £10.50, but booking is essential.contact details

ADDRESS
Seven Stars, Madeley Road, Beckbury
Tel 01952 750229

MENU SAMPLE
Starters
Prawn and smoked salmon (£5.25); Palma ham and melon (£4.95)

Main courses
Shank of lamb with butter mash and port and cranberry sauce (£10.20); Strips of beef in Stilton sauce finished with brandy (£12.20)

BAR MEALS (until 7pm)
Rump steak (£8.20); Scampi (£6.50)

Desserts
Baileys cheesecake (£3.50), Chocolate dream (£3.50)

ATMOSPHERE
Welcoming, convivial and civilised

SERVICE
Thoughtful, professional and attentive

DISABLED FACILITIES
No specific facilities for the disabled but wheelchairs can be accommodated

SMOKING POLICY
Non-smoking restaurant

By Rex M Key