Lion, Priorslee, Telford

Star rating: *** For most pubs, a friendly welcome can often make all the difference. Indeed, those first opinions will inevitably form a part of the reviewer’s overall opinion.

It is, I suppose, a little like a job interview - many people make a decision about an applicant in the first few minutes.

That was very much the case when my wife Claire and I visited The Lion in Priorslee.

The warm welcome from the staff on duty added to that first impression, and we had already heard good things about its food and real ales.

Nestled away on a distinctly unlovely road next to a factory and university campus, The Lion would appear to benefit very little from passing trade.

But then why is it always so busy?

That cheery greeting aside, Claire and I discovered an atmosphere that is evident in very few other pubs across Telford.

Before the M54 sliced through a huge chunk of the area, the former coaching inn was, in fact, located on a main route to Shifnal, Wolverhampton and beyond.

So, reason one for that bustling atmosphere - spadeloads of character.

History is not, however, the only element in a successful pub/eaterie - the food should always take centre stage.

The menu, although somewhat basic in its ambitions, ticked all the right boxes, with the necessary inclusions of scampi and similar dishes.

To begin our meal, I went for the lasagne, while Claire chose steak.

Often, a pub-served lasagne will clearly have been microwaved, with accompanying burned edges and a texture not too dissimilar to cardboard.

On this occasion, however, there was little evidence of over-cooking - no tell-tale crustiness or tough pasta.

The lasagne was well-cooked, tasty and most importantly, could be cut without resorting to all sorts of strenuous tugging and sawing motions.

The same must be said of Claire’s steak, which like my course, came with a huge pile of the usual chips and vegetables.

The steak was greeted with ill-disguised glee by my wife, who found that her “well-cooked” requirements had been followed to the letter.

In fact, the inevitable “is everything okay” query from the waitress was entirely unnecessary.

In most chain pubs, these statements are usually accompanied by a typical glance of teenage disinterest, before a swift exit.

But on this occasion, the lady in question - who we discovered lives above the pub - was keen to chat for some time. Not too long, just enough to make us feel welcome.

Following the main courses, we had high hopes of a suitable encore from the desserts menu. Again, a tad limited - but nevertheless, we both chose well.

I was tempted by the Chocka Rocka dessert, with a fairly generous amount of moist topping and delicious base.

Claire decided she would be best served by the bread and butter pudding - homemade, if we were not mistaken.

With a wholly necessary serving of custard, it was a delicious way to round off Claire’s meal.

Our evening did not end there, though, as the pub filled up with early drinkers after a long day at work.

With two major office blocks just a few yards away, a pub such as The Lion could make a modest living with cheap, mass-produced food and weak lager.

But in a town like Telford, what would be so different about that?

ADDRESS
The Lion, Priorslee, Telford
Tel: (01952 ) 290797

MENU SAMPLE
Starters
Garlic breaded mushrooms (£3.25); Crabcakes in sweet chilli dip (£3.25)

Main courses
Homemade steak and ale pie (£6.85); Salmon in Champagne (£8.95)

Desserts
Treacle pudding (£3.95); Tennessee toffee pie (£3.95)

ATMOSPHERE
Very welcoming and cosy, but also lively when it fills up with more customers.

SERVICE
Staff are attentive, friendly and seem willing to chat with customers.

DISABLED FACILITIES
There are disabled toilet facilities and access is available.

By James Shaw