James Shaw puts previously disappointing visits behind him.

Inside the Thomas Botfield, Telford

I have never been a great believer in the phrase ‘third time lucky’, especially when it is applied to pubs.

Once somewhere has left a bad taste in my mouth, it usually stays that way.

And let’s be honest from the start. In the past, I have had some truly woeful experiences at the Thomas Botfield in Telford and my last review was one of the worst I have given.

So it was with some trepidation that Claire and I decided to give it another chance – third time lucky perhaps?

We’ll see.

The night started off in typical fashion as we met up with a chatty group of friends to celebrate a birthday or two.

And the atmosphere was equally busy inside the pub as staff coped with a usual Friday night influx.

I have always found the Thomas Botfield lively and even on midweek evenings it feels as if the weekend is only a few hours away.

It benefits from workers who occupy the adjacent office blocks and shops, some of whom will remain after work has ended for the day. Surprisingly, we had little trouble in finding a table as we looked to settle down.

As ever, the menu was extensive and featured all the usual pub grub favourites, with steak and burgers taking top billing.

I went for the braised shoulder of lamb, complete with mint and rosemary sauce.

Claire’s choice was the barbecue chicken melt – as ever, without the sauce. So, just a plain chicken melt, then.

It soon became apparent that the evening would be a long one as we endured an extended wait for our main courses to arrive.

And following that wait, we were non-plussed to discover that Claire’s main course still had barbecue sauce drenched all over it.

Staff soon apologised and rectified the error.

This was a welcome change – our previous visits had been marred by poor service and a generally slack attitude.

Clearly, there has been something of a turnaround and it certainly makes a difference.

Claire’s chicken melt was deliciously thick and decorated with a mountain of cheese and bacon.

Sometimes, a dish like this will have been spoiled by too much grease – but not this time.

The accompanying chips and vegetables just could not compete with the plate’s superb main event.

Now, I am fully aware that a braised shoulder of lamb will contain a degree of fat – that is, to some people, an appeal of the dish.

But putting individual tastes aside, there did appear to be an excessive amount of fat to cut through on my main course.

At least an inch, in fact.

Obviously, it limited the amount of meat to be found and was not the best way to get our meal underway.

I suppose taking it further would have been a little harsh.

Something as trivial as fat on a lamb shoulder is not enough reason to complain in itself.

And the accompanying mash with mint and rosemary sauce did a superb job in distracting my tastebuds.

These are minor points, to be honest, that did little to spoil our evening.

But the Thomas Botfield remains a true chain pub and that was obvious when it came to ordering desserts.

The menu featured very few variations from the traditional safe havens of chocolate cake and apple pie.

I went for the chocolate fudge cake, while Claire’s choice was the chocolate brownie sundae.

Claire’s brownie was piled high with delicious chocolate pieces and ice cream, while my fudge cake, unfortunately, was a tad limp.

The evening was, nonetheless, an unexpected pleasure after my previous couple of visits.

And yes, I admit it, I was wrong – sometimes, you really can strike third time lucky.

Just about.

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Spicy coated king prawns (£2.59)

Garlic ciabatta bread (£1.59)

Main courses

Lamb’s liver and onions (£6.89)

10z rump steak (£7.49)

Desserts

Sticky toffee pudding (£2.99)

Bramley apple pie (£2.49)

ATMOSPHERE

Very lively, which was to be expected, and comfortable – despite the crowds.

SERVICE

Staff were quick to apologise for mistakes.

DISABLED FACILITIES

There are disabled toilets, along with level access.

Contact

The Thomas Botfield, Central Square, Telford Town Centre. 01952 292672