Reviewer’s rating: ****

Sharon Walters takes a second gander at a revamped pub near Shrewsbury

The Mucky Duck, Hookagate

When you review a pub or restaurant you put your head above the parapet and have to take the blows that may arise!

When you criticise an establishment you have to be ready to take the angry phone calls, letters and emails – and be prepared to see your comments hotly contested in letters to the editor.

Generally speaking we get letters of support and against the review evenly split.

Very occassionally we get 100 per cent in support of the eaterie and against our comments. And in those cases we get another reviewer out for comparison.

And I must emphasise that two experiences can be very different for a variety of reasons and just as valid.

That happened just recently in the case of the Mucky Duck at Hookagate near Shrewsbury following a Sunday lunchtime review.

So off I went to the Mucky Duck last Sunday to see for myself – incognito, I might add along with partner and a couple of friends.

Meet and greet scored ten out of ten, something that really annoys me is a lacklustre welcome.

Next we were told to sit down and the drinks we had ordered would be brought over, another good score on the welcome front.

A jug of water requested appeared promptly, with plenty of ice and slices of lemon. A refill was also offered during the meal without prompting.

The pub does a Sunday lunch menu offering a traditional roast or a vegetarian option for £8.95 each. You can also add on a pudding and pay another £2. Two of us opted for the roast, especially after being told that all options came with Yorkshire pudding, and two went for steaks £9.95) off the specials menu.

There was some delay but apologies were offered and the four of us were too busy catching up on our news to notice.

First let’s talk about the 9-10oz sirloin steaks. One was ordered medium and the other rare to medium.

Spot on cooking for both. The steaks were well presented and came with the most delicious handcut stack of chips (I had to pinch one to try!), fresh salad garnish, crisp onion rings and juicy tomato.

Both men took up the offer of a sauce and had peppercorn, served individually.

My friend Gill had roast beef and I had roast pork. Here is the only real criticism – the entire roast meal was served up on one plate, and there was masses of it which made it difficult to get down to the several slices of tender beef and pork.

There was a top Yorkshire pudding, roast and new potatoes, cauliflower cheese, sprouts and a mound of carrots and swede.

Sorry, it was just too much. Please serve the veg in a side dish and leave us space to manoeuvre. Some people may like to see a plate piled high a la Desperate Dan mode but it put me off.

On the plus side the gravy was served on the side, good for both of us as we hate our food swimming in the stuff.

After a short rest we all went for a pudding. Gill and I had double chocolate gateau which was light and fresh with a few strawberries and raspberries. Cream was served separately again, so that we could have as much or as little as we wanted.

Man one had apple crumble with custard and man two his favourite pud, bread and butter pudding with custard. Extremely good value for money.

Then it was coffee all round and for a pub this small, excellent coffee indeed with filter, latte and expresso were all enjoyed.

We enjoyed a Los Vilos Chardonnay with the meal at a very respectable £11.50. The wine list from Tanners is short but well thought out and there is usually a wine of the week on offer – last Sunday it was a Sunnycliff Cabernet Sauvignon for £9.95. And another little plus for me, most eateries should be able to offer a decent bottle of red or white for under a tenner.

So how do we got about marking, I am often asked?

First of all you look at the type of establishment and use that as the base. This was a pub with a pleasant eating area that is not pretending to be anything other than that. This is good value, home cooked food using local produce wherever possible.

Then you look at meet and greet, service, cleanliness and quality and value of the food. And speaking of cleanliness the Mucky Duck has recently been awarded a top mark of five stars in the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.

Based on all of that I give the Mucky Duck a four.

ADDRESS
Mucky Duck, Hookagate, Long Row, Hookagate, near Shrewsbury SY5 8BE
Tel: 01743 860202

MENU SAMPKLE
Sunday special main courses

Chicken Balti served with rice and coriander and garlic naan (£7.95); Cannelloni stuffed with Ricotta cheese ina creamy spinach sauce, on a tomato concasse, with garlic bread and salad garnish (£8.45); Homemade cottage pie with chips and gravy, topped with cheese (£7.25)

ATMOSPHERE
Welcoming and warm on a cold day

SERVICE
Very good with appropriate apologies for a delay in getting our main courses

DISABLED FACILITIES
Wheelchair access is possible as entrance is on the flat with wide doors. No disabled toilet