Rating: **** Sharon Walters starts her continental holiday with some great French food – in Ludlow.

Two of my oldest friends, who are both foodies, had been waxing lyrical about a French bistro in the middle of Ludlow.

A handful of other friends had also suggested I ate there and consider it for a review. Who was I to refuse such recommendations?

But at the same time I’m always a little questioning about high praise. The times I’ve eaten at an establishment and had a so-so or even a ‘couldn’t eat the meal’ experience after taking up the baton do number quite a few.

After all a place is only as good as the last time you had a great meal. Anything can happen in between – chefs leave, there’s been a row or any other catastrophe can hit a professional kitchen.

Not so in this case. The food was some of the best I’ve eaten for some time (and that includes a two-week stay in France involving fine food this month!) and in such a lovely, relaxed atmosphere. I have just one criticism and that comes later.

I had booked us into The French Pantry just before said trip across the channel. Nice way to start off a holiday, I thought.

We popped into a bar for a pre-dinner drink and ran into the aforementioned old friends. How nice if they could join us, I thought.

This was half an hour before we were due to eat and the place was full but the helpful owner managed to get four of us around a table “if we didn’t mind squeezing in”. No problem, at all and we weren’t that tight in any event.

The French Pantry started life just down the street in 2007 as direct importers and retailers of French artisan foods with shelves stacked with French wines, coffees and groceries.

Since a move a little up Tower Street in April this year it is now also a boutique coffee house serving homemade pattisserie and snacks, a bistro-style lunch and from Wednesday to Saturday evening meals for which you need to book.

Another thank you to the owner for squeezing my friends in!

Inside The French Pantry, Ludlow

The tables are surrounded by the daytime shelves packed with edible and drinkable goodies with an ecletic mix of furniture and style – very reminiscent of French bistros rather than the swanky Gallic restaurants where you are almost afraid to breathe or speak too loud.

We had a basket of top notch bread for £1.50 to nibble at while we looked at the menu.

There’s a choice of usually three starters, three main courses and three desserts with two courses for £16.95 or three for £22.95.

If you are still hungry there’s an option of three cheeses of the week with crisp breads and onion chutney for two to share at a modest £6.95.

Between us we enjoyed most of the first two courses options – smoked haddock terrine with brioche toast and warm crab gateau with saffron sauce to start and confit of duck leg with garlic sautee potatoes, mussels cooked in white wine, garlic and parsley and belly pork stew with green lentils for main.

I had the crab which was perfect. Light and delicate with a perfect balance between the meat and saffron. The terrine was also judged a hit and I didn’t get the chance to sample.

Two of the table had steaming bowls of mussels, which had not been cooked to a rubbery death, with a fragrant sauce

Friend Terry had the belly pork which at first appearance did not appear a very large portion.

But how wrong I was. The dish was packed and the pork so meltingly tender Terry barely needed a knife to cut it.

I had the duck leg which was a stunner – to use a tabloid cliche. Juicy meat with crispy skin and served with the most delicious and garlicky sautee potatoes. I couldn’t manage all the meat, and Terry couldn’t polish off his pork, but when asked, the helpful waiter packed up the leftovers in a small container for me to take home as a treat for the dog.

Now my only gripe – we waited quite a time for our main courses but it was busy and I had asked for two more covers at short notice. Then half of the plates were removed and the rest lay in front of us for 10 to 15 minutes. Just a small point.

None of us could manage a pudding but they did look good.

There’s a good wine list sourced from the shop stock and a pichet of house red, white or rose is £7.50. Decent wine and excellent value, as we discovered.

Yes indeed it was a good way to start a French break – a taste of France in historic and very English Ludlow.

ADDRESS
The French Pantry, 15 Tower Street, Ludlow SY8 1RL
Tel: 01584 879133
Web: www.thefrenchpantry.co.uk

MENU SAMPLE
STARTERS
Goat cheese raviolis with Chorizo cream; Skate wing salad with caper dressing; French onion soup

MAINS
Fish and seafood pie; Civet of rabbit in a Pruneaux d’Agen sauce; Venison lasagne with aged parmesan and dressed salad.

SIDES
Fries, £2; Summer vegetables £3.25

DESSERTS
Nougat glace with raspberry coulis; Poached pear in a Creme de Menthe syrup; Vanilla Creme Brulee

SERVICE
Welcoming but a little slow

ATMOSPHERE
Warm and friendly

DISABLED FACILITIES
No disabled facilities