Rating **** Peter Finch travels to Chetwynd Aston, near Newport, and finds the perfect port in a storm.

Cold, damp and driving in a car transported from a 1980s film set, my good friend Paul and I were hungrier than vegetarian anacondas.

All day we had been fasting like pious monks and now our mission on this dank Thursday evening was to eat at, and review, The Fox in Chetwynd Aston, just outside Newport.

Trundling along dark country lanes I could hear our hollow stomachs crying out to each other, howling over the rain battering the windscreen.

Parked up, we sprinted inside where a local foodie Mecca apparently awaited. Soon we would be rolling in gravy and bathing in soup, I squealed in anticipation.

Friends had been banging on about The Fox for years, the new Good Pub Guide had also that very day lauded the establishment.

Disheveled, gaunt and frothing at the mouth we arrived at the bar begging to be shown to our table. And a fine table it was. Positioned in the secure “Vault” room, we drained our first pint of Three Tuns XXX beer (£3.20) like land-starved sailors.

The Fox has a large floor space and square bar positioned in the middle of the room. Side rooms and alcoves give some sense of separation and help keep the atmosphere relatively close for such a big place.

It would be wrong to describe The Fox as a pub; for I don’t believe anyone simply arrives for a drink. People go for the food and therefore I will treat The Fox as a restaurant.

In ‘bromance’ fashion we decide to order the charcuterie plate to share for our starter (£13.45). The cured meats, paté, olives, pickles, dips and breads disappeared faster than anything produced at CERN. Although we enjoyed the assembled ingredients the main courses were approaching and our anticipation was building into a crescendo.

Inside The Fox, Chetwynd Aston

Paul had ordered the exotic roast duck breast (served pink) with pomegranate couscous, grain mustard, and an orange-andhoney dressing (£12.95). I had opted not to let Rudolph see Christmas, and chose the pan-fried venison loin served with dauphinoise potatoes, roasted root vegetables and a port-and-redcurrant sauce (£16.95).

The service was prompt, the food looked superb and again we dived in with unbridled enthusiasm. However, problems reared up like alert meerkats and for the first time a slight crease appeared on both our brows.

Paul had been given a portion of couscous way out of proportion with his duck. The breast divided Mount Couscous from the orange-and-honey dressing which was unfortunately neither plentiful nor flavorsome. It sounded exciting on the menu but presented a damp squib on the plate.

My dish tasted wonderful, a point I eagerly stated to Paul while chewing my venison, but I carried on chewing, and chewing, and chewing. The meat, not overcooked, simply lingered in the mouth for too long. This was unfortunate; sometimes if the meat is not “relaxed” enough after death it can become chewy. However, it still tasted great coated in the sauce so I bravely soldiered on and demolished the dish.

Keen to allow the kitchen to recover some ground, desserts were ordered. Paul went cocoa crazy, ordering the chocolate brownie served with chocolate fudge sauce and hazelnut ice-cream (£5.45). I went for the classic sticky toffee pudding (£5.45). On the menu my choice came with toffee sauce and vanilla ice-cream, but it could be changed to custard, which I did.

Before the dishes had even hit the table my normally polite companion had dived in, emerging only when his plate was licked clean of every last chocolate atom.

“Nice?” I asked. He looked me in the eye for a disturbingly long time before replying: “Ohhhhhh . . . Ohhhhhh . . . Oh yes.” Bravo!

On my part, I must question why my beautiful bowl of happiness had a lump of icecream dumped in the custard. The poor little blighter was melting like a snowman in Malaga, so unnecessary.

After the overall success of the desserts the obligatory cheese board (£8.75) and coffees (£2.30) were ordered. The coffee was smooth and the cheese board plentiful with Bosworth Ash, Brie, Wensleydale, Appleby’s Cheshire and Wrekin Blue all in attendance. We got a raw deal on the grapes but the chef had sneaked a piece of fruit cake into the mix – top marks for that.

Pulling out of the car park, wallets significantly depleted, we decided although the food was not perfect it was prepared to a very high standard and we enjoyed it.

Any proof needed to its quality could be seen in the crammed car park. A restaurant thriving in the current economic climate cannot be considered just good; it must at least be bordering on great.

ADDRESS
The Fox, Pave Lane, Chetwynd Aston, Newport TF10 9LQ
Tel: 01952 815940
Web: www.brunningandprice.co.uk/fox

MENU SAMPLE
STARTERS
Crisp breaded ox tongue with a piquant salsa vierge (£5.25); Spiced fried halloumi on a fennel and red onion salad with poppy seed yoghurt (£5.45)

MAINS
Crisp gnocchi with provencale vegetables and a gorgonzola fondue (£9.95); Grilled pork chop with bubble and squeak, Bramley apple sauce and sage and onion gravy (£13.25); Buttercross Farm pork, fennel and chilli sausages with mash and onion gravy (£9.95)

DESSERTS
Bread-and-butter pudding with apricot sauce and clotted cream (£5.50); Banana cheesecake with maple-roasted pecans and bitter chocolate sauce (£5.45)

SERVICE
Prompt

DISABLED FACILITIES
No steps, full disabled access and a lavatory for the disabled