Reviewer’s rating: **** James Shaw finds that the gem of a country pub he discovered is already known to many . . .

It is a rare thing indeed to award four stars at the very start of a meal review. I may sound a little rash, perhaps, but sometimes the quality in a pub, or restaurant, is obvious straight away.

Most reviewers will get a certain feeling about a place as soon as they walk through the door. That’s not to say they are always right, of course, and there is always the chance that first impressions are completely wrong.

Not so at the Masons Arms in Kemberton.

I can’t put my finger on exactly why I was so impressed, but the cleanliness, welcome and even ordering process were faultless.

Let’s get down to specifics. We arrived at the start of a busy Sunday lunchtime and the tables were immaculate, with spotless tablecloths and cutlery.

Young Louis, of course, attempted to use his napkin as a hat, but the staff on duty didn’t mind at all.

Firstly, to the menu. A usual Sunday lunch menu will consist of just that – Sunday lunch. I’m not knocking Britain’s favourite meal, but some people don’t want to be restricted to the usual choices of chicken, beef or pork.

We were instead treated to a huge menu with options stretching far beyond the usual pub fare. There was also a fair smattering of specials, just to make the ordering process even more complicated.

For starters, I decided to go for the potato skins filled with chilli, while Claire had the vegetable soup.

My potato skins were fantastic, or more specifically, the chilli was. There was plenty of juicy meat to enjoy, as well as a spicy flavour that hinted at the inclusion all sorts of delightful ingredients.

Claire’s soup was equally fantastic. She told me it had a most wonderful range of flavours, all of which mixed to produce a stunning final product. It came with a hunk of crispy bread.

Louis, for once, was keeping his enthusiasm for throwing food under wraps and he instead concentrated on devouring his fish nuggets / strips as quickly as possible.

The only slight criticism we did have was the waiting time. I suspect we arrived at a slightly awkward time – a second member of serving staff arrived at the end of our meal – but we did wait nearly 30 minutes for our main courses.

This may be a symptom of the dining room’s popularity, with an almost constant stream of new customers arriving throughout our visit.

Our main courses, however, were certainly worth the wait. I opted for the braised pheasant, while Claire had the beef Sunday lunch.

Inside the Masons Arms, Kemberton

Pheasant can sometimes be a little bit of a gamble, but this time it paid off. I have never found it to be the meatiest of birds, although I was to be pleasantly surprised on this occasion.

The pheasant had such a deep, dark and sumptuous flavour that it didn’t last long on my plate and was stripped bare in minutes.

I was also given a wide selection of vegetables that went some way towards scooping up the fantastic sauce which accompanied the pheasant.

Claire, once again, was having an equally enjoyable time with her Sunday lunch.

These sort of meals can sometimes be a little dry, having clearly been plated up some time before and kept under a hot lamp.

But this wasn’t the case with Claire’s meal. She opted for beef and discovered three slices of really thick meat, which were full of flavour and so very juicy. Nothing dry about it at all. It came with all the usual trimmings, including potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and lots of vegetables.

If this is anything to go by, then I suspect Christmas lunches here will be an absolute winner.

As our meal wound down we suddenly realised the dining room had filled up.

We thought we had discovered a real unknown gem, but it seems the cat is already out of the bag.

ADDRESS
Masons Arms, Hall Lane, Kemberton, Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 9LQ
Tel: 01952 684019

MENU SAMPLE
STARTERS
Moules mariniere £4.95; Mushroom romaine £3.95

MAIN COURSES
Lamb shank £12.95; Pan-fried chicken £8.95

DESSERTS
Raspberry roulade £4.25; Homemade cheesecake £4.25

ATMOSPHERE
Quiet to begin with, although the constant stream of customers meant it was bustling by the time we finished

SERVICE
Cannot really be faulted and when the wait for our main course was a tad long, the staff were quick to apologise

DISABLED FACILITIES
Access for wheelchairs is available in most parts of the pub