The Walls, Oswestry

Star rating: **** For us oldies, wedding anniversaries are a time to wallow in nostalgia, writes Sue Austin.

And so it was for us when we returned to a building that played a large part in our early courtship.

For The Walls restaurant was once part of the old Oswestry Girls High School, from where my boyfriend, on day release at the local "tech" would pick me up and take me for lunch - a burger from the chippie down the road!

More than 30 years on from those early days and celebrating our 27th anniversary, we headed for The Walls.

Unchanged from the outside, the Walls is now unrecognisable on the inside.

It was rescued from near dereliction in 1994 by owners, Geoff Hughes and Kate Bottoms, and turned into a stunningly impressive venue.

Taking down ceilings to expose the roof timbers, sandblasting the walls back to bare brick and making the most of the old wooden doors and huge fireplaces, they gave the restaurant a real wow factor,

It wasn't until we were shown to the sofa area to browse the menu that I got my bearings and and realised I was actually sitting in my old sixth form common room.

Another diner was excitedly looking at some old photos of pre-High-School days, when the building was the old National School formed in 1841 as a school for the boys, girls and infants of Oswestry.

"I went to school here myself," she said and went off with one of the photos to show her friends.

With the help of a large bowl of olives and some vegetable crisps, we browsed both the a la carte and fixed-price menus.

We'd chosen The Walls on the recommendation of our nephew, Tom.

"Book before 7.30pm, the early bird menu is really good value - it's a cheap date Uncle Mel," he said.

Well, its considerably more expensive than the weekly burger your uncle treated me to Tom, but the Walls early bird fixed-price menu really is amazing value for money.

For just £12.50 before 7.30pm or £17.50 after, you can have two courses from an extensive choice.

However, in the interests of a taste test, we decided to push the boat out and choose from the a la carte menu.

Choosing our meal was hard enough, but the wine list was impossibly long.

I'm sure it was a connoisseur's delight but it simply flummoxed us even with the very helpful and funny comments alongside each wine. I'm ashamed to say we bottled out and eventually chose an easy-drinking rioja.

We were taken to our table all too quickly.

With no sign of Mel's favourite mushrooms, we both opted for the potted crab (£7) to start our meal.

It was a lovely mix of white and brown crab meat with just a hint of chilli and lime. This gave an added bite without overpowering the crab. A slice of lemon brought out the flavour of the crab even more.

The potted crab came with a salad and absolutely delicious walnut bread. And the covered basket on the table revealed more bread, still warm.

My post-holiday diet faded away, promises of the gym the next day seeing me enjoying an extra slice.

We rarely want the same dish on the menu but of the main courses, one stood out - bison (£19).

Having seen the huge beasts at an organic farm on the Shropshire border, I'd always wondered what it would taste like.

But I bowed to Mel's red meat love and instead I went for the goose (£17).

When our main course arrived my heart went out to the chef.

For the meals were served on plates I can only describe as ghastly.

Over the years restaurant meals have become works of art in themselves. My breast of goose for example was served sliced into a fan of perfectly pink meat, resting on a mound of mash, flexed with green tarragon.

Yet the picture was spoiled because it was sitting on a white plate covered in black swirls!

Perhaps I am behind the times in preferring plain white and I know that the plate is the last thing that should spoil a meal. So I had to put the swirls to the back of my mind.

The meal itself was, indeed, faultless.

The meat was delicious, not one sign of greasiness that can spoil goose. And the gooseberry and cider sauce, plenty of it, provided the perfect tartness to complement the flavour and texture.

My mash was certainly something I will be trying at home and, again, the tarragon was a good flavour that worked with the goose so well.

Mel's bison proved to be a large steak, topped with a black pudding, bacon and blue cheese crust which he said was really tasty.

The only way he could describe the bison was rich and rugged, a description I agreed with when I tried some. We both agreed it was how we imagined it to taste - a big, earthy taste. Again, his port jus perfectly complemented the meat.

The meals were accompanied by a large dish of vegetables. The Walls prides itself on serving locally-sourced produce and market-fresh vegetables and this certainly shone through.

Indeed it was a joy to see that the broccoli was in fact in-season purple-sprouting, which tasted as good as it does from my auntie's garden.

There were also tasty carrots, squash, leeks and new potatoes.

We had slowed to a standstill by the time we got to the end of the meal, despite the rioja and jug of iced water.

And we were thankful when we were given plenty of time before being asked if we wanted a sweet (£5.25).

We may have declined had we not seen them being served at other tables.

Mel chose first, summer fruits Eton mess - my first choice again! But I was so glad I had my second choice - blackcurrant semifreddo.

It was mouthwateringly delicious, taste-bud-tingling tart blackcurrants held together in, as its named suggested a half-frozen mousse. I'm usually disappointed with puddings, but certainly not with this one.

The Eton mess was also declared a triumph, a mix of meringue, cream and summer fruits, with a blackcurrant coulis.

It was a thumbs-up for the food and the atmosphere at The Walls and my only gripe, apart from the fact that the two waitresses were rushed off their feet, was the taste in dinner plates!

Thanks for the recommendation Tom, I'll certainly return for the early bird menu.

ADDRESS

The Walls, Welsh Walls, Oswestry

Tel: 01691 670970

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Mussels Billy Bye - mildly spiced coconut and shellfish soup with lime and coriander (£6.50); Twice-baked cheese and thyme soufflé served on a pear, endive and walnut salad (£7)

Main courses

Pork fillet (£14); Tempura king prawns and scallops (£18); Risotto cakes (£12.50)

Desserts

Apple and cinnamon crumble (£5.50); Peach and nectarine parfait with creme anglais (£5.50)

ATMOSPHERE

Relaxed but with the wow factor

SERVICE

Polite and friendly

DISABLED FACILITIES

No problems in main eating area, step to part of the sofa area

SMOKING POLICY

No smoking - the aptly named "coughin' shed" is outside