The Studio, Church Stretton

The Studio is owned and run by chef proprietor Tony Martland and his wife, Sheila, who runs the front of house. Youngsters who are employed as waiters offer friendly service that, with time and experience, will become more polished.

My wife and I visited on a Friday night and the restaurant was almost full. We were offered a warm welcome by Sheila Martland and had great trouble choosing from an impressive menu. After some deliberation, I opted for the grilled goat's cheese on apple with toasted pine nut salad, crispy pancetta and plum, shallot and ginger relish. It was delicious. The tart relish cut through the creamy cheese while the salad provided a refreshing accompaniment and plenty of bite. My wife opted for the cream of leek and potato soup with smoked haddock. It was well seasoned and she enjoyed the generous chunks of smoky fish that emerged from the thick, hot soup.

The prolonged pause between courses was welcome and our appetites were healthy when the main courses arrived. My wife loved her pan-fried fillet of sea bass with confit of fennel and a vermouth and red pepper sauce. I was also impressed by my pan-fried pork fillet with a saffron risotto and a mushroom, white wine and cream sauce. The portions were generous, a little too generous for my tastes, though the pork would have been better for just a fraction less cooking. The dishes were served with a selection of seasonal vegetables, all cooked with some skill.

For dessert, I enjoyed a bread and butter pudding served with apricots in brandy and vanilla ice cream. The dish had been recommended by friends who have visited.

The Studio is popular among diners. It is easy to understand why. My wife's selection of ice creams was the only letdown. The three flavours contained tiny crystals of ice, a technical flaw that restaurants of this standard should avoid.

We had plenty of time to relax afterwards and enjoyed the spacious surrounds. The Studio is a relaxing environment with plenty of space between tables and attentive staff who visited us regularly, without being intrusive.

Tony and Sheila Martland are, of course, not trying to achieve the same level of gastronomic excellence that Shaun Hill managed at his former Merchant House. Nonetheless, it remains one of Shropshire's best and is a class act. It deserves its inclusion in the AA Guide, Good Food Guide and Michelin Guide. If you are looking for a good value, high quality dinner in pleasant surrounds, it should feature near the top of your list.

It specialises in high quality, home-cooked food and steadfastly refuses to buy in pre-prepared food from catering companies. That is a feather in its cap and other restaurants would do well to follow its example. What it doesn't do is offer a gastronomic experience that will live long. Dinners are enjoyable and of a high standard, rather than mind-blowingly good. Though we enjoyed our dinners thoroughly, none of the dishes will lodge in our memories for months to come. It was good, very good at times, but it failed our excellence test.

At around £6 for a starter and £15 for a main course, The Studio offers exceptional value. It is a consistently good restaurant that can be booked with confidence. It would comfortably win a place in the county's top ten eateries. We asked ourselves whether The Studio stood out as a restaurant that would be at the forefront of our minds if we were planning a special occasion. It's not among the very, very best in the county. But then, Shropshire is blessed with some of the best restaurants in the UK, so that's hardly surprising. But it is, without doubt, a sure-fire winner for people looking for a highly enjoyable evening. There are a handful of superb eateries across the region — The Vyrnwy Hotel; Dominiques, in Shatterford; The Frog, at Leintwardine and The Hundred House, in Norton — that are so close to perfection. And The Studio nestles among them.

Sheila is a good maitre d' and her husband is an inventive chef with pretty good skills.

Chef Tony Martland reacted with a mixture of anger and righteous indignation to news that he had missed out on a five-star review.

"I've seen some of the restaurants that get four-star reviews and I can't believe it," he said. "We should be a five star."

His attitude is commendable. Martland's desire to be ranked among the best sets him apart from other chefs who are content to potter along. Martland is an inventive and creative cook who shows good skill in the kitchen. His style of cooking is contemporary English, with a heavy French influence. Sauces are good and he takes great pride in the quality of ingredients that he uses. He is an unashamed foodie who studies the pages of industry magazines in his quest for excellence. To be fair, he's not far off. His cooking is of a very high standard.

ADDRESS: High Street, Church Stretton Tel: 01694 722672

MENU SAMPLEStarters

Pan-fried scallops (£7.50)

Home-cured salmon (£6.50)

Main courses

Shetland sea trout with asparagus (£14.95)

Duck with orange and Madeira sauce (£13.95)

Desserts

Three cheeses with grapes and biscuits (£6)

Coffee and vanilla creme brulee (£5)

Chocolate nemesis (£5)

ATMOSPHERE

Pretty good. The Studio is unpretentious and pleasant. It's stylish rather than classy.

SERVICE

Polished and efficient. Staff are warm and friendly. Inexperienced, younger staff are unfailingly polite.

DISABLED FACILITIES

Staff are helpful and provide whatever assistance is required.

SMOKING POLICY

No smoking in the restaurant.

Restaurant review by Andy Richardson