Shropshire Star, November 2006

When friends suggested a belated night out to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary, the Sweeney Hall Hotel was the ideal choice.

For in 1981 the just married Mr and Mrs Austin celebrated their wedding with a reception at the Sweeney.

Over the years the popular hotel and restaurant has changed very little, retaining the atmosphere of a country retreat.

In fact the years have certainly been kinder to the hotel than they have to Mr and Mrs Austin as the wedding photos taken there show.

However, having heard that it had recently undergone a complete makeover (something we desperately need) I was keen to see the results.

When we arrived the change was initially difficult to see as the Sweeney’s reception was heaving with men in suits!

It was apparently a meeting of the local Rotary Club and my heart sank thinking this was not a good start. However I found our friends, Debbie and Alun, who had taken refuge in a quiet corner of the lounge and we were assured that the Rotarians would soon be moving to the large function room - the same room where we had our reception.

Once we had the chance to look around it was obvious that the interior decoration at the Sweeney has certainly been transformed.

Out have gone the English country wallpaper and carpets and in have come trendy browns and creams, modern leather furniture and minimalist styling - with only the beautiful staircase and real fireplace unchanged.

The first to admit I am hopeless with design, I bowed to Debbie and Alun for their opinion.

Whereas like the colour scheme and the leather chairs and sofa, neither could understand the strange box shaped tables in the bar/lounge area. And Debbie and I were both unhappy with the fussy carpet in the entrance. Instead of making the most of the beautiful staircase the carpet simply detracts from it - its lines leading the eye away from what should be a focal point.

But this is a food review not a good-style guide.

On what was an extremely busy night for the hotel we were more than happy to wait until the Rotary Club had moved out into the large function room before being shown to our table in the restaurant on the other side of the hotel.

The Sweeney has a competitively priced, set-price menu, three courses for £19.50, but it was a special occasion so we chose from the a la carte menu which was a nice blend of traditional and modern.

For instance rather than the very dated prawn cocktail, there was a crabmeat, smoked salmon and prawn goblet with lime and creme fraiche (£5.25).

It was a far tastier version, the seafood was not masked by that cloying prawn cocktail sauce but brought to life by the lime.

However, I wish I’d been a little more adventurous and gone for Deb’s choice, the Peppered Beef, Stilton and Red Onion Salad (£5.50).

She was surprised but pleased to find that as well as being peppery hot, the beef was literally hot.

I was surprised that there were no starters to appeal to vegetarians on the menu.

Tradition shone through when my main course arrived. Too often these days duck on the menu turns out to be a portion of duck breast.

But the Crisp Roast Duck with Black Cherry Port Sauce (£14) was half a duck, served in two quarters, one towered on top of the other to give it that modern twist.

I really don’t like duck a l’orange and was pleased that this version was with plenty of dark cherries and the port sauce, a far better accompaniment.

Mel’s butterflied 12oz Sirloin Steak with Sauce au Poivre (£15.75) arrived with loads of tasty potato wedges, plenty to share around the table for those greedy enough to have them as well as their own portions of vegetables.

We enjoyed a very nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon with our meal and the waitress was more than happy to provide a jug of iced water.

After a much needed pause between courses, when the reminiscing about old times became very nostalgic, three of us found just a little space for dessert.

Again the Sweeney offered puddings that were traditional but with a twist.

For instance I was delighted to find tiramisu on the menu then noticed it was chocolate and rum.

Despite this I ordered it and discovered a completely new and very tasty dessert. It may not have had the coffee flavour I usually enjoy but still had the mascarpone cheese - one of my favourite ingredients. For chocoholics this was a very special dish (£4.50).

A completely opposite but equally delicious taste was the glazed lemon tart (£4.50).

We were never rushed throughout the evening and continued chatting until way past the time when I promised our teenage youngsters that we would be home.

MENU SAMPLEStarters

Carpaccio of smoked salmon with black pepper and lime dressing (£6.45)

Melon and Parma ham with sweet and savoury strawberry salsa (£5.95)

Main courses

Mushroom ravioli with goat’s cheese and toasted pine nuts (£8.50)

DESSERTS

Almond creme caramel (£4.50)

Whiskey and blueberry creme brulee (£4.50)

ATMOSPHERE

We visited when there was a large dinner in the meeting room but once they had gone for their meeting we could enjoy the country house atmosphere.

SERVICE

Polite and friendly

DISABLED FACILITIES

Step up to the hotel but then on the level

smoking policy

Restaurant non-smoking