The Burlton Inn vs The Old Butchers: Country Pub vs Restaurant

http://www.burltoninn.co.uk/ourstory.html

http://www.theoldbutchers.com/

1 day, 2 counties, 2 meals, 1 gastropub and 1 up and coming restaurant. A bit too much you might say - not a chance. A visit to friends and family on saturday gave us the opportunity of having lunch in Shropshire, followed by dinner in the Cotswolds. I was fortunate enough to select both establishments, and made sure that I found 2 worthy venues.

LUNCH

'The Burlton Inn', a family run, 18th century pub, is located between Ellesmere and Shrewsbury. It has recently been voted the Shropshire Dining Pub of the year by the Good Pub Guide 2007. That, along with their fantastically creative menu, made the decision and easy one. 12:30, lunch for 4.

On walking into the pub, we were welcomed enthusiatically, both by the staff, and the log fire crackling away in the corner. First impressions count, and I immediately felt at home, and observed that this was a place where the landlord pays a lot of attention to the needs of his customers. All to often on walking into a pub, one can feel like an outsider, with a bunch of locals glaring at you from the bar, as if you had walked in naked. We sat at our table, content to take in the atmosphere, and to peruse the menu. A good wine list and a smashing selection of local ales. I went for the Old Stock Port real ale, which seemed to fill the gap quite nicely. The menu made for interesting reading, and they had a selection of specials for the day, with majority of their ingredients sourced locally. I went for a starter of 'Warm salad of roast pigeon breast, with black pudding, pancetta, and a balsamic dressing'. It came well presented, and made for a wonderfully fresh combination of both flavour and textures. The decision for main was a no contest - 'Wild Boar Sausages with bacon mash and caramalised onions'. Again, spot on - fantastically rich with great flavour.

DINNER

'The Old Butchers' is a new restaurant in the quaint old Cotswold town of Stow on the Wold. It was recommended to me by a local of the town, and after a bit of research I found it to have consistantly great reviews. The restaurant is inviting and well decorated, but on arriving I felt that we might have received a bit too much attention from the staff. We were shown to our table, and given menu's and the wine list. I took on the task of choosing some wine, and initially got the shakes when I saw the prices. On closer inspection though, I found that they had a great selection of house wines, for around £12.50 a bottle. We went for the Australian Shiraz, and began studying the menu. A small, but greatly varied and exciting menu, that made my selection a surprisingly difficult one. For starters I went for the 'Duck Rilette, with toast, mustard and pickles', which turned out to be of the best starters I've had in a long time. Huge contrasts of tastes combining to create a wonderfully intense explosion of flavour. I followed with the 'Grilled rib-eye of steak with bearnaise sauce', which was absolute perfection, cooked medium rare, juicy and tender. When I originally booked the restaurant I was told that they have 2 sittings, and that we would have the table for 2 hours. This is fairly common nowadays, but the staff here managed to emphasize the urgency. Although the eating experience was superb, we felt slightly rushed, which was a great pity.

Comparing the 2 dining experiences is difficult. The pub oozes character and charm with a country atmosphere, the restaurant has slick service, exquisite decor and good background music. Both kitchen's produced superb dishes, and their menu's were interesting, original, and catered well to all tastes. The most important distinguishing factor for me was the suitability of the experience to the location. 'The Burlton Inn' sits as comfortably in its environment as do the neighbouring hills, and manages to make both locals and visitors feel equally at home. 'The Old Butchers', on the other hand, stands out a bit too brightly. It's food is fantastic, but it would be better suited to the hustle and bustle of a city environment.