Starters - Menu of the month
Pant Yr Ochain, Gresford, Wrexham
STYLE:M Informal, picture-postcard gastro pub. You pick up a menu, which changes daily, and wine list in the bar area and order and pay at the bar. Modern British food, with plenty of local produce.
DÉCOR: Has history seeping through its veins. Creaky wooden floors and an inglenook 16th-century fireplace, which in cold weather always has a log fire burning. Also offers a Victorian-style conservatory with fab views. Very picturesque.
WHAT'S ON OFFER: Starters include Shropshire blue and caramelised apple paté with red onion marmalade (£4.95), chorizo and black-pudding potato cake with cider mustard dressing (£4.50), courgette and dill soup (£3.75) and Bantry Bay mussels in a Madras cream sauce with crusty bread (£4.95). Main meals include Cajun chicken pitta bread with plum tomatoes and red onion salad and avocado mayonnaise (£8.45), 10oz Welsh rump steak with mushroom sauce and fries (£12.95), lemon and parmesan chicken breast with lemon couscous, parmesan shavings and walnut dressing (£10.25), and sweet potato dumplings with roasted shallots, red peppers and parmesan shavings (£8.25).
CHEERS: A comprehensive wine list with a wide range by the glass. Wines include a Witts End Australian Shiraz (£13.95) and a Bordeaux Tanners Claret (£14.95). Also a good range of cask ales, including Weetwood's Old Dog, Flower's Original, and Timothy Taylor's Landlord.
JUST DESSERTS: Puddings include orange bread and butter pudding with vanilla custard (£4.25), white chocolate torte with dark chocolate sauce and Bakewell tart served with berry compote (£4.25). Also a selection of British cheeses (£5.95).
AND ANOTHER THING: the pub is part of a small chain owned by Brunning & Price. The company holds an annual inter-pub food development award, which the pub has recently won for the third time in four years. The dishes then make it to the menu.
RECOMMENDED: Fillet of rainbow trout with a warm potato, bacon and fricassee salad, hazelnut and parsley butter (£10.45). Cooked to perfection. Treacle tart with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream. Gorgeous.