The Malthouse - Ironbridge

A few hundred yards from the famous bridge, on a road that winds its way along the river, the Malthouse is a flexible venue comprising a hotchpotch of different buildings grouped around a courtyard.

The main part of the place is given over to restaurant-style dining, with a menu that covers a lot of territory, from true-Brit ham hock terrine with piccalilli or winter beef stew to piri-piri chicken with crème fraîche, steamed trout fillets stuffed with crayfish, leeks and butter-fried almonds, and grilled Shropshire lamb cutlets with warm tomato chutney and saffron cream sauce.

The bright and buzzy Jazz Bar is regularly dedicated to live sounds and has its own menu of world flavours to match the music (warm spiced beef salad, prawn and sweetcorn cakes, three-cheese macaroni with green chilli relish). There are real ales on draught plus an impressive list of around 40 global wines.