EAT OUT TO HELP OUT: THE SHREWSBURY ARMS

Today marks the start of the governments Eat out to help out scheme. All over the UK you will be able to get 50% off of your meals, up to a value of £10 per person. Last week we had the absolute pleasure of receiving a return invite from our friends at The Shrewsbury Arms in Mickle Trafford. They have carefully crafted a dedicated Eat Out to Help Out menu for you all to make it easier to choose and get more bang for your buck!

It was a Thursday night and The Shrewsbury Arms was packed. The sun was out and so were a lot of people wanting food and a beer in the garden. The Shrewsbury team, being the little genius’ that they are, have anticipated days like this and have put measurements in place to make sure guidelines are still being met.

They have a one-way system throughout the entire venue. From front door to the back door, then to re-enter you go around the side of the building so you’re not brushing shoulders with people walking the opposite way. They have the familiar sanitising stations dotted all over. But possibly my favourite addition is the single use tick list menus. Instead of a server coming to your table to take your order they will leave a menu with you and a pen. You simply tick the box next to the meal you would like. The menu will then be taken away once you’ve made your minds up. This reduces the time the server must spend at your table and therefore drastically reduces risk of any contact.

Now, moving swiftly onto the reason you’ve visited today – The Food. We were very kindly presented with a taste The Shrewsbury’s new Eat Out menu and some of the popular dishes from the main menu. The Eat Out Menu will be running Monday – Wednesday. The Main Menu is available from Thursday – Saturday. Sundays get their own menu because The Shrewsbury make magic on a Sunday. If you haven’t read our Sunday lunch review, you really should. It’s worth noting that the food we were given had been scaled down in size to allow us to eat more of a variety of dishes.

To start, we had a medley of dishes all from the Eat Out menu. We had, Spiced cauliflower risotto and Pea and Mint risotto first. You may have noticed by now, but Jamie and I are not afraid of carbs. In fact, we’re a little too fond of them, and risotto happens to be a joint favourite of ours. Our verdict was split on this one, I preferred the spicy cauliflower as I enjoy anything spicy. Jamie however preferred the Pea and Mint because it was so light and fresh. He was happily tucking into that and the Beetroot and Feta salad that had been brought out too. Both salad and Pea & Mint risotto are perfect for a hot day.

While Jamie continued being a vision of health, I helped myself to the next starter (and my favourite of the bunch), The Smoked Haddock and Melting Cheddar Fish Cake. The fish was subtle, and the cheese was strong. A great crisp to the outside and the cheese came oozing out. A winning combo in my eyes.

Onto mains and where Jamie was about to find love... He found this love in a Shepherds Pie. Chunky lamb pieces buried in a rosemary and red current gravy, topped with the smoothest mash you’ve ever tasted. He ate the lot. I managed to get a little taste and it really was heavenly. I opted for the Pork shoulder steak with a generous serving of mash and carrots with the tastiest honey and soy sauce drizzled all over. The pork fell apart when I jabbed it with the fork. No need for cutting here. Sometimes pork can be dry when slow cooked, not here. Just mouthful after mouthful of tender porky goodness.

Not quite done with mains, we had some veggie options too; Spaghetti Neapolitan and Penang vegetable curry. The Penang curry for me won this round. Fiery and coconutty, this distinct taste of Thailand had bundles of vegetables and some gorgeous basmati rice on the side. I would have happily eaten this as a full size main dish on its own.

If alllll of that wasn’t quite enough, we were served with two mini pizza tasters. Bravely we soldiered on so we could tell you all just how yummy they are. Being the confusing flexitarian that I am, The Mighty Meaty Pizza won over the Margherita on this one. Nice big bites of meatball and sausage. No soggy bottoms, just oodles and oodles of mozzarella!

Our eyes were heavy and our hearts weary, but Laura popped out gleefully to tell us we had dessert coming up next... There’s always room for pudding…

We had The Shrewsbury Staple Pavlova with summer fruits. This dish has stood the test of time and its clear why. It’s a real showstopper. Fresh cream and a giant meringue with its crown jewel berry on top. I think for me though, the biggest surprise was the trio of deserts. Creamy Crème Brulee, a decedent chocolate moose and a honeycomb ice cream. As you can see by the pictures, this trio of deserts is not your normal mouthful of three different deserts. They were very healthy portions and only £6.95! Bargain.

This was our third visit to The Shrewsbury Arms, and it still felt as fresh as our first visit. We have bought friends out for Sunday Roast here and would happily bring more friends here for some more delicious food and drinks. The team are always smiling and happy, Laura you were a delight as always and we cannot wait to see you all again.

These menus are available for you to jump on from today, August the 3rd. Quick, book your table here before it’s too late!

You can find The Shrewsbury Arms along with hundreds of other Cheshire based restaurants on our food library.

* While this food was gifted to us, The Shrewsbury Arms are not exempt from our critique. This is a true representation of our experience.