What a treat! Nestled in the beautiful countryside just north of Shrewsbury on the outskirts of the village of Nesscliffe, blink and you might miss the Old Three Pigeons. It neighbours a somewhat dilapidated petrol station and a few homes, though the packed car park may make you curious enough to stop. We had dinner there with our friends who are frequent patrons (they live across the street), and the cozy pub is like walking back in time. You have to crouch a little to get through the front door (at least, my 6' 2" husband did). To the left is an expansive fine dining room and to the right is the small bar area, an enormous roaring fire and another small room with 6 or 7 tables to relax and sample from the excellent pub menu.
The great thing about the Three Pigeons is that you can order off either menu regardless of where you're seated. And it's hard to discern the pub menu from the fine dining menu with all the excellent choices (roast leg of lamb with mint gravy, crisp cippolini onions artfully arranged on a root veg mash; homemade chicken liver and garlic pate; king prawn tempura; sundried tomato garlic bread...on the pub menu?! awww-yeah!).
My husband tried the special from the fine dining menu-- seared venison in a cherry brandy sauce with a locally prepared black pudding. The rest of us couldn't pass up the lamb. And in addition to the mains, we also got very generous portions of roasted veg and chips to share (the latter cooked and seasoned to perfection might I had-- nary a soggy chip in the bunch). The portions are ample-- I couldn't finish mine; The sauces delicious (the only thing keeping me from licking my plate was the fact that we were in a public place); and, oh-- did I mention the prices? Incredibly reasonable. The lamb main course was 9GBP; the venison a tad pricier at 15. But most of the mains (on both menus) were less than 10.
There's a full bar (well, it is a pub, after all) and as is my custom, I tried the local bitter (a pint of course-- I'll never tire of seeing the bemused look on my husband's face as they place the pint in front of HIM. Because of course a LADY doesn't drink a pint! Never mind a BITTER! THE HORROR!). A special treat was they served beers from the local Stonehouse Brewery, a family-run microbrewery from the neighbouring town of Oswestry. I sampled the darkest of the bunch (the barkeep's testament that it was the most popular was a good enough recommendation for me), the "Station Bitter" which according to the Brewery's website is a "Traditional amber coloured bitter. Full bodied, very drinkable, session beer, with a perfect balance of fruity hops and roasted malt." Very drinkable indeed-- it was super smooth and surprisingly fruity-- and not really typically bitter at all (this may have to do with the fact that the Brewer of this British bitter is an Aussie. Hmmm...). It was delicious though, and paired nicely with the succulent lamb. I may have even converted the lager drinkers in the bunch!
The staff was incredibly attentive-- and by the group's estimation a little too so (although me being the self-proclaimed "service girl" didn't have an issue with it). It may have had to do with the fact that they were extremely busy so there was a bit of a delay in taking our order (which quite honestly we didn't even notice because we were so busy gabbing), for which they were very apologetic. So once our food was served no less than four different servers stopped by to see how the meal was. Maybe a little overkill but hey, how can you ever gripe about a knowledgeable, friendly and attentive staff?
If you're in Shropshire or driving through, definitely make this place a stop. I heard some whispering of a great beer garden with views of the expansive valley behind for nicer days. And, they're canine-friendly for those of you who like to bring your pup along. read more
