Drapers Hall

History lies thick on the ground in Drapers Hall, a classy boutique-style restaurant with rooms in one of Shrewsbury's oldest buildings. The 16th-century townhouse mansion still belongs to the Drapers' guild and its dark oak panelling, 17th-century antique furniture and contemporary paintings and sculptures certainly make for a memorable setting in the restaurant. There's nothing stuck in the past about what appears from the kitchen though: there is clearly an inventive spirit at work here, sourcing superb Welsh Marches ingredients and subjecting them to modern European treatments underpinned by well-polished French technique. Seared scallops with chilli sauce, crème fraîche and cucumber ribbons might open proceedings, before braised local organic pork served with crackling, creamed potato and zampone, or a platter of fish with salsa verde and saffron rouille. To close, consider something familiar such as warm vanilla bread-and-butter pudding.