Shropshire Magazine

Mango and vanilla ice-cream, mango sorbet, rice conde.

Neil Thomas goes in search of style , and finds it in abundance at a south Shropshire hotel. Pictures: Russell Davies

In the 1964 musical Robin and the Seven Hoods, Frank Sinatra sang “You’ve either got or you haven’t got style”. Style. Not easy to define, or capture its essence, yet you somehow know it when you see it. Sinatra had it in spades, which is presumably why he was happy to sing about it.

It’s about way more than image. Premiership footballers tend to dress snappily, drive expensive cars and live in flashy homes but how many can you say honestly have style?

Sure, appearance is part of it but you don’t necessarily achieve it with good looks. You need that extra dimension. Charisma is rarer and is a component, but even that doesn’t guarantee style. Bill Clinton, when president, was utterly charismatic and totally lacking in style.

Style doesn’t require youth. Humphrey Bogart had it in middle age and Maurice Chevalier as an old man. It’s charm allied to individuality. Sean Connery, Michael Caine and, since it’s not solely a male preserve, Helen Mirren all exude style. And mentioning Mirren, Her Majesty The Queen’s not short of it either. It’s about standing out from the crowd in a positive way, rising above adversity with dignity and grace, about being entirely comfortable in your own skin. For the younger generation Cheryl Cole has turned into a stylish role model.

Elegant architecture befits Dinham Hall’s magnificent surroundings.

As with people, so restaurants. You’ve either got or you haven’t got style. Dinham Hall Hotel at Ludlow has it to spare. My wife Vanessa and I dined there recently and added an overnight stay. It was a richly rewarding experience, for everything about the place whispers style (for style is generally understated, rarely loud and boastful).

The welcome, the room, the meal, the service, breakfast the next morning; all were accomplished with a panache that, despite the hard work behind the scenes, appeared effortless.

The driving force behind this success is owner Franck Choblet, who clearly knows a bit about style. Though its owner, management and staff have a thoroughly modern approach, Dinham Hall has something of a rarified old-world charm about it. It has one of the best addresses in one of the most attractive town centres in the Midlands, set on the right angle of a quiet L-shaped street of fine period homes whose next-door neighbour is Ludlow Castle. Our room, one of 13 elegant Georgian-style bedrooms, commanded on a dark winter evening a wonderful view of this beautifully lit towering monument, one of the finest surviving medieval buildings in the UK, which appeared to be just a stone’s throw away, though a middle-aged sense of decorum, a weak chucking arm and a conspicuous absence of pebbles prevented me from verifying this.

Dinham adds to the architectural splendour of this quarter, having been built in 1792 by Samuel Nash, agent to the Earls of Powis. Tall, square, solid and elegant, it is a perfect example of a grand late-Georgian town mansion.

Historic the building may be, but there is certainly a youth and vitality about the staff. We were greeted by manager Ian Hazeldine, who immediately made us feel at home as he showed us to our room.

The high level of service certainly extended to the dining experience. We enjoyed pre-dinner drinks relaxing on a comfortable sofa in the elegant lounge where a hearty fire crackled away in the magnificently ornate feature fireplace, a stunning period piece in a hotel full of fascinating antiques and artefacts.

Then, we were ushered through to the softly lit Garden Room with its pale wooden floor and pastel shades. Our table commanded a view of an enchanting floodlit courtyard while the atrium roof allowed starlight to mingle with tealights to create a wonderfully romantic aura.

The food and wine matched the ambience, with the kitchen displaying flair and talent in abundance. Dishes were beautifully presented with a real artistic flourish, a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. They created great expectations which were fully realised by every mouthful. Each course tasted as good as it looked.

The kitchen team brought out exquisite flavours from excellent produce, much of it locally sourced. Service was beautifully paced, friendly, efficient but not intrusive.

The Garden Room is an enchanting place to dine.

My cauliflower and white truffle oil soup was a delicious starter and heralded the delights to follow. Vanessa’s home-cured salmon was equally superb, with lemongrass panna cotta and pickled cucumber providing an excellent contrast of flavours.

Thai spiced halibut in coconut milk with roast almond and pak choi was my sumptuous main course  a beautifully prepared piece of fish, elegantly presented, and accompaniments that complemented it perfectly.

Vanessa’s main course of venison, from the nearby Mortimer Forest, was beautifully tender and bursting with flavour and came with a beetroot purée and red chard.

Side orders of minted new potatoes and green salad were expertly prepared.

My dessert was a chocoholic’s delight, a rich dark chocolate tart with a real ‘wow’ factor. Crunchy honecomb and delicious vanilla ice-cream offered a pleasing contrast of taste and texture.

Vanessa doesn’t share my sweet tooth but her selection of hard and soft British cheeses with biscuits proved to be an enjoyable alternative.

Add to all that an excellent bottle of white from a diverse cellar that looks well-matched to the food, plus as good a cup of fresh filter coffee as I’ve tasted, and you have all the ingredients for a superb dining-out experience.

Dinham Hall is ideal for couples, with the easy intimacy afforded by the layout of the Garden Room, but it also appears well-placed to cater for larger groups, too. The Green Room and Merchant Suite are available for private parties of 10 or more and, indeed, on the evening we were there the former was laid out for a shooting party due to visit the following day.

After such a leisurely, relaxing dinner we were delighted that we’d decided to stay the night, a walk upstairs winning hands down any day over a 40-mile drive home at 10.30 at night.

It also meant that we had the delights of a full English breakfast, which featured one of the tastiest free-range sausages I have ever eaten. Saturday morning sunlight flooded through magnificent bay window into the stylish Morning Room with its wide oak floorboards, high ceiling and arched doorways. The room offered wonderful views over the Teme Valley towards Whitcliffe and Mortimer Forest.

In a town feted for the excellence of its restaurants, Dinham Hall is playing its part. What’s more, it’s as close to the hub of Ludlow as its possible to be. It’s a great base from which to explore the town’s broad streets, narrow lanes and architectural splendour. Not being regular visitors to Ludlow, we couldn’t let the opportunity pass and strolled the 50 yards from Dinham Hall’s front door to the town square where the bustling Saturday market was in full swing.

It was a delightful end to a relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable stay.

• Dinham Hall Hotel, By The Castle, Ludlow SY8 1EJ. Telephone 1584 876464; email info@dinhamhall.com; www.dinhamhall.com

The lounge is a comfortable venue for pre-dinner drinks.