Gaskell Arms

Visited The Gaskell Arms with a group of friends for a Christmas meal. We have had quite a few nice meals there previously so we were looking forward to it. We had booked our table quite a few weeks previously and one of our party rang the day before to confirm the booking. We were eating our main courses when we were approached by a member of staff and told the kitchen was closing which was a bit surprising as it was only 8.30pm. She said that if we wanted desserts we needed to order them straight away. As we were the only table left in the dining room we felt very rushed at this point, quickly finished our meals, did not order desserts and had coffee in the bar. Whilst we appreciated that we were the only table left in the dining room, this was not our fault. Maybe when the member of our party had rung to confirm the booking the previous day, we could have been asked to arrive earlier which we would have done. One of our party had arranged to be picked up from the venue at 10.30pm but we were approached just before this and told the place was closing. Not a good end to what was a disappointing evening.

Went for drinks on thurs, went back Friday for food, the service is fantastic, great staff particularly Laura, who made,us,feel very welcome and provided great service. Sitting in the beautiful garden drinking exellent real ales was a real pleasure. The,food was excellent, couldn't of been better. Five stars, all the time.

Located at the end of Much Wenlock High Street, at a junction with through traffic but our Mews 'suite' in what would once have been the stables block was quiet enough and had the advantage of level access from the car park and own front door; not what you would call a nice view over the car park, obviously, but the historic centre of Much Wenlock is only a moment's walk and there is a large, secluded beer garden. Suite was spotlessly clean, well-furnished and nicely decorated. Not quite in the latest syle but spacious and comfortable with a lounge, wardrobe and shower/toilet downstairs and double bedroom in the eaves upstairs. Bed a standard double and I would have liked it bigger but the mattress was excellent and pillows and bedding all of good quality. Shower / toilet small and dated but clean and perfectly adequate, with toiletries provided. Lounge had standard-sized fridge and a nice hospitality tray including two packets of Border biscuits, and sachets of hot chocolate and cappuccino (one of each) though no bottled water. Small-screen TV both upstairs and downstairs (we didn't try either). Radiators blasting out heat when we arrived (a hot day) and I couldn't figure out how to turn them off but they are both controlled from a thermostat at the top of the stairs; once that was off the rooms cooled down nicely. Some problem with our room's wifi router but we got a good enough signal from the suite next door and wifi elsewhere in the hotel was fine, including in the beer garden. The bar had our favourite alcohol-free beers, Guinness and Peroni, so that was fine. Main building has a quaint pub-style lounge and very pretty dining room. Evening menu slightly limited, the cuisine being plain English, competently prepared, much as you might cook at home. We saw big plates of fish and chips going by but I had cottage pie (a huge portion), husband had pork fillet with brandy-cream sauce, which he said was excellent. Plain boiled vegetables alongside. I imagine there are other eateries only minutes walk away, if you prefer something more exciting. Breakfast was good with cereals, fruit yoghurts and fresh fruit on the buffet and hot items brought to the table. The bacon was really good but I didn't like the fried bread which seemed to have been deep-fried. I would also have preferred the option of plain yoghurt, also better-quality preserves, but you can't have everything. 10 am check-out may seem a bit early for some; we were sightseeing so an early start was fine by us. Location is very good for Ironbridge Gorge and Coalbrookdale museums, also Much Wenlock is very pretty and lovely scenery thereabouts so I expect we will stay at The Gaskell Arms again. Good value for money overall (our suite for a summer Saturday was £150 including breakfast, or £125 without). Happy to recommend.

Whilst having an old and more traditional look to a pub might be nice Unfortunately this place has not moved with the times and the food is really poor. There is very limited choice on the menu (visited on a sunday) and every one of us was disappointed with our meals. The food is not home cooked its quite obvious that they use both frozen products and ready made sauces from a jar (e.g the tomato sauce on top of the fish and ready made mashed potato). The presentation is awful and there was barely enough vegetables to feed half of us. Given there is such strong competition in much wenlock and surrounding on the food front I'm surprised they still get people visit. Prices are also high given the quality served. Each to their own but we won't be wasting money here again.

14 friends and family descended on The Gaskell Arms for Afternoon Tea to celebrate my wife's 70th Birthday. The table was set beautifully, the sandwiches and cakes were plentiful and the staff helpful to the extreme. The chef managed to accommodate all the little sub requests and the afternoon was delightful. The Gaskell Arms is an ideal place for family / social gatherings. Thanks to Charlotte and the rest of the team.

A very nice, cosy, old worlde inn which feels a little like stepping back in time but not in a bad way. Quite comforting, this and the value for money is overall good and quite fair. This is our fourth time to stay here and each time we have been allocated the same room; 7. In hindsight, this might have been better had we tried another room for comparison as, although very clean and tidy, even with the heat switched off, the room always feels a little too warm. The restaurant has this same cosy ambience with original wooden beams across the ceiling and table 3 in a window alcove is perfect with a nice view out to the traditional buildings of Much Wenlock. Note: the menu is truncated on a Sunday but the waitress informed us that the chef would happily produce a dish from the usual menu should we want it. The food is decent and tasty without being exceptional and good value. As it was still a nice mild evening, I was able to enjoy a cider out in their back beer garden which is quiet and has a covered section in case of rain. In short, if you're looking for a swish boutique style hotel this isn't for you. If you're looking for an old world experience with friendly staff and for a fair price, in a lovely heritage town, with scenic countryside, then this should suit perfectly.