The Jack Mytton Inn, Oswestry

Unless you arrive by canal boat, The Jack Mytton can be hard to find as it is up a very narrow road off the A495 then a right turn towards the canal with the car park then on the left. After a period of closure, there has been a tasteful refurbishment without altering the main character of the building. A new stone pillared entrance has been added with a curved signboard showing the pubs name. The bar is in the small Tap Room to the right. The three handpumps served Stonehouse Cambrian Gold which was in good form and two others which I have since forgotten! Most people in the large room to the left were dining (which seems to be the main purpose of the place). Outside there is another bar with handpumps which I assume is staffed in warmer weather than on my July visit! The large carpark leads to lawned areas with tables and a gate leads on to the Llangollen canal.

Mr Fastard sums the place up well below so my thoughts will be brief. The Jack Mytton is more restaurant than pub really with just one small bar with around 5 tables where you can park for a beer. This got very busy on our wet Monday evening visit, in some cases with people eating. The menu is well thought out with one section offering pub grub for under a tenner generally and another with the restaurant menu. Most of those eating in the bar were plumping for the pub grub and enjoying a drink or two before and after eating. The menu also has a page on the colourful history of Jack Mytton, The restaurant food was good but it's quite some time since I've seen tables laid with rafia mats and vegetables and potatoes served in seperate dishes. No complaints but the feel is traditional here. Three handpumps on the bar offered: Allgates Ostara, Monty's Maple and Stonehouse Off The Rails. A good range for 3 handpumps with styles from golden to dark and strengths 3.9% to 4.8%. The shame was that the Monty's Maple had a distinct vinegary tang indicating it was past it's best but Off The Rails was in good nick. The governor told us that he's busy with boaters through the summer and then Christmas parties from mid-October but perhaps there isn't a massive demand for the ale amongst the clientele. A good place for a couple of pints, as long as you choose the freshest, followed by dinner and a glass or two of red.

The pub is contained in a collection of outbuildings around a courtyard entrance,the name coming from the local squire in Georgian times who lived a life of wanton profligacy,drank six bottles of port a day,a renoun dare devil who squandered his inheritance and died in a debtors prison.The carved wooden bear outside the entrance pays homage to his riding a bear through his dining room. The entrance leads to the bar lobby with a few benches either side and a stone faced servery with three handpumps offering Allgates Ostara (tired),Monty's Maple(wilting) and Stonehouse Off the Rails,in reasonable shape.This area is the pubby part of the building,dog friendly and has a large map of the world where foreign customers are given a pin to mark their place of origin.The friendly guv'nor enjoyed a quip with some septics which seemed to fly over their heads ! Through an arch is a room full of ageing black sofas where you can have a drink before entering the dining room while studying the menu.There is a fireplace here but also strangely a full view of the bar store room,it had the feel of part of someones front room.The dining room opens out to a large space,rustic with a low ceiling and beams.The 60's soundtrack was a constant throughout the interior,"How much is that doggie in the window" just added to the dated feel. The food was well cooked with a wide range of price points,but was definitely old school in style.Towards the lavs off the restaurant is a seperate pool room. Being situated next to the Llangollen Canal,this place is popular with boaters who seemed to make up the full customer count on my visit.There didn't seem to be any locals from the small hamlet,and you will always be asked if you are dining tonight.Drinkers are fine however around the bar.Outside there is a decent garden and an exterior bar with a couple of handpumps,so could get popular with families on sunny weekends,and by all accounts the restaurant can get booked up. Run by a friendly husband and wife team,this place is probably better for a meal than for a night on the ale,given what was on offer from the handpumps on our visit.