Embers, Coalbrookdale
If you haven’t heard of Embers yet, you’ve probably been living under a rock somewhere. Owned and run by Adam Purnell aka Shropshire Lad - it has certainly been the most anticipated restaurant opening in my relatively short time in Shropshire (5 years). If you didn’t know already, Adam is a fire fuelled, flavour driven food behemoth. He’s been on stage at all the local food festivals, held pop ups all over our fine county; he’s served Heston Blumenthal a variant of the famous triple cooked chips on telly (you could see the actually gulp as they headed towards Heston’s face hole - fortunately Heston loved them!) and more recently he has spread his wings and has been presenting and cooking on stage at some of the country’s most loved food festivals, including Pub In The Park with Tom Kerridge. He holds regular cooking masterclasses across the country and now at Embers itself and if you follow his social media (which I highly recommend you do) you’ll know he’s also a brand ambassador for some of the best food, drink and BBQ brands around. He’s even found the time in the last couple of years to launch a range of gins, rums, coffee and now wine. All under the ‘Lad’ brand - a solid named brand, although I’m never sure how much I fancy having some ‘Lad’s Beans’ (coffee) in my mouth……….it all fits into his unapologetically Adam brand. Just like his food. It’s bold, it’s not fussy, it’s flavour driven and it’s influenced from all over the world. I don’t know why I hate the phrase so much, but for no better term, it’s super pimped up ‘dude food’ and like I just said, totally unapologetic.
With all this going on, and bearing in mind the man himself has openly said he would never open his own joint; it was all a bit of a shock when he revealed he was picking up the keys to a picturesque, local spot at the Greenwood Centre in Coalbrookdale. I am sure I wasn’t the only person who’s first response was ‘how the hell is he gonna manage that as well?’ Well, he seems to be?!
It was formally a much loved vegan cafe which unfortunately had to close. All part of the covid hangover and something we are seeing more and more often lately. This was actually a cafe that we took our now 3 year old to when she was 1 day old - we needed the quiet and the calm to sit and enjoy the peace. The closing cafe had definitely left a gap in peoples hearts so it was lovely to see a local food hero take the reigns.
The aptly named Embers is sat in the middle of the woodland and is like a delicious fire fuelled little oasis. Everything is cooked on fire and as you approach you can see all the BBQ equipment you would need to cook absolutely anything you can think of. Cakes, breads, salad stuff - it doesn’t matter - its all going on the wood and coals! So its got everything you might want. Whether its just cakes and coffee, breakfast (where they even serve ice cream with granola), lunch and some evening food. They have regular events and special tasting menu evenings - hosted by the man himself as well as guest chefs. They’ve definitely got you covered….as long as you like you food their way! Which as a whole is bold, flavour packed and delicious!
They recently started doing some fire fuelled Sunday Roast’s - with most weekends selling out weeks in advance I had kind of resided myself that I wouldn’t get to try one. Not only because of selling out every week but also because my beautiful wife is not the biggest fan of a roast dinner. When I say not the biggest fan, she just isn’t really fussed by them, doesn’t ever really crave them. It’s a foreign way of thinking to me, but when you dig deeper you realise its all formed with nostalgia. My family were do or die Sunday dinners every week. Mum did an amazing job every week. We would watch Football Italia in the morning, then the F1, then dinner would be ready and I would spend a good 40 minutes relentlessly eating Yorkshire puddings; then the house would split with a choice of the Eastenders omnibus or the football was on while Dad slept through it all - all bases covered and as a result, my idea of a near perfect Sunday was formed! And a regimental Sunday that rarely changed! In contrast, this wasn’t such a regular, repetitive event for Sas. With a large German contingent her Sundays were still family based but much more focussed on schnitzel and pickles! As a result, not such a love for the mighty roast dinner. Anyway, I am at peace with it and sit waiting, with baited breath for the rare occasion that Sas sits bolt upright and announces ‘I’M IN THE MOOD FOR A ROAST DINNER’ - panic sets in, I’m bundling myself down the stairs, dressing myself as I go, hoping I’ve put my clothes on the right way round but lets face it, I dont really care, I’ve got bigger fish to fry! The kids get thrown into the car, dressed or not, it doesn’t matter and we have to get out before she might change her mind! This is pretty much what happened when Sas told me ‘We’ve got a table for a roast at Embers’ - I said ‘what?’ before almost crying with excitement!
I seem to find I start most of these blogs with a Shropshire food bug bare. I can’t help being ‘that guy’, always getting my knickers in a twist because ‘nothing matches up to what London offers’. Blah Blah Blah, I bore myself at times………
One of my big Shropshire food bug bares is the total lack of decent roast dinners. Especially in Shrewsbury. Shropshire wide there are 2 I have enjoyed. There are 2 I am desperate to try, the rest have been total wastes of time. In regards Shrewsbury - there is a grand total of ZERO decent roast dinners. I don’t get it. It’s one of the easiest services to run and most people can cook a decent roast dinner at home, so surely there are enough chefs around who can? Anyway, that’s for another blog, another day; a day where I will set out a mission to try them all and prove myself right. Because that is exactly what I need, more self affirmation.
So the big day arrives - its Sunday Roast time! When you walk in the place you can see straight away that they are following the unapologetic Shropshire Lad mentality. The music blaring out the kitchen, the cool vibes, hustle and bustle, just the right amount of neon (another bug bare of mine) - its all on brand and no real surprise to us! We were sat out the back of the cafe, in the back room. It’s a room that is a bit of an overflow kind of place. It’s where they hold some events in the mornings. Yoga classes and such. And it did feel a bit like we were in a temporary setting. There are some coracles and bits and bobs around the room, feeling a bit like you’re eating in a sort of weird museum. The music also doesn’t quite reach the room, which is a shame. But not a deal breaker - there was still an atmosphere; and for me, the hustle and bustle of a busy room of diners chatting away is more than enough. It was only when you went through to the main bar and to the toilet that you felt a little like you were waiting outside a house party, desperately trying to catch the eye of someone you know, hoping that they would then vouch for how cool you are and let you in! That being said, it also gave an amazing space for the girls to exist in. Taking toddlers and kids to busy restaurants can be really stressful. They want to be free, you are on the edge of your seat, teeth gritted tightly waiting for them to knock over someones drink! It was lovely to have a bit of space for them!
The menus are printed and waiting on the tables - its an order at the bar system, no problem there as long as it’s obvious that that’s how it works - and it was! Perfect. It’s a lovely small menu - not too much fuss. Only 3 choices for main, Beef, Chicken and a veggie wellington. Not too much complication - I love that. This is usually a benchmark for when I am forming an opinion of somewhere. Anywhere brave enough to do a smaller menu usually means they are doing a better job!
The menus are printed and waiting on the tables - its an order at the bar system, no problem there as long as it’s obvious that that’s how it works - and it was! Perfect. It’s a lovely small menu - not too much fuss. Only 3 choices for main, Beef, Chicken and a veggie wellington. Not too much complication - I love that. This is usually a benchmark for when I am forming an opinion of somewhere. Anywhere brave enough to do a smaller menu usually means they are doing a better job!
Drinks orders are first on the list. My mind has been repeating the words ‘Red Wine’ for about 4 hours now so it was great to see them serving the mighty Paso Primero - I love Tom’s wine, I love Tom full stop, so its always a no brainer; after all, its a Sunday, we are having a roast, I am having a red wine! Made even better by the fact I already know it’s going to be good red wine! The first glimpse at the food menu and in particular the prices of the main courses might take your breath away for a short while or maybe tempt you to send back the wine and get a water. Beef was £22 and Chicken was £18. I find myself constantly having to remind myself that actually this is now the price of freshly made food. Maybe this is why places can’t do a roast dinner properly in Shropshire. They cut corners, buy in the Yorkshire puddings or even the ready to roast potatoes (I could write an entire article moaning about this?) being too scared to out price the market? I dunno?………
Big discussion point straight up - roast garnish! The menu seems to have everything you might want. lots of fire roasted veg - carrots, miso cabbage, tender stem broccoli, roast potatoes, there seems to be everything you need - its all good. For me, the elephant in the room - the Yorkshire pudding is only available with the beef! I am a Yorkshire on everything person - is that just me? not sure. There is an option to order a yorkie on the side but I am stubborn and want it straight on my plate! Harping back to my childhood I used to pretty much eat an entire tray of yorkies every Sunday so maybe it’s good for me to face these kinds of bad habits head on? Doesn’t matter anymore anyway, I am not gluten free and so can never eat them when we are out anyway! And the chicken came with a lovely smoked bacon pig in blanket - can’t eat that either as the sausage has been glutenised! Notes for next roast dinner out - pack the pocket gluten free yorkies and sausages. I would never expect anywhere to cater for gluten free yorkies and I would rather have none than bought in ones - so it isn’t a problem!
The kids menu is perfect - kids roast. £7 - ideal!
In my opinion all good marriages are based around a joint decision that when you go for dinner, you order different things and share. It’s not discussed, its written deep within your love for eachother! We go one beef, one chicken. We started with some peri-peri chicken wings. The kids have started to enjoy eating chicken on the bone, especially chicken wings. So this is a nice way for them to try some more adventurous flavours. Albeit with the back up plan of us sucking off all peri peri marinade and them enjoying the chicken wings. Well, blow me down - our 9 year old, loved it! It puts me in such a happy place when the kids try something new, especially when its way out of their comfort zone - so this is a massive plus from us! For my own particular taste, I found the marinade a little sweeter than I would normally have my peri-peri and felt much more like a sweet chilli sauce. But let’s not get caught up with the nitty-gritty - they were delicious and that’s all we should care about.
The mains came out and it’s at this point that you realise why they are set at that price. The plates are so full that your brain almost can’t comprehend it. Is there that much food, is it that generous or is it just a slightly smaller plate to create an illusion on that scale of David Copperfield? Which reminds me that I must also pack my tape measure along with my pocket yorkies - then I can confirm regulation 12” plates……..I can assure you after finishing the meal, it was definitely a regulation sized plate and a glorious amount of food. To make it even better, it was a glorious amount of delicious food, drowning in a glorious amount of delicious gravy!
The smoked and roast 1/4 chicken might be the best chicken I have ever put in my face hole. Cooked perfectly, smoked perfectly, smothered in delicious gravy perfectly! A mix of breast and a bit cooked on the bone, the absolute best of both worlds - I think it was some thigh but I can’t really remember and I dont really care which part it came from - it was just stunning! It is still on my mind (a week later). The beef was also totally on point. But then this is what you would expect from the BBQ master - this is his bread and butter just sat in a slightly different format to usual, the roast dinner.
So what about the veggies. Let’s start with the cabbage. Here is an unpopular opinion - miso is overrated. I don’t like it that much. You can’t argue with the boost in savouriness it gives you but I also find it muddies some flavours and can makes things a little heavy. I was over the moon with the miso cabbage - I couldn’t taste the miso, I could only taste seriously delicious cabbage - it was perfectly seasoned! The roasties were incredible. Exactly how I like them. They weren’t the crispiest in the world. You certainly wouldn’t be making an ASMR video on TikTok running your knife along them but then that’s not how I usually like my roasties. To get super crisp coatings, you usually have to put up with a bit of a dry and floury centre. I am not negotiating the soft, rich, unctuous centre. So I was overjoyed with these. There was also loads of them - even better! So rich in flavour and the perfect sponge for the delicious gravy!
It’s nit picking time. And this is actually the nit picking that Sas told me at lunch to basically shut it. But I thought the carrots was slightly under seasoned and maybe fractionally little undercooked. The same with the broccoli - the tender stem stalks were really crunchy. A bit too crunchy for me but Sas loved them. She also did a great job of reminding me that I would much prefer slightly crunchy veg than overcooked, sad, sweaty veg - and she is absolutely right! I also think that these kind of small things are so forgivable when everything else is so on point! Sas also made the point that the crunchy and maybe slightly under seasoned veg actually gave everything some light relief - outside of these carrots and broccoli it is a total flavour onslaught……and a total delight!
Clean plates all round - even from the anti-roast herself. I even grabbed a spoon out of the cutlery pot on the table, tilted my plate and made sure every last drop of that gravy went in my food hole! Nothing but plaudits. Sas even uttered the words ‘I could eat this every week’ - I feel like this should be Ember’s marketing campaign - it’s hard to explain how much weight this statement carries. Something I have never heard her say before, to be honest! The tides might be turning. We may be defeating the anti-roast!
When the food is this good, even when there is this much of it, it almost instantly makes us want pudding. Again, not too many options - a crumble, a grasshopper pie (can’t remember what that was) and an ice cream sundae. We opted for the Ice Cream Sundae - with the silly idea that with 2 kids we would be able to share it. Sas is both lactose and gluten free, so no ice cream for the anti-roast. So it’s a 3 way dash to guzzle as much as possible. It’s fair to say I lost the battle comfortably. What I did manage to get hold of was lovely. Really good portion, good quality ice cream, nice sauce, good crunchy bits (I may have allowed my self to get glutenised a little), some fruit (I think it was blueberries) but it was a great way to finish off the meal. Another completely clean bowl.
To ease my ice cream sundae woes and repair some of my disappointment at only managing a few teaspoons of pudding, we finished off the meal by guzzling some ‘Lad’s Beans’ down our throats. A lovely coffee to finish off a near perfect Sunday roast.
The flavours in this monster Sunday roast are wonderful. You can tell that this is exactly the way Adam wants to eat a roast dinner. And you have to admire anyone who serves food in this way. The smokiness that runs throughout is perfect and just enhances everything without it feeling gimmicky or overpowering a single element - really skillful. The total bill came to £85 all in. Which is actually amazing value for money - high quality ingredients, cooked really well with bags and bags of flavour.
This has gone straight to the top of my list of Shropshire Sunday Roasts and we will almost certainly be back again soon! We will just have to wait until the next full moon, when the anti-roast falls into a slumber. But from the reaction to this roast, we might not have to wait as long as usual!
