Mabels in Telford and Wrekin

Thought I'd give this family run place a try and glad that I did, although first impressions left much to be desired. It's located down a side street and one of the dwellings looks like it's being used as a scrap yard. Navigating the dead end street and parking was also a bit of a problem. Once inside I was given a very warm reception by Mabel. She's not one for conversation and to be honest I don't think she really understood me most of the time. I understand that she used to live in Portugal and had a small place by the beach, maybe this was why there was a language barrier. What she lacks in conversation she certainly makes up in charm. She made me feel most welcome and I think she took quite a shine to my companion, everytime we spoke she was all ears but she never really raised a smile. We sat and I enjoyed a nice coffee made just the way I like it and my companion had water which came just how he liked it ... no frills, just plain and wet. Mabel joined us and also had water. She drank fast and I'm not entirely sure if she wasn't trying to wash her face with it as she got most of it around her face and alarmingly long hairs on her chin. I would have said something but she gave me one of those looks as if to say "what's your problem?" After our drinks we started to eat. My companion had cheese and biscuits and he really wolfed them down, he didn't leave a crumb and his plate was spotless - although I don't really agree with him licking the plate. I didn't think anyone saw, but then I noticed Mabel looking over and she just gave that nonchalant look with her big eyes as if to say "I don't give two f***s." I opted for a Yorkshire pudding dinner. It had a mountain of fluffy mashed potato, roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips and peas. All of which hid a large pork chop and pigs in blankets and filled a large Yorkshire pudding. The gravy that accompanied the meal was rich in flavour and was made just to my liking. I ate it all and enjoyed it very much. We also tried a hot little number which I hadn't tried before. It was a homemade curried chicken on what I thought was spaghetti, but I'm reliably informed that it was noodles. It was certainly a spicy dish, which left my friend licking his lips as he frantically tried to reduce the spice burn that was left. At this point we wondered where Mabel had got to and we heard her before we saw her. She had gone outside and it sounded as though she was trying to deter some people from coming near her place. My god she was loud and relentless. I think she was actually barking mad in all honesty. Maybe she had seen these undesirables before as she seemed to be speaking to them in a foreign language. My last dish was nothing fancy, but just something I hadn't had for quite a while so I had to go for it. Slabs of malt loaf with lashings of butter. Nothing much to say about that, it is what it is at the end of the day. At this point I took a sneak peak towards the kitchen where the food had been lovingly prepared and I was surprised to see so much washing up that needed to be done. I think that the usual kitchen staff was on holiday and it had been left for other staff to sort out. All in all it was a pleasant visit and we both left very happy with full stomachs. We shall certainly be going back again.