 TEETERING on the edge of a disused lead mine on a mountain road miles from the nearest town, the Star Inn could have come straight from the set of a black and white horror movie. Walking from the unmetalled car park into this isolated former drovers' hostelry, I almost expected to see Boris Karloff or Michael Ripper behind the bar, uttering dire warnings about strange goings-on out on those moors to the background of howling hounds in the distance. In reality the welcome was rather warmer, with the gentle early Saturday evening hum of voices indicating that it was already getting busy. The clientele were mostly tourists, in the area to enjoy a spot of walking or cycling, but we were told that many of the regulars had gone to Machynlleth for the evening to enjoy a touch of the high life. Oh, the joys of youth! Madam, bless her little cotton socks, knows only too well what sort of establishment takes my fancy. I'm not one to suffer gladly places which have been tarnished by plastic makeovers, false beams and artificial brass rails. I'm much more into places with a lived-in feel, with a touch of organised disorder thrown in for luck, and our first impressions of the Star Inn augured well. We selected a table and I was dispatched to the bar to place our order. Amid much joking about it having to be caught first, I was told that Madam's duck would take about 30 minutes to prepare. We settled down to enjoy our first bottle of the evening, a decent enough Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia, trying to avoid the puddle of beer which our table's previous occupants had left on its surface. It would have been appreciated had the table made acquaintance with a wet cloth first, but as it was wicker coasters were plonked smack in the middle of the puddle in preparation for the arrival of our starters. Madam's garlic mushrooms were succulent specimens in a delicious sauce. Meanwhile my prawn cocktail contained rather more of the crustaceans than one finds in many eateries and, while probably rather unadventureous, proved to be a shrewd selection. Being as avid a fan of seafood as your average sea lion, I had almost clapped my flippers in delight and balanced a ball on my nose on discovering that they had a specials board devoted entirely to fish. It included tuna steak and swordfish, but I had chosen the mahi mahi, a Pacific species also known as dolphin fish. | 
