FADS and fashions bedevil the hospitality industry – no sooner has the next big thing gained widespread currency then something comes along to take its place.

The insatiable quest for novelty can be tiresome so it’s gratifying to have a place that declares its principles from the start, sticks with them and maintains a consistency that brings regular acclaim and recognition.

It is almost ten years since Jon and Laura Vennell opened their eponymous restaurant in Masham, which had previously been the much-loved Floodlite for almost 20 years. They like steadfastness in Masham.

A colleague reviewer – Gareth Dant – was among the first to run the rule over the new enterprise just a couple of months after the 2005 opening and gave it the full house of 16 out of 16 points (we rated up to four in those days). Since then many other critics have been and reached remarkably similar verdicts; the awards have flowed steadily. And the Vennells have survived the recession too. It all speaks volumes. They must be doing something right.

Over the ten years there have been some changes, most notably a complete refurbishment in 2012 which updated the rather staid interior and reversed the previous curious arrangement where the bar/lounge was in the basement and the dining room upstairs. Today the ground floor is a bar and dining area with further dining tables downstairs.

We liked the look – a comfortable mix of the traditional and contemporary with handsomely dressed tables (linen napkins with napkin rings no less) well spaced despite the compact dimensions of the room.

We arrived just before our booked time of 7.30pm to find plenty of other diners already ensconced in the bar with drinks and menus. We were offered a drink but we couldn't see any vacant bar chairs so opted to go to straight to our table, one with a view out of the picture window to Silver Street and the sturdy stone-built cottages of the village beyond. The view might have been good but it wasn't the cosiest spot – the adjacent front door saw to that.

The format of Vennell's menus is consistent – four starters, four mains for a flat £24.50 – exactly the same as when our colleague called ten years ago. Well, the price in 2005 was £19 but an extra £5.50 seems a reasonable increase over a decade.

And now as then that money buys high quality fare immaculately presented. Chef Jon Vennell does the modern British cooking thing in a very pure, unfussy way. The meat, fish and vegetables, locally sourced where possible, are prepared using classic techniques which showcase their quality. There's no craziness, just a reassuring reliance on good produce to speak for itself.

The amuse bouche was an intensely-flavoured mushroom soup with truffle oil. Sylvia's starter of herb-fed chicken and bacon terrine with a herb mayonnaise and a little greenery was as delicately flavoured as the soup had been power-packed, the bacon's mildly cured smokiness held in check and not overwhelming the chicken.

My Thornborough cider and leek soup was a substantial bowl of sweetness considerably enhanced by a few juicy mussels, a perfectly poached egg and some drops of lemon oil.

Sylvia's fillet of halibut (a more than satisfactory replacement for the listed turbot) was cooked firm-fleshed just right and sat on a bed of buttered spinach with a classic caper and brown shrimp beurre blanc.

My confit pork belly can only be judged as peerless. It couldn't have been any more tender without melting away and the thinnest layer of skin had been roasted to a wafer-like crispiness. It was accompanied by some creamy buttery mash and a heavyweight pinot noir, bean and ever-so slightly stickily-chewy chorizo stew – the plate was a triumph of textural variety and depth of flavour.

Service was, at one level, first class in that it was on the formal side and very correct. But it was also glacially slow at times. Vennell's is a fine dining experience and, of course, we and the other diners were not there for a quick bite. But it took us over two hours to eat two courses and we skipped what were probably excellent desserts because we just ran out of patience.

The reason for the tardiness dawned on us pretty quickly. On that particular evening all their customers had turned up early doors, and they were serving a dozen or more diners pretty much at the same time – which must have put some strain on the kitchen – where, as stated above, dishes are prepared to universally high standard and prettily presented. It can't be rushed.

The bill was just over £60 and included two glasses of house white wine – a light and fresh Pinot Grigio and a fruity, full-bodied Voignier.

The service slip was a shame because Vennell's was heading for a table-topping D&S eating out score. Everything else was hard to fault. But here's to another ten more years of Vennell's.

Vennell's Restaurant
7 Silver Street, Masham HG4 4DX
Tel: 01765 689000 Web: venellsrestaurant.co.uk
Open: Wednesday to Saturday from 7.30pm; Sunday lunch served from 12.30pm
Vegetarian options available on request
Disabled: a couple of steps at entrance

Ratings (out of 10): Food quality 10 Service 7 Surroundings 10 Value 9