I’M hoping against hope this review isn’t the kiss of death. You see, I’ve clearly got something of blind spot, or numb palate, as far as the greater Husthwaite area is concerned.

Every time I’ve visited hostelries in that lovely area on the edge of the Howardian Hills, I raved about them, sincerely suggesting you to variously sell your granny/abandon your children/ pawn your heirlooms to sample the fare there.

Firstly, there was the Roasted Pepper at Husthwaite which sprang up around the time tapas really took off in this country. We loved it but, in retrospect, a tapas bar/restaurant in the heart of the North Yorkshire countryside was perhaps a tad too wacky and it duly shut up shop within months of our visit.

Then there was The Carlton Bore, in next-door Carlton Husthwaite, a spin-off from the renowned Old Bore at Rishworth, near Halifax in West Yorkshire. Owner-chef Scott Hessel, a Roux Scholar no less, was a self-styled “maverick”, which may explain why it was so good and also why not long after our laudatory review appeared in print the place had closed, very suddenly by all accounts, as had the sister West Yorkshire establishment.

There was talk of unpaid bills, nervous breakdowns. It was all very sad and a salutary creditcrunch lesson for all in the dining pub business.

So, you can see I have some reservations in giving a wholesale thumbs-up to the new Carlton Inn, which we visited for lunch last Sunday.

I’d hate to see this one go under.

A rammed car park suggested that the new Carlton is thankfully not short of customers.

We had booked 24 hours before and had to be flexible on timing to get a table. A good sign.

And there were plenty of other signs that owners Jason and Anne-Marie Sargent have got the recipe right for running a country pub in this part of the world.

From the outside, the building is a little unprepossessing, which may be why the Hessels went a bit overboard with the characterful knick-knackery when they overhauled it. The Sargents have kept the same layout and contemporary styling, but it is simpler and tidier.

We particularly liked the substantial and comfortable chairs with arms and supportive cushions.

The Sunday lunch menu and the evening offering suggests that chef Anne-Marie believes in simple, classical, some might say retro, cooking which perhaps is not surprising given that she cut her teeth as a head chef at the incomparable Corner Cupboard, a few miles away at Birdforth.

With daughter Laura accompanying us, we were a threesome and managed to give a lunch menu a good work out, sampling three starters, three mains and two desserts – Sylvia, as ever, refusing at the final hurdle.

I could go on at some length about the all-round excellence of what we ate. Suffice to say there wasn’t a wrong ‘un among the eight dishes.

Highlights were my velvettextured beef carpaccio, Sylvia’s crispy bacon and black pudding salad with a super sweet-sharp dressing and wilted leaves that avoided sogginess.

Laura loved her deep-fried brie – crisp outside, melting within – and the slightly spicy red onion marmalade.

Both Sylvia and Laura rated their roast chicken and beef main course choices, the rose-tinted beef especially so.

Well-buttered vegetables (carrot, swede, broccoli and cauliflower), properly-made gravies and Yorkshire puddings (Sylvia thought hers among the best she had ever tasted) were also approved of. There was a short debate about the quality of the roast potatoes. The slightly leathery exteriors might not be everybody’s idea of the perfect roastie.

I know oven cooking a piece of salmon is not rocket science, but mine was just right and the accompanying lemon and parsley cream sauce was as good a rendition of a simple sauce as any I have tasted, managing to be well seasoned, buttery, rich and not too heavy all at the same time.

Laura and I agonised over the puds. We agreed recent experiences of Eton Mess had been a real letdown, the common denominator being too much whipped cream and not enough meringue.

She decided to go for it and was rewarded with 60:40 meringue/cream mix which we agreed was probably optimum.

We may start a Campaign for Real Eton Mess; the Carlton Inn’s could be a benchmark.

As the sun was shining outside and the temperature hovering around 20C (whahay!) I thought summer pudding was an appropriate choice and was gratified by perfect mound of bittersweet fruit encased in a bread jacket which was not pure sog.

Marshalled by Jason Sargent, the young staff were accomplished, confident and at ease. The bill, which included a memorably wellkept and presented pint of Theakston’s Best and a half of Peroni, was £62 (two courses for £15.95, three for £19.95).

What can I say? It was very good. No, actually it was excellent.

Please try it. Together we can break the power of the Husthwaite-Warne Curse.

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 10 Service 10 Surroundings 8 Value 9