By Sheila Dixon

PULLING into the car park at the Brownlow Arms at Caldwell, near Richmond, we were lucky to find a parking space, something which isn’t usually a problem in these austere times when country pubs are closing at the rate of 25 a week.

But when a country pub serves food as good as this it deserves to have a full car park.

Our arrival, just before 7.30pm, found the place buzzing with families, groups of friends and couples taking advantage of the early bird specials served from 5.30-7.30pm Monday to Friday; hardly surprising with prices starting at £8.50 for a lasagne, rising to £12 for lamb cutlets in red wine and rosemary sauce.

The inn is run by Martyn Wane and his partner Barbara Boanson, who next February will celebrate their 10th year there. They are currently redecorating the restaurant in a more contemporary style to mark the occasion, and Barbara is introducing a selection of new dishes to the menu alongside old favourites.

Announcing our arrival in the cosy bar, which boasted a roaring fire on one of the first chilly nights of autumn, we were shown to our table by Martyn, who carried our drinks for us, a nice touch. Peter had opted for a pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, which he savoured, while I enjoyed the first of two glasses of a lovely Shiraz while perusing the a la carte menu.

Barbara is a self-taught cook who, having learned the rudiments from her mother has in turn passed them to her own daughter Rachel Alder, who makes the tempting desserts. Rachel has been on board from the start, as has waitress Clare Parker, and the trio jokingly refer to themselves as ‘Girls Aloud’. However, mention should also be made of new member of staff Lily McNabb, whose charming smile and efficient service belied the fact that it was her first night on waitress duty.

With a choice of over 20 starters – including such tempting fare as lobster and crab tart to avocado with chilli tiger prawns – it might seem rather boring and conventional to have gone for mushrooms in Wensleydale blue cheese, port and Stilton cream, but I was pleased I did. The mushrooms were plump and flavoursome, the blue cheeses giving a pleasing salty kick to the rich sauce.

Breaded whitebait with chilli dipping sauce kept Peter happy while we both anticipated what was to follow. From the game dishes list, Peter chose sizzling duck with mushrooms and spring onions in black bean sauce with noodles and rice, not cheap at £16.95, but a definite hit with him. There were plenty of duck pieces sizzling among the noodles, served separately to the rice so as not to drown it, resulting in pleasing murmurs from the other side of the table. A side dish of chips also arrived to add a bit of crunch.

Being a huge fan of belly pork, I went for a slow roasted portion with Cumberland sauce. The pork – the size of which defeated me to the point where I couldn’t manage a pudding, even after a decent interval – was absolutely delicious. The slow cooking tenderised the meat, while the crackling was suitably crisp. It rested on a round of black pudding, which although tasty I felt was superfluous. An accompanying dish of vegetables comprised braised red cabbage, a good accompaniment to the Cumberland sauce; carrots and Dauphinoise potatoes.

After the early buzz, we suddenly noticed that the room had gone eerily quiet, the majority of diners not having lingered long after their early evening specials. Although I had no room for a pudding of my own, Peter tackled a lemon and ginger cheesecake accompanied by a dish of vanilla ice cream, the latter so tasty that I stole a few spoonfuls.

As we relaxed with coffee – filter for him and a strong not too bitter espresso for me – we watched the embers of the fire burn to a dull glow, reflecting on what had been a pleasant meal overall. Our bill, including drinks totalled £66.05, but as evidenced by the empty dining room, the early bird menu is the most popular and pocket friendly and one we intend to sample when the new menu is implemented.

Brownlow Arms, Caldwell, Richmond DL11 7QH. Tel: 01325 718471.

Web: www.brownlowarms.co.uk

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 5.30-11pm, Saturday & Sunday noon until 11pm.

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 8, service 8, surroundings 7, value 8.