Eating Out: A 'fantastic concept' at The King's Arms in Askrigg

First to build up the appetite, my sister and I headed to Semerwater for a stroll taking in the lake, Stalling Busk and Marsett, a muddy but joyous way to spend a few hours on a Sunday morning. As it turned out, it's also the perfect place to avoid receiving any news whatsoever of the England cricket team's latest Test match disaster, there being absolutely no signal for either mobile phones or the car radio.

Walk done, and following a brief spell admiring the hardy open water swimmers tiptoeing into Semerwater for a dip (in skins! in January!), it was onto Askrigg for lunch at The King's Arms Hotel.

For the uninitiated, The King's Arms is famous as the location of The Drovers Arms in the original TV series of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small, currently being remade with great success by Channel 5, with two pubs used as The Drovers. For keen location spotters, this time around, exterior scenes were shot outside The Devonshire in Grassington, and interior filming took place at The Green Dragon Inn at Hardraw.

As soon as you set foot in The King's Arms, its heritage is obvious, with flagged stone floors, high ceilings still with original hooks used to hang riding tackle, and an enormous inglenook fireplace in the main bar. It was blazing away happily, always a sight to gladden the heart on a chilly winter's day.

The dining area at the King's Arms, Askrigg, is full of old fashioned charm

We were shown to a table with a pleasing window seat from where we could, in turns, watch the outside world go by, and soak up the olde worlde ambience. The Sunday lunch menu offers three vegetarian options (lentil nut roast, Thai green curry and tagliatelle carbonara), plus what The King's Arms describes as a "fantastic concept" of a sharing platter which allows diners to help themselves from a selection of local roast meats, Yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets, mashed and roasted potatoes, honey roasted parsnips and carrots, homemade pork stuffing, a side of vegetables and onion gravy. At £25 for two, or £35 for a family platter designed for two adults and two children, it's definitely the sort of fantastic concept we were happy to get on board with.

While waiting for our platter to arrive, we downed a pot of tea (from proper tea cups, thank goodness), which, while probably not the traditional pre-Sunday lunch beverage, was one of the best cups of tea I'd had outside my own kitchen in a long while. It could have been the happy surroundings, the still-improving state of my taste buds, or the fact it had been a whole four hours since my last brew, but it really hit the spot.

A platter of Sunday lunch for two at the King's Arms, Askrigg

Our platter soon arrived, plus nicely warmed plates, and we got stuck in. The meats were beef, pork and chicken, with the beef being by far the most tender. Luckily, given the generous portions, there were no arguments over who got most of it on their plate. The Yorkshire puddings were perfect – not too heavy, but solid enough to hold a hearty portion of the delicious gravy. It was so good we just had to ask for a second jug.

The roasties were attractive, but could have had more flavour, and if I was to be very picky, the mash was just a little too herby for my taste. The greens, a mix of sugar snap peas and leeks, were cooked to perfection.

Mid-way through our platter, and while we considering our seconds, the lovely lady at the next table advised us that if we couldn't manage it all, the pub would box up our leftovers to take home. We thanked her profusely, but both knew that leftovers were not going to be an issue on this particular occasion.

The platter concept does mean that the food cools off fairly quickly, so we did finish it faster than we might have liked to enjoy a leisurely Sunday lunch, and there was sadly little room for dessert. Instead, we opted for a second pot of tea before heading off to admire the All Creatures Great and Small picture wall in the bar, and then for a wander round the village.

The bill, which included a soft drink, came to £33.30, which seemed very good value for the quality of food, and experience. The service was polite, very friendly, and made you feel like a valued customer – not always the case when Sunday lunch sittings can feel very rushed.

A meal at The King's Arms felt like a proper treat, and not just because it came after a lonely period of isolation.

The King’s Arms

Main Street, Askrigg, DL8 3HQ

Telephone: 01969 650113

Email: kingsarmsaskrigg@gmail.com

Web: www.kingsarmsaskrigg.com/

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