The Carlton Bore, Carlton Husthwaite, near Thirsk

MAKE a date in your diary, for a weekend sometime soon: Sunday lunch at the Carlton Bore, Carlton Husthwaite, near Thirsk.

I can make no stronger recommendation than that. This was the best Sunday lunch experience since we don’t know when. Go there soon, armed only with a good appetite.

First though, we need to clear up a possible misapprehension. The Carlton Bore is not the village character, nor is it a tidal wave (as in the Severn Bore). It is the village pub, formerly the Carlton Inn, and is a sister pub to the Old Bore at Rishworth in West Yorkshire, acclaimed by many as one of the finest dining pubs in the county.

Owner Scott Hessell, a winner many moons ago of a Roux brothers scholarship, has branched out into North Yorkshire and we like what he has done. We like it a lot.

Sylvia was a fan from the start. On a filthy-wet day, stepping through the back door from the car park was like stepping into a warm and cosy cocoon. Rustic in a fresh, modern way, with lots of country furniture and muted colours, the extensive refurbishment has retained the Carlton country pub essence but given it a bit of a classy feel too. Whether you turned up in welly boots and jeans for a pub meal or best bib and tucker for a romantic dinner a deux, you would feel at home.

Sylvia raved about the butter as only she can. Lightly flavoured with pesto, it came in generous quantities along with the individual loaves of fresh-from-the-oven oregano-flavoured bread and some good quality mixed olives.

From a choice of eight starters, Sylvia opted for crispy wild duck pancakes, spring onion and a cucumber and plum sauce. Presented on a bread board, the pancakes were DIY and Sylvia enjoyed making up her individual pancake rolls with the shredded onion and duck which she described as “just perfect”.

I was just as enthused by my potted chicken livers, spiced sweet oranges, Cumberland sauce and toast. Such a simple dish but perfectly done, the livers were nicely pink and the sweet/sharpness of the sauce and the oranges cut through the more-ish richness of the potted meat.

We both chose roast sirloin of beef for our main course and, joy of joys, we could have it either cooked through or pink. So often, lovers of beef served rare are denied that by establishments who make an assumption (understandably, granted) that the Sunday lunch trade wants well done beef.

Well done to the Carlton Bore for showing that it can be done.

Sylvia had hers cooked through, mine very pink and we both couldn’t fault it for tenderness and depth of flavour. It came with fresh Yorkshire puddings, crisp roast potatoes, creamy mashed swede and carrot, some lovely mustard cabbage and quartered beetroot. The red wine and onion gravy was rich and plentiful, the horseradish sauce manifestly home-made.

If we hadn’t had the roast beef, the slow-braised beef cheeks or the garlic grilled haddock with mussels might have tempted us. The honey roast partridge had been enjoyed by others earlier in the day. We could also have had roast loin of pork, leg of lamb or toad in the hole.

Although well satiated, the dessert menu deserved a thorough examination for no other reason than it didn’t feature sticky toffee pudding, creme brulee or cheesecake.

I’ve nothing against those fine offerings other than their ubiquity.

Instead, we had sherry trifle and rice pudding to consider, excellent British sweets undeservedly neglected.

We chose to share a toffee banana crumble – a novel twist on another great British dessert – and enjoyed the very crumbly, almost biscuity, topping and a gooey, sticky caramel filling. I’m not sure you can, strictly speaking, call a traditional and simple pudding beautiful but that’s what it was.

All this wonderful food was served by a young but very clued-up team who knew exactly when to attend and to leave us alone. They happily arranged for the rum and raisin ice cream on the crumble to be swopped for vanilla.

A two-course Sunday lunch is £15.95, three courses £18.95 – an absolute bargain given the quality of the food, the style with which it is presented and the attractive surroundings.

Our bill included a small glass of a well oaked Rioja and an Italian Pinot Grigio and came to just over £44. We will return to sample the evening fare.