MINISTERS was once a highly regarded fine dining restaurant in Sedgefield, frequented not just by ministers but Prime Ministers at that.

A certain Tony Blair was known to use it for romantic soirees with Cherie.

Then, about a year, not so long after Mr Blair decided being Prime Minister was not for him (don’t the Blair years seem like a golden era now?), Ministers changed hands and became an Indian restaurant.

With more than a nod to its past glories, the new owners decided upon Spice Ministers as its new name. Until the man from Sedgefield Borough Council’s environmental health department called.

After checking the efficacy of the ventilation, the state of the deepfat fryer and, presumably, the quality of the biriyanis, the council man suggested that joint owner Monwar Ahmed drop the “spice” from the title and Ministers: Indian cuisine was born.

Leaving aside the matter of Mr Ahmed and his brother Dilwar having all the signs, menus and other branding made up with the new title, and why the name of a restaurant should concern the council in the first place, we think the man with the clipboard and the copper-bottomed pension offered sound advice. Spice Ministers could be the name of a Parliamentary boy band, or more intriguingly, girl band.

Which set off an intriguing chain of thought about the possible members: Hazel Blears, Tessa Jowell, Caroline Flint and Jacqui Smith as a group of Labour super-troopers; Caroline Spelman, Theresa May, Cheryl Gillan and Sayeeda Warsi as the Conservative wannabes. (Memo to BBC: Good idea for Children in Need night stunt).

But enough of such idle trifles.

Does Ministers stand up to scrutiny, parliamentary or otherwise?

First impressions were good. The reception/bar area is spacious, deep red and upholstered in cream leather. The pictures of Macmillan, Heath and Thatcher have gone, to be replaced with contemporary Indian prints. It was a chilly night but the staff almost completely rearranged the furniture to ensure Sylvia got a fireside perch while we looked at menus. Slightly ominously, there was only one other couple in but it was early on a filthy night and the Strictly/X Factor finals were on the telly.

Our poppadoms and pickle tray were, however, top draw. Classic lime pickle, mango chutney and a creamy raita were joined by a very feisty and refreshingly zingy tomato, onion and chilli salad.

Starters were in the same vein.

Sylvia’s onion bhajis (£2.90), although not the classic shape, were lightly fried and aromatic rather than the fat-soaked stodgy balls so frequently encountered.

My Chingri Mirch (£3.90) was a variation of prawn on puree, but with the prawn/onion/tomato mixture packed into a green pepper and oven baked. There was quite a bit of heat in this but it didn’t overwhelm the other spices which were beginning to have the welcome effect of clearing some coldinduced nasal congestion.

Sylvia thought her Mazadar (king prawns deep-friend in butter and served in a mild-ish sauce – £12.90) probably not very good for her cholesterol levels but “absolutely 100 per cent delicious”.

The prawns were worthy of the regal description and again, very lightly fried.

My chicken tikka jalfrezi (£8.90) was properly hot. So often this dish is on the bland side, but this jalfrezi lived up to its name with plenty of peppers in the sauce which coated the tender chicken pieces.

Accompanying our main courses was a beautifully-crispy bottomed, puffy, fluffy-topped garlic nan (£1.90) and some slightly sticky pilau rice (£1.90).

Replete, we were allowed to reflect on the best Indian food we had eaten in a long while. There is a lightness of touch in the kitchen and clearly a commitment to using freshly-ground spices.

Service could not be faulted. Mr Ahmed is a charming and welcoming host and his staff were keen to see to our every need and were particularly assiduous in checking that we were warm enough in our part of the dining area – a conservatory toward the rear.

The bill of £43 was perhaps on the steep side for an Indian establishment but it did include a pint and half of expensive Indian lager and a G and T.

Ministers is still clearly in the premier league.