The Old Ham Tree, Holt

IT’S always nice not to have to travel too far to enjoy good food, and this is so near home that if it had been a nicer day we could have walked.

As it was, given the British summer we’re having, we drove up, negotiating the sharp turn into the car park with care, and settled down toperuse read the menus.

Since our last visit the decor here has gone back to traditional pub, and to some extent so has the menu: nothing startling, with lots of old favourites including things in a basket with chips, but all, so we had been assured, well cooked. I liked the fact that they do smaller portions for children and anyone else with a smaller appetite.

After a reasonable amount of dithering, the kids both went for the cowboy burger, which seemed to include everything you could ever try stuffed between a bun. My husband had thought he’d try the veggie burger option, but sadly the kitchen had just sold the last one, so he went for a chicken burger instead.

I wanted to taste the pies, which a friend recommended, and went for the steak and ale, which came with chips or new potatoes, vegetables and gravy.

The pub, which has a bar area as well as the restaurant section, wasn’t too busy on a weekend day lunchtime, but we did seem to wait a while for the food to arrive. The plates were stacked, which perhaps accounted for the delay: chips with each burger, plus a salad, while there was more veg than one person could eat with my pie, which was pretty sizeable in itself.

The burgers disappeared in short order, and the pie was a treat; lovely crisp pastry and a steak filling which just melted in the mouth. The extra jug of gravy was needed, and it was quite a challenge to finish it all – but I managed.

Despite feeling quite full, we decided to order a chocolate fudge cake to share. At first it was just two of us sharing, but when it came it looked so good my son demanded a spoon too. This was really yummy – rich and sticky but not over-sweet.

Our meal, with a pint of lager, half of Thatchers cider and two pints of Coke, came to £62.05, which we felt was good value.

RUTH BENNETT