THERE’S no better way to celebrate a false health scare at work than with a truck load of cheese.

At least, that was my thought as my boyfriend and I took ourselves down to Chalford House Hotel two days after I was rushed to the hospital in Bath with chest pains.

Luckily for me – and my love of all things cheesy – my ticker is still, well, ticking.

We had heard from a friend that the food at Chalford House was worth sampling, so we were surprised when we walked through the door to find a half-empty restaurant and bar at around 8pm on a Saturday night.

Greeted by a friendly waitress, we were able to choose where we sat despite booking a table earlier that evening.

We plonked ourselves at the back of the room, where we were given a complimentary jug of water with a slice of lemon and a basket of bread to pick on while we perused the menu.

Only a few dishes are offered on the evening menu, but the choice offered between that, the steak and grill options and the specials board are enough to get any seasoned diner foaming at the mouth.

After lengthy deliberations, Chris and I both opted for the breaded Camembert starter with cranberry sauce (£4.95), and the cottage pie (£13.95) and the beef stew (£14.95) for the mains.

To wash that down, we also ordered a glass of rosé wine (£3.95) and a shandy (£3.60).

While we waited we continued to tuck into the bread – something which I feel ultimately led to my downfall in the devouring of my main course later that evening.

It was a nice touch, and one that always reminds me of dining in the sun on holiday, but I think my lack of self-control combined with a huge starter didn’t help the situation.

The Camembert, which was breaded to perfection, was huge. Three large pieces filled the plate and the molten cheese in the middle, combined with the cranberry sauce, was just a delight to eat.

There’s nothing better to cheer you up than a good old chunk of cheese and this dish did exactly that.

We didn’t have long to wait for our main courses either, which arrived beautifully presented with seasonal vegetables and a big side of mash for Chris.

My cottage pie was perfectly seasoned and topped again with a creamy, cheesy mash which complemented the dish brilliantly.

However, after filling my stomach with what seemed like an endless amount of bread and cheese, I was unable to finish the dish.

There were no complaints from the other side of the table either, as Chris demolished his stew. He assured me that the meat was succulent and tender, which went down a treat with his side.

We were way too full for dessert but after seeing the copious amount of gin on offer at the bar, which had suddenly filled, we decided on a chaser.

“We can’t leave you without a drink,” the waitress joked as she saw us waiting. I ordered the 6 o’clock gin with tonic (£5.75) while Chris ordered a pint of Stowford Press (£3.70) to finish.

All in all, we had a lovely time and the bill came to £70.75.

Jessica Wells

Chalford House Hotel

114 Warminster Road,

Westbury,

BA13 3PR

Telephone: 01373 822753

Parking: Yes

Disabled access: Yes

Our ratings:

Food: 8/10

Choice: 9/10

Decor: 8/10

Customer service: 8/10

Main courses from £11.95 to £20.95

Trip Advisor rating: 4/5