At last - the perfect Country Pub. Seven of us on Good Friday meant we were enough to sample a fair cross section of the menu, and not a dud amongst them - everybody was happy. We asked about the "Welsh Dragon Pie" it was a vegan dish involving lentils, vegetables and chilli and the two people who had it said it was far, far better than it sounded. S had steak and chips, which arrived exactly as ordered and disappeared very quickly. The only problem with H's Battered Cod was "too much batter " but there was plenty of cod too. H is far more adventurous with food than most 12 year olds, and had decided to have spuds dauphinoise instead of chips with her cod, and she loved them. I had them with my Steak and Kidney Pudding, which I ordered because you so rarely find it on menus. Just for once, my mental picture accorded exactly with what came on the plate: a round pud, evidently home made, the size of a grapefruit, with a light but rich suet crust, and inside, oozing with rich, brown gravy, a tender mixture of slow cooked steak and melting kidney. Dauphinoise and steamed veg. The price for this plate of deep joy was an extortionate £6.95! Poor A, who is only 10 had a nasty cough and didn't really want anything, so we ordered a plate of chips for her. And then we ate them for her! By this time we were on to the second bottle of house red the dessert menu was circulating. I can't remember what the others had - sorry - but mine was a home made mixture of vanilla ice cream, meringue and caramel which was far, far better than it sounds. S had coffee, which came with enough mint chocs for us all to have one each.

The Five Bells is housed in a 16th century farmhouse and a bit off the beaten track, but it's really worth seeking out. Real food, very reasonable prices, comfortable room, enormous portions, friendly service. I think they let rooms, too. Incidentally, they do advertise a children's menu, but our lot turn their noses up at that kind of thing so we did not try it. It's run by Di and Roger, apparently, and I think it was Roger who served us. Approved 2005 DM