As it arrived at the table almost simultaneously with Madam's duck in hoi sin sauce, it was evident that communication between the bar and the kitchen was suffering from some form of interference. While my mahi mahi was accompanied by chips rather than the veg and potatoes I had ordered, the duck sat next to a portion of rice and veg, when Madam had distinctly decided she wanted to tuck into chips. So we clattered into the kitchen and demanded to see the chef, hurling saucepans and abuse hither and thither as we stormed in. Well, so perhaps we didn't. We actually rather more diplomatically decided to eat what we'd been given, like all good little children. In fairness, both meals were excellently prepared and presented. My mahi mahi reminded me somewhat of strongly-flavoured haddock with a slightly sweet aftertaste, and it came drizzled under an ambitious sauce of coriander, ginger and lemon grass. The duck was a huge portion, entirely devoid of bones, and Madam proclaimed it to be absolutely delicious. She dabbed at her lips above her dazzling clean plate before I'd even had the opportunity to pinch the teeniest little piece of evidence to back her statement. I have only her word for it. A group of young men entered in red T-shirts proclaiming the merits of Ivor Lloyd Bale Trailers, evidently regulars who proceeded to quickly boost the takings at the bar. In the meantime we were told that the Cabernet Sauvignon had all been downed, and would a Chilean Merlot suffice as a substitute? We nodded our agreement as we pondered on whether we could also squeeze in a dessert. We decided it would be a shame to raise the white flag now, and opted for a portion of cheesecake each, mine vanilla flavoured and Madam's the blackcurrant variety. The currants were unfortunately still in a state of defrost, indicating that they weren't long out of the freezer. But what the heck. Could you be bothered to prepare fresh cheesecake at that time on a Saturday night? Thought not. the bill starters £5.90
main meals £26.25
desserts £4.00
wine £17.90 total £54.05 the verdict service friendly - occasionally confused
food excellent but for the cheesecake
ambience typical unspoilt farmers' pub
disabled access toilets could be difficult | 
