WE arrived at the Castle Inn in Castle Combe by bicycle a glorious run down the wooded combe with wonderful sights of spring flowers including bluebells and anenomes.

It had taken three children and me about two hours to bike from near Bradford on Avon, so we were all quite hungry.

In fact my youngest daughter, Rebecca, 12, only comes on bike rides because of the food which usually means a copious supply of sweets plus a few sandwiches.

So it was quite a luxury to wander into the Castle Inn and order a meal from their bar menu.

We were only just over halfway along our bike ride, so we did not want anything too much.

I went for the chicken, bacon and avocado salad (£7.95), while the others shared a homebaked ham and whole grain mustard baguette (£5.95) and a ploughman's lunch (£6.50).

The salad came attractively presented on a plate. The chicken pieces were moist, the rosso lettuce added both texture and colour to the meal; the whole was a lovely combination of flavours.

Only a slight niggle, the avocado could have been a little more ripe. The salad came on its own, so I had to share the girls' warm baguettes which were just beautiful.

The home-baked ham and whole grain mustard was exactly that, served with a few chips.

The ham was plentiful and thick, none of the plastic supermarket variety here. Likewise there was plenty of wholegrain mustard served in a nice little pot. You could almost see the farmhouse kitchen and Aga.

The ploughman's had more variety and came with fresh crusty bread, salad, apple, a pickled onion, sweet pickle and Cheddar cheese. For the same price, we could have chosen Stilton or ham. By this time we were all quite full but decided to go for the puddings on the basis that we had earned them.

That's where the service seemed to slip. Up to then, it had been swift and, if not overly friendly, pleasant enough and efficient.

But when I went to the bar to order the puddings I was told without apology that I was in a queue and had to wait to place the order. It seemed slightly strange, especially as the pub had seemed much more busy when we ordered the first course.

It was a long wait for the puddings (all £4.95), although when they finally arrived, they were worth having. Two of us went for the raspberry creme brulee, confusingly presented with a strawberry on top but with raspberries inside.

The presentation was a work of art, and the brulee tasted good too.

Katie, 18, went for the strawberry ice cream which, like the brulee, scored top marks for presentation with three wafers and a strawberry.

Rebecca went for a cream tea, also served with a strawberry and, at her request, a hot chocolate instead of tea.

The total bill, without drinks, came to about £40.

By Diana Deal.

Castle Inn

Castle Combe

(01249) 783030

  • Tea and coffee served from 9.30am daily
  • Lunch served until 3pm Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday
  • A la carte available on Saturday
  • Parking very difficult, use the village car park and walk, or travel by bike