Fox and Hounds, Nursteed Road, Devizes, SN10 3HJ.

(01380) 723789

The Fox & Hounds used to be a favourite with my family but we hadn’t been recently because it had got considerably more expensive over the years.

So, when I heard it had changed hands, I decided to pay another visit to the thatched pub.

The landlord, who has been there for 11 weeks, has introduced a credit-crunch lunch, offering one, two or three courses (£4.50, £5.50 and £6.50) with three or four choices for each course.

However, our party of five eventually made our choices from the main menu which offers typical pub grub.

I chose ham, egg and chips (£5.50). The ham had a good flavour but was a bit fatty for my liking and, although I enjoyed the chips, I couldn’t manage to eat them all. Sarah went for fish and chips (£6.95) but the fish looked as though it had come from a packet.

Ciaran, who opted for the home-made chilli and rice (£6), found it so spicy that any flavour the meat may have had was overpowered. Debra, a vegan, was a bit dubious about the vegetable tikka masala on the menu as it might have contained cream. She was unable to get reassurance from the staff, who were unable to read the list of ingredients on the tin. They offered her a nut roast instead but she decided to have the curry anyway although she was disappointed to find it almost cold.

Ciaran’s mother Helen is a coelic and cannot eat gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. On first glance, there appeared to be nothing suitable. However, after a reassuring chat with the friendly landlord, she chose gammon with pineapple and chips (£8.70) which she enjoyed very much.

The portions were so generous that we bypassed puddings. The first bill came to £32.65, until I realised we hadn’t been charged for drinks (two wines, two shandies and a Guinness), which brought it up to £43.70 – still very good value.

Overall, our food was OK if not particularly memorable. My friends are unlikely to return but, with a children’s menu offering meals for £3 and a trampoline in the garden, I will be back with my offspring.

Open seven days a week, food served noon to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9pm

Separate children’s menu with meals of £3, trampoline in garden

Beer garden and skittle alley

Large car park

Small caravan and camping area

Disabled access

Our Eating Out is an independent review carried out by the Times without prior knowledge of the owners.