SPOTTING that the Wiltshire Yeoman, a friendly pub which was once one of our favourite watering holes, was now specialising in flame-grilled meals, it seemed like a good place to take a teenager with a healthy appetite.

A look at the menu confirmed the ‘flame-grilled’ meals although there was plenty to choose from if you didn’t want meat, or fancied a lighter bite.

We chose a chip shop sharing platter (£8.99) for starter, and had a large plate bearing pieces of white fish, prawns, calamari rings and two plump sausages, all encased in batter, chips, a pot of curry sauce and a garnish of sliced cornichons. It was piping hot, with delicious crispy batter. All it was lacking was a few slices of white buttered bread for the DIY chip buttie.

It was really tasty, and so substantial it would have easily served two people for lunch.

For the main course, we chose an 8oz rump steak (£9.99) with a peppercorn sauce, fries and creamy coleslaw and a double chicken breast with piri piri hot sauce (£9.79), again with fries but this time with vegetables.

Both were substantial servings but not of the ‘so large you can’t imagine how you’ll ever clear the plate’ variety.

The steak was flame-grilled, nicely charred on the outside but cooked, as requested, medium rare, so that when you cut into it the middle was juicy and tender, while the chicken breasts were striped with grill marks and also still juicy.

The fries were crisp and the broccoli and carrots still had some bite to them.

We were too full for pudding. Our dinner, with two pints of lemonade and a J2O, cost us £35.92, a meal which was superior to places which serve up enormous portions at similar prices but fail to deliver this quality of meat.

Alison Phillips