Reviewer’s rating: ****

In the week when it was announced that the UK is officially in recession, it was a surprise and really quite cheering to find the large restaurant at the Horse and Jockey Inn in Knighton packed with happy diners.

The place was teeming with groups big and small enjoying a meal out, a heartening sight when you consider that Knighton, in the middle of a rural area, is not the easiest place to find work at the best of times.

I decided to drop in with my husband for a special treat to cheer us up. We are getting a little tired of winter darkness and icy weather.

The restaurant is separate from the pub’s bar and snug, with its own entrance, enhancing the feeling that you are dining out rather than just having a bar snack.

There is a smart bar, with a great selection of wines and beers, a large area to the right for bigger parties, and a series of charming cosy alcoves on the left, partitioned off with trellis, giving a feeling of intimacy and privacy without segregation.

The cosy alcoves are large enough to seat four or five, but snug enough for two, and you still feel a part of the restaurant’s overall happy atmosphere.

We had booked a table for two, and were delighted to find that one of these little alcoves, complete with candlelight and its own little heater, had been prepared for us.

It is refreshing to find somewhere which is obviously very popular and full of life, but where there is ample space and people are not packed in so that the restaurateur can reap the benefits of squeezing in a few extra tables.

The Horse and Jockey Inn is described on its literature as a 14th-Century, family-friendly inn, and it certainly lives up to its promise.

The staff were friendly and helpful, but not over-attentive, striking a perfect balance by ensuring that we had everything we needed without appearing every five minutes to ask us if everything was all right.

The menu is extensive, interesting and reasonably priced, and there is a surprisingly extensive choice for vegetarians. They also offer a variety of pizzas which can be eaten in of taken away.

One can enjoy the meals at a leisurely pace. Although it was busy in the restaurant, we did not have to wait too long for any of our courses. As we were enjoying a pre-dinner drink, dish after dish of tantalising aromas wafted past our table.

Greedy it may be, but I simply couldn’t resist a whole baked Camembert and French bread as a starter, described as “great for sharing”, on the proviso that I could take some of it home if I couldn’t finish it! They gladly obliged.

Being an absolute cheese freak, I couldn’t resist it. My more sensible husband decided to go for the chicken liver patŽ, and was very pleased that I was given so much lovely French bread with my cheese that he was able to steal some to mop up the last of his pate.

He said the pate was wonderful. It came in its own little dish, and not with the dry toast one often gets but with scrumptious warm buttered toast that melted in the mouth, and a crunchy salad.

My Camembert was truly fabulous, although I had a bit of an unpleasant surprise. The cheese was baked with rosemary and garlic, and being a garlic lover I bit into a clove expecting the roasted, gooey, delicate flavour of well-fired garlic, but was confronted with, oops! a raw clove!

Being a hardy type it was not too much of a problem for me, but I think the scent of garlic lingered for at least 24 hours afterwards.

For main course I went for a vegetarian enchilada and my husband plumped for sea bream with crayfish and prawns and a selection of vegetables.

My dish was fabulous, really yummy comfort food with lots of cheese (again!) together with a little side dish of sour cream. There was so much of it, I simply couldn’t finish it, but my husband was happy to lend a hand with that after he had demolished his own main course.

He was genuinely impressed by the sea bream, which was succulent and delicately flavoured and came with a delicious crayfish and prawn sauce, and he had plenty of fun peeling the juicy prawns.

For dessert, my husband went for a hot chocolate fondant while I decided to skip the pudding and move straight on to coffee.

I did have a taste of the fondant. It looked fabulous, in true “MasterChef” style (crispy, crunchy top with gooey mess in the middle), but we both found the gooey centre a bit floury and claggy, and my husband left the bottom half of the crusty casing, which was hard and overdone. The fondant came with a dish of vanilla ice cream, which helped.

There was a good choice of other desserts, and we both felt this particular fondant was probably a one-off failure rather than a true reflection of the quality of the sweets at the inn.

Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable meal in a great atmosphere, and we agreed that we would return and bring friends.

Our only real criticism, if we were to be really picky, was that the food, including the chocolate fondant, was served on super-hot plates that felt as if they had been microwaved for half an hour. I am a great believer in serving hot food on warm plates, but this did seem a little excessive.

Generally, we both felt the Horse and Jockey Inn was a great choice for a relaxed, cosy, inexpensive night out. It is a place you can go and have a great meal with friends in a lovely atmosphere and not worry about the bill at the end of the night.

By Sophie Bagnall

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Baked Camembert with rosemary and garlic (£6.50); Chicken liver pate (£4.50)

Main courses

Vegetarian enchilada (£6.50); Garlic-baked lamb shank (£10.50)

Desserts

Vanilla brulee; Lemon tart (prices vary)

ATMOSPHERE

Friendly, relaxed and cosy

SERVICE

Excellent

DISABLED FACILITIES

Yes, and very nice, clean toilets

Contact: Horse & Jockey Inn, Station Road, Knighton. Tel (01547) 520062