TUCKED away among the many Old Town eateries in Wood Street is a cosy café that celebrated its ninth birthday last week.

The Pantry, under the watchful eye of proprietor Wanda Hawkins, has become a firm favourite for the workers of many businesses in the area.

The family-run cafe is a cheap-and-cheerful place to pick up a panini, enjoy a relaxing cuppa, or tuck into a cooked breakfast.

It prides itself on producing fresh, home-cooked meals that are basic but done well, and made with locally-sourced ingredients wherever possible.

When the time came for me to do a food review, I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and as I headed out of the office at lunchtime for a bite to eat, I just hoped that my cover wouldn’t be blown.

At this point, I feel that I should let you in on a little behind-the-scenes knowledge.

The Adver’s food reviews are supposed to be done in complete secrecy, like the least-exciting spy movie you’ve ever seen.

It works like this: one of our reporters heads down to get a representative sampling of the menu and the staff serve them without any inkling that this visit will be studiously assessed, comprehensively marked, and published later that month.

However, this week’s review would be a bit of a challenge, as it can be quite tricky to retain your anonymity when you’re a regular customer who visits at least once a week.

Merely mentioning that I was eating in this time, rather than doing my usual grab-a-sandwich-and-go routine, caused some raised eyebrows and mock-surprise, but they still didn’t seem to suspect a thing.

I’ve fallen into something of a predictable routine during my weekly visits but, perusing the menu, I realised what a mistake this had been.

Sticking to the same thing every time seems foolish when the menu offers tempting treats like a brie and cranberry baguette (£3.75), quiche of the day with mixed salad (£4.95), and a jacket potato with chicken (£4.95), not to mention the ever-changing daily specials and cake selection on offer.

If I had chosen my usual sausage sandwich (£3.25) and eaten in, it would have come with crisps or a salad garnish.

Instead, I opted for a cup of tea (£1.50) and a full breakfast (£5.50): two sausages, two pieces of bacon, two eggs, two hash browns, mushrooms, baked beans and two slices of toast.

A smaller version (£4) is also available, and, accommodating for fussy eaters like myself, the eggs and mushrooms were swapped for extra helpings of hash browns and sausages at my request.

The Pantry was unusually empty on this occasion – heavy rain had driven away the crowds and Wood Street was deserted.

On the one hand, this gave me more time to chat to the friendly staff, who greet every customer with a genuine smile, and to look at the decor that makes the cafe feel like a spacious kitchen, complete with a wall of signs and sayings that look like they’ve been brought in from home.

On the other hand, this made it harder to scribble thoughts into my notepad without looking incredibly conspicuous, but I managed to sneak a few notes in while tables were tidied and the windows were wiped – it’s certainly one of the cleanest cafes I’ve visited.

The breakfast was in front of me shortly after I sat down, and I found it hard to fault.

The hash browns were crispy but not burnt, the bacon wasn’t swimming in fat, the sausages were cooked just right, and it was all appetisingly-presented.

True to its name, the full breakfast left me very full indeed.

As I sipped my tea and observed the other patrons – a family popping in for a quick bite, elderly friends having a catch-up over a coffee – I felt relaxed and satisfied.

After a wave and hearty farewell, I was on my way back to the office to report on a successful spy mission and a very successful meal.

Happy 9th birthday, The Pantry - consider this a belated present.