Michelle Tompkins holds back the giggles as she tucks in to dinner at the Sally Pussey's Inn

MANY a schoolboy (whether in real age or mental age) has sniggered at the name over the years - indeed, the juvenile gang from TV's The Inbetweeners even stopped off back in 2011 on their tour of Britain's rudest places - but the fact is, having a saucy moniker has never done the Sally Pussey's Inn any harm.

Parking spaces were scarce in the huge pub car park when we pulled up on a Friday night, and the noisy chatter of happy diners hit us like a wall of sound when we stepped inside. Surely the novelty of a risque name alone isn't enough to sustain such long-term popularity? Which means it must have something to do with the food, or the ambience, or the prices; preferably all three.

I can't tell you too much about the decor because we were shown to a table in a little anteroom away from the main body of the pub and, apart from a quick trip to the loo, I didn't see much more than those four walls all evening. They were grey and quite indistinct - bordering on cold - but it didn't really matter because nothing was going to distract us from the menu and our mission to get some food on board.

We toyed with starters like breaded camembert (£4.30) and chicken liver parfait (£4.30), but a glimpse at the size of the plates coming from the kitchen told us to save ourselves for the main event.

Main courses are divided into those From The Land (meat), From The Earth (veggie), From The Sea (guess what?) and From The Grill (steaks etc) and there are also burgers, spicy dishes and salads to choose from.

Hearty, warming food was in order and I eventually settled on the Cotswold lamb shank (£12), while my partner went for Hereford beef and Guinness pie (£10).

They arrived rather too quickly for my liking, but any fleeting concerns were quickly forgotten once we started tucking in. My lamb sat in beautiful deep red sauce of cranberry and rosemary, with vegetables and a huge crop of new potatoes tucked in around it. The meat fell from the bone, flaking into succulent chunks, and the sticky sauce coated everything in an rich, earthy cloak. With a glass of cabernet sauvignon to wash to down, it left a warm glow in my stomach.

If anything, the steak and Guinness pie met with even more approval from across the table. Served alongside a mountain of chips, it arrived as a sizeable pot of meaty chunks sitting in a thick gravy, with a towering puff pastry lid resting on top. The meat was slow-cooked to tenderness and there was masses of it, far more than the £10 price tag had led us to imagine.

After such a hearty meal puddings seemed unimaginable, but then our waiter left the menus on the table and, well... it seemed rude not to.

Eton Mess (£4.70) was the special of the day and took my fancy, while my partner was tempted by his three favourite flavours of ice cream in the world - mint choc chip, honeycomb and mocha (£1.30 per scoop).

To be honest, mine was a bit of a let-down with an awful lot of whipped cream and not enough meringue but the greedy side of me still managed to polish it off. There was no such disappointment opposite me, where the ice cream hit the spot to some noisy sound effects.

If you're looking for fine dining, this probably isn't the place for you. But it's not fine dining that puts the bums on the seats at Sally Pussy's night after night. Honest, fulsome, hearty dishes are what this place is all about.

And that ever-so suggestive name, of course. Just get all the dirty jokes and giggling out of the way before you go, so you can concentrate on your food.

MICHELLE TOMPKINS

The Sally Pussey's Inn

Swindon Road, Wickfield, Royal Wootton Bassett SN4 8ET

Tel: 01793 852430

sallypussey.co.uk

Parking: yes, plenty

Disabled access: yes

Adver ratings:

Food: 8/10

Choice: 8/10

Decor: 7/10 (I think)

Service: 10/10

Main course prices: from £9.30 to £17.50

TripAdvisor rating: 4/5