Boasting the reputation of top restaurant for Warminster and the surrounding villages on Trip Advisor, and being within walking distance of my house, the Snooty Fox seemed like the perfect venue for a mid-week dinner, inclusive of a glass or two of wine.

Don’t let the fact that the Snooty Fox used to be a Victorian workhouse put you off. The interior is well designed and welcoming, with an open fire and contemporary decor which feels fresh and clean.

We were met by a warm welcome from waiting staff and the pub was busy, which was lovely to see in a local business on a Thursday evening. We had booked and were led to our table.

Rory chose a starter of Ham Hock and Parsley Brawn, which was a type of terrine served with a delicious onion chutney and chunk of toast. I opted for deep fried goats cheese, which, to be honest, I was slightly disappointed with.

Everything else so far, including the hunks of bread, smelled of being rustic and homemade. But the goat’s cheese was so perfectly formed it screamed “off of a shelf” at me. Saying that, it still tasted fine and the sauce that accompanied it was absolutely gorgeous and I spread it on the remainder of the bread.

For his main, Rory chose sirloin steak, which came with possibly the largest onion rings I have ever seen. The dauphinoise potatoes, vegetables and peppercorn sauce were of generous portions and perfectly cooked.

Although tempted by the chicken breast stuffed with goats cheese, I decided too much cheese is never a good thing, so chose duck breast in a chilli, honey and soy sauce.

With a fantastic side salad (including beetroot and coleslaw) and chips, this was brilliant and the few crispy noodles that topped it provided a great contrast alongside the tender and succulent duck.

Shockingly, we both decided to follow this with sticky toffee pudding which was large, moist and covered in sauce with vanilla ice-cream. Fantastic, but unfortunately it floored me and I had to admit defeat halfway through.

The entire meal, including two pints of Thatchers and two glasses of Merlot, came to £78.50, which for the amount and quality of the food, not to mention the attentive and friendly service, was money well spent.

*  Open: Tues-Sat noon-2.30pm; Tues-Thurs 6pm-10.30pm; Fri/Sat 6pm-midnight; Sundays until March 1, noon-4pm (food served noon-3pm).

*n Closed Mondays.
* Parking available.
* Booking advisable.