The word gastropub strikes fear in my husband. He hates what he considers messed about food' and pretentious menus. My own suspicions are aroused by the pub grub' brigade.

No need to fear at the Bell at Great Cheverell. Mine host here is a down to earth Liverpudlian and his blackboard announces simply Good Food.' And it is.

He knows how to keep his beer, make you feel welcome, and dishes up a fair portion of dry humour. He's even put rocking chairs by the log fire so you can reflect on life at your ease, and a large round table where large groups can meet for a good old chin-wag.

But as it happens you have to sit down to work your way through the lengthy menu with eight starters, eight main courses, ten classics' and five steak choices.

The starters presented no dilemma. Garlic mushrooms for him and a huge fishcake with sweet chilli sauce for me.

My husband is in his element with the classics: beef and ale pie, chicken, leek and cider pie, bangers with onion gravy, rack of lamb with rosemary, roast potatoes, and settles predictably for pan-fried calf liver with crispy bacon, red onion gravy and mustard mash.

Fish is my great love and I'm not disappointed by a choice ranging from whitebait, avocado and crayfish salad, poached salmon smothered with prawns and homemade seafood pie. But in the end I couldn't resist the oven baked whole sea bass stuffed with herbs and lemon. It was superb and cooked to perfection.

I thought he would be well and truly beaten by the veritable mound of liver but with a look of complete confidence that there weren't going to be any surprise foreign' ingredients he tucked in. We both enjoyed a selection of fresh vegetables. We went on to polish off sticky toffee pudding and cheesecake.

Everything was cooked from scratch by mine host while we sat cosily in the intimate dining area spruce with white tablecloths.

He enjoys food and likes nothing better than to turn his hand to some creative cooking. The experience was enjoyable, reasonably priced at just over £35 and as they might say in his native Anfield, Champion!