THE Cold Harbour in Blunsdon is the only Wiltshire venue in the Chef and Brewer chain, whose eateries can be found everywhere from Suffolk to Dundee.

Although part of a large organisation, there’s nothing generic about either the interior or the exterior.

The building dates back to the 18th century and the décor is mindful of this heritage while offering all the comforts 21st century customers expect. Although quite large and bustling, the places manages a sense of intimacy.

It is also clearly popular; on the evening of our visit, most of the seats in the dining area were taken, with customers ranging from local families to guests of the nearby Premier Inn.

Within only a minute or two of arriving, we were greeted and shown to our booked table. The staff we encountered throughout the evening were friendly and helpful, especially bearing in mind how busy the dining area was. One or two of the other customers joked with them about how long it might take for dishes to arrive, but it was all good-natured.

The menu is extensive. Although there is a heavy emphasis on traditional crowd-pleasing pub and inn staples, it isn’t afraid to venture into other territory. The list of starters, for example, includes scallops and chorizo, and courgette and harissa-flavoured rice skewers, while the roster of main courses sees the likes of sea bass and seared scallops rubbing shoulders with more conventional dishes such as burgers and fish and chips.

When the time came to order our own starters, I opted for Stilton and peppercorn mushrooms (£4.99) while my partner chose peppered chicken goujons (£4.99).

The mushrooms were cooked to just the right consistency and I was pleased to discover that the Stilton and pepper were very much present, correct and delicious. There are few dining experiences more disappointing than ordering something strongly-flavoured and being presented with something that has lost its nerve.

The dish was presented on a toasted garlic brioche which was handy for mopping every trace of the sauce.

My partner was less enthusiastic about her starter. There was praise for the garlic and rosemary mayonnaise, although she said the peppered goujons could have done with being rather more flavoursome.

For our main courses we each gave in to our inner carnivore. My partner ordered an eight-ounce sirloin steak (£14.99) with peppercorn sauce (£1.29), one of three steaks available at the Cold Harbour. The others are a nine-ounce rump at £12.99 and a seven-ounce fillet at £19.99.

All come with grilled tomato, sautéed mushrooms, onion rings, lettuce and a choice of triple-cooked chips, mashed potato, salad or jacket potato.

My partner’s steak came medium rare, exactly as ordered, and she described it simply as being neither the best she had eaten nor by any means the worst, but not especially striking. The triple-cooked chips she chose were a success – crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, just as nature intended.

I had somewhat better luck with my own main course, a gourmet beef burger (£10.99) which came equipped with tangy smoked Cheddar, a rich burger sauce unique to Chef and Brewer, a generous helping of well-smoked streaky bacon and even a free-range fried egg.

There were so many extras, in fact, that I was tempted to peer beneath the bun in search of the kitchen sink.

The burger itself was generous, juicy, and very tasty. Like all burgers at the Cold Harbour, the gourmet burger comes with delicious skin-on fries and house coleslaw as well as barbecue dip.

Our starters and mains were so filling that neither of us felt up to the challenge of a dessert, which was a shame as the dozen or more on offer were certainly tempting.

Choices include Kentish Bramley apple and blackberry crumble pie (£4.29), salted caramel sundae (£5.49), cookie bake and treacle toffee ice cream (£5.29) ice cream and millionaire’s cheesecake (£5.29).

Our bill came to a little over £50, although the cost of the food alone came to a rather more modest £33 or so.

Conferring afterwards about our decidedly mixed dining experiences, we decided that although the Cold Harbour is not necessarily a place we’ll be anxious to beat a path to in the future, it is clearly more than capable of producing tasty dishes.

That, along with the friendly service, is presumably why there were so many cheery fellow diners when we visited.