Cornucopia, Commercial Street, Norton.

The Star isn't alone. Many of the district's hostelries serve locally produced and grown food, and the dishes taste better for it.

Cornucopia in Commercial Street, Norton, is one such eatery. It has a pleasant, old-fashioned ambience and while the restaurant is screaming out for renovation it is a favourite haunt of locals, always a good recommendation. At the table next to us, a lively family dined on steaks to give mum a night off cooking.

There is an exciting range of food. Starters included home-made salmon fish cakes, shami kebabs and pickle and fresh prawn cocktail and avocado with tuna marie rose. The dishes were all served with fresh, warm rustic bread and both herb and plain butter, and ranged in price from £4.95 to £7.95.

I chose a Caesar salad topped with cajun chicken (£5.95), which was very tasty. My colleague Claire plumped for warm smoked salmon steak (£5.95), which she described as delicious: perfectly steamed, and not too chewy. It was presented on a well mixed salad bed with mayonnaise. If anything, it was too sturdy as a starter - especially as Claire had ordered a sirloin steak for a main.

The main courses are great for those who enjoy a heady selection of game and meat. On the night we visited these included rich game casserole, whole roast partridge, half roast duck with thyme and stuffing, grilled ribeye steak dianne, half roast pheasant in red wine sauce, pheasant sausage, char-grilled fillet steak with tomato, mushrooms and onion rings, chicken breast filled with mushrooms, duxelle and cheese and avocado and seafood salad. Dishes were priced from £10.95 to £15.50.

The blonde (that would be Claire) described her steak as well cooked, in a sixties-style thick and creamy sweet dianne sauce (£12.95), served with crispy chips.

I feasted on a tower of roast guinea fowl with caramelised apple and rosti. Cooked to perfection and strongly recommended.

The vegetables served with both mains, although tasty, were unimaginative and over-cooked. I like veggies with bite. There were simply-prepared new potatoes, broccoli and carrots.

Desserts included cheesecake, fudge cake and ice creams. To complete the classic theme of her meal, my accomplice had creme brulee, which she said was divine. The satisfying crack of the caramelised sugar was complemented perfectly by a warm and creamy filling, not, as so many are, served from the fridge, but having an exquisite just-baked custardy quality.

I had brandy snaps and ice cream. Sadly, the accompanying winter fruits were still partially frozen. Both desserts cost £3.50.

There was an extensive wine list. We decided to go for a full-bodied red Californian Shiraz at £10.95.

What impressed most about the food was the way everything was freshly-cooked. This is simple restaurant fayre - tasty and special enough to feel you are dining out, but not trendy or fussy.

Given the high standard of the produce and the obvious kitchen expertise, the meal was good value.

Staff are cordial and friendly, service could not be faulted. Our waitress helped us choose all our dishes and we were pleased we took her advice. Dishes also arrived piping hot and in perfect succession.

Cornucopia is open every night except Monday. It is right for a special meal or a mid-week treat.

However, something about the set-up jars. Cornucopia looks and feels like a pub, but it's wholly a restaurant, so it left us with a displaced feeling. Like we had been invited for tea at a new neighbour's and had to sit on packing boxes.

Also, the decor of the toilets was horrendous. One look at the orgy of floral wallpaper in the ladies' would make Laurence Llwelyn-Bowen faint on the spot.

I'd certainly recommend Cornucopia, however, especially for lovers of roast meats and game.

Cornucopia, Commercial Street, Norton. Tel: 01653 693456.

Victoria and Claire visited on January 14, 2004.

Updated: 09:34 Saturday, January 24, 2004