The Dawnay Arms, Newton-on-Ouse, near York.

You could do any of these things at The Dawnay Arms at Newton-on-Ouse, but I went with an ulterior motive. I went in search of a clue to the man behind the uniform of York's new top cop. I've had worse assignments.

Fifteen years ago Tim Madgwick ran this popular riverside village boozer for three years. He's Chief Superintendent Madgwick now and responsible for policing all of York and Selby and most places in between.

Swapping hand pumps for handcuffs may seem an unlikely move and I wondered if there were a nugget of information I could learn from his time filling glasses and lending a friendly ear to customers.

I just hoped he had left a memory behind that would help me get a tag on his meteoric career and give a hint about what lies in store for bad guys and ne'er-do-wells of North Yorkshire.

My heart sank when we first arrived. Not because there was hardly anywhere to sit because the bar, lounge and restaurant were packed with Sunday lunchtime diners. It was because the opposition had arrived first.

Elly Fiorentini from BBC Radio York was holding court in the lounge, but thankfully she had been diverted by a poster for the new Monday acoustic night organised by present pub incumbents Garry and Penny.

I considered whether she was here for the same reasons as me while Catherine ordered two pints of Goodmanham Brewery ale. The beers were called Randy Monk and Choirboy's Dread, since you ask, Filthy Habit was off.

There seemed to be few clues at the bar so putting aside my secret mission for the moment, we squeezed ourselves in to a corner and concentrated on the menu which was simple and to the point.

Start with soup of the day, pat and toast, deep-fried strips of cod or a piece of melon for between £2.50 and £3.75.

Move on to a roast for £5.75. Choose between beef, pork, turkey or a vegetarian giant Yorkshire pudding with fresh vegetables. Other off-menu vegetarian options are available too.

There is a bar menu also, with roast meat sandwiches with chips and salad for £3.70. It's £1 extra for a baguette. Other fillings include baked ham, tuna and cucumber and prawns in pink mayonnaise, sorry, Marie Rose sauce.

The starters were well presented, fresh, hot and tasty. Steaming white cod goujons, which came with tartar sauce, and a slab of flavoursome chicken liver pat with a sweet redcurrant sauce and dainty triangles of toast.

The roasts were good too. Thinly sliced cuts of meat with a Yorkshire pudding, potatoes roasted and boiled, and gravy. Vegetables came separately with deliciously savoury cheesy leeks, but nothing green.

We saved the best for last by sharing a slice of banoffi pie (£3.45 from a varied board of desserts) on the recommendation of our neighbours. Toffee, bananas and cream certainly are a great combination.

With a coffee and mint (note the singular) each for £1.25 the bill came to a very reasonable £28.80. But while my stomach was full I faced leaving my mission for background information with empty hands.

I took my chance at the bar with a forced lightness in my voice: "Didn't Tim Madgwick run this bar a while back?" Blank faces all around. "He's a copper now, probably was the boss about ten years ago or so."

A voice pipes up beside me. It's a bloke who looks like he may well have been there for some time. I think I can see shoe-shaped dents in the floor beneath his feet.

He fixes me with a look, takes a breath and speaks. "Yeah, I remember him." Progress! So, ever with my bruised reporter's mind racing, I press further, asking what he was like. "He was all right I suppose."

That's all I needed to know.

The Dawnay Arms, Newton-on-Ouse, near York. Telephone 01347 848345.

Chris and Catherine visited on Sunday, March 14, 2004.

Updated: 09:46 Saturday, March 20, 2004