The Red Lion, Boroughbridge Road

It looks like a converted farmhouse, with low ceilings and oak beams being the predominant features - the kind of pub you would usually find in tiny villages in middle England.

But The Red Lion, beams and all, is barely three miles down the road from York city centre.

I visited, along with my partner Kathryn, to sample the lunch menu. The country 'Inn' serves food between 12pm and 2pm and dinner from 6pm. We chose a day when The Red Lion was doing a roaring trade, and we initially struggled to find a table.

This did not stop a friendly staff member arriving promptly when we finally took our seats to take our orders from a two-page menu, which offered a host of traditional fare.

To start, Kathryn chose the pat (£3.25), while I opted for the Minestrone soup at £2.95. These arrived quickly, with Kathryn's pat looking and tasting the more impressive.

It was a smooth, rich-tasting Brussels pat, and it spread easily across two slices of toast, which were somewhat on the brown side. It was accompanied with a side- salad of lettuce, cherry tomatoes and horseradishes.

My soup was less impressive. It was pleasant enough, and quite tomatoey, but tasted slightly bitter and seemed a little weak and watery. There were also few of the vegetables that usually pack Minestrone soup - unusually, lentils were the dominant ingredient. The bread that accompanied it seemed dry, if not stale.

On to main courses and I chose a chicken and mushroom pie (£5.75), while Kathryn selected half a crispy chicken at £6.25.

The pie was about as 'country' as dish as you could possibly wish to receive. It was large, deep-filled and came on a plate packed with peas, carrots and thick chips. The pie crust was soft, well-cooked and, most importantly, was not dry. The chicken was chunky and tender and was jostling for space with big slices of mushrooms. The dish was wrapped in a rich and creamy mushroom sauce and was undoubtedly the highlight of the visit.

The chips were big and chunky, but light and golden brown. The carrots tasted as though they had been in the pan for perhaps a minute too long but the peas were spot on - juicy and soft.

While the pie may have been the highlight, the half-chicken - which came with the same peas, carrots and chips as my main course - was hugely disappointing. Crispy on the outside the skin may have been, but inside, the meat was dry. It looked impressive enough on the plate, but Kathryn soon found that, after a few forkfuls, she had lost the will to continue - and left more than half the dish.

Our food was washed down with two pints of Budweiser (£2.40 each) and came to a reasonable £23.

We would have also gone for dessert, given that the disappointing nature of Kathryn's main course had left her with a lingering hunger. But, after waiting ten minutes without seeing any sign of a sweets menu, we decided to give it a miss.

Eating in The Red Lion is an experience. You can feel the history of the building and the atmosphere, especially when it is busy, is superb. If only the food could measure up.

The Red Lion, Boroughbridge Road, Upper Poppleton. (01904) 781141.

Steve and Kathryn visited on July 17, 2003.

Fact file:

Food: variable

Service: intermittent

Value: good

Ambience: busy

Disabled facilities: Yes

Updated: 09:16 Saturday, August 02, 2003