PUDDINGS and lots of them - that's what the Durham Ox in Crayke means to me. Forget the beamed ceilings, the wood panelling, the cosy bar, the wine, the beautiful starters, the delicious main courses...

In an inspirational move for the indecisive, the Durham Ox has the perfect solution for pudding procrastination - six of them sitting prettily on one huge blue glass plate, drizzled and sprinkled with sauces and sugar.

The menu calls this delight "Assiette of Desserts - A selection of Petit Desserts for two people to share" rather than "six gorgeous little puddings on a plate". It was typical of the style and quality of the food we enjoyed on our Saturday evening visit.

To start with, each dish had a Masterchef-style paragraph of description, with lots roasting or pan-frying in what was definitely a restaurant and not a bar menu.

And the Durham Ox is definitely a class above the average pub. It is perched on a hill in the picturesque village of Crayke and has stone floors, oak panels, a well-stocked bar and a wide brick fireplace.

I had booked a table in the middle bar area, where all the tables were decked out in similar style to the restaurant next door, with white tablecloths and fresh flowers, but it still felt cosy and not too formal.

A waitress brought over two warm bread rolls while we studied the menu and the specials chalk boards, and we ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio (£12.50).

I ordered Roasted home-made Durham Ox black pudding, wrapped in Pancetta, with a crisp salad and a red onion marmalade (£5.95), and Mike went for a fricassee of wild mushrooms in a brioche bun (£4.95).

My starter was like all the best tastes of a cooked breakfast distilled into a few light mouthfuls - the black pudding melted in the mouth with the delicately warmed Pancetta and the red onion marmalade made a delicious accompaniment. Mike described his as delicious too and it had a rich flavour.

For the main course, I chose baked salmon en croute with brie and wild mushrooms, on buttered vegetables with chive cream (£14.95). This was again delicious, and the way the vegetables were served, cut thinly and cooked sparingly, could persuade anyone to eat their greens. I did struggle to finish the salmon as it was a generous portion.

Mike had the herb crepe with spiced vegetables, glazed in Mozzarella cheese and drizzled with Pesto, at £13.50, fresh produce cooked to perfection in a creamy and spicy sauce.

Then, after a suitable pause, came the Assiette of Desserts, at £10.95, a selection of miniature masterpieces, scaled-down versions of desserts from the menu. Arranged on the plate were a small piece of chocolate orange torte, a mini version of raspberries in champagne jelly, a little slice of berry sorbet, a thin slice of hot chocolate fudge cake, with a dainty jug of hot fudge sauce next to it, a portion of sweet, thick custard, and in the centre some lovely butterscotch ice cream in a crispy basket, topped with a golden sugar trellis. All quite delicious again.

And just when we thought it was all over, along with the coffees came a plate of home-made sweets.

All the dishes were exquisitely presented and the service was polite and attentive. For most of the meal, the tables were taken up with diners, many of whom looked like regulars, then towards the end of the evening, the bar area started to fill with locals and farmers coming in for a Saturday night pint.

The bill came to a hefty £67.80 so the Durham Ox is not cheap, but if you are after a special meal out without going too formal, I would thoroughly recommend it, if only for the desserts alone.

The Durham Ox, Westway, Crayke, telephone 01347 821506

Updated: 08:37 Saturday, June 29, 2002