IT was by sheer chance that we found ourselves in Knaresborough, having been thwarted in our original snacking intention. And even more by chance that we stumbled across Prudames.

The options were to sit on a patio outside this venue, with an uninspiring view, or to venture upstairs, above the delicatessen. We chose to climb the stairs.

Each table had its own menu of predictable snacks. Coffee with a pastry (£1.95), cream tea (£2.25), jacket potato with garlic mushrooms (£3.75) or Giant Yorkshire Puddings with a variety of fillings including Cumberland sausage (£4.50) were just some of the items on offer.

However Ann had noticed one of the day's specials, two boneless pork chops in apple sauce and smothered in melted cheddar cheese for £4.75. Why not try it?

Other specials were roast topside, pork or turkey both with stuffing and all priced at £5.10. The beef sounded fine, and fine it was! So was the Yorkshire pudding (small size).

We were informed that our choices were ready and would we go to the hot plate to collect the vegetables. We liked this touch even though there was a notice on each table to say "only one visit to the hotplate"!

Would we be able to take just the right quantity of roast potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and diced carrot/turnip?

There was a comprehensive list of sweets. More than satisfied with the main course we declined to eat more. We did however inquire about the intriguingly-named chocolate or toffee lumpy bumpy. From the description it sounded rather like some sort of mousse.

Being Sunday and lunchtime we thought the venue might be busy with family outings, but not so. Nearly all the other customers were probably in the early-retired class or above and by the way they mounted the stairs diffidently were maybe like us, making a first visit to Prudames.

So lunch for two for less than a tenner, especially when you can take all the vegetables you can eat without being greedy, has got to be good value.