As nice as pies

On a sunny spring Sunday we drove to the Alice Hawthorn pub in Nun Monkton, which is tucked away off the A59 York to Harrogate road.

The inn, named after a famous racehorse of the 1840s, stands just off the village's famous green - at 18 acres, it's one of the largest in England and it comes complete with a 60ft-tall striped Maypole and a well-used duck pond.

My parents, who had travelled down from Darlington for the day, instantly fell in love with the place and although many of the footpaths, including the one down to the River Nidd, were sealed off due to foot and mouth restrictions, we still managed to explore the village.

And my folks were so taken with it they vowed to buy a house on the green if they won the Lottery and, if it was a huge jackpot, we could have one too!

On our arrival on a busy Sunday lunchtime, we were greeted by landlord Shane Winchip, who hand-pulled my dad and me a couple of pints of Castle Eden ale and John Smiths bitter, while my wife, Jayne, and my mum had a couple of soft drinks.

As we passed fellow diners to get to an empty table, the first thing we noticed was the size of the meals - they were huge.

After we'd ordered we moved to the separate dining room, although we could have stayed in the lounge or even eaten in the bar if we had preferred. All three were cosy, with oak beams and traditional country pub regalia.

Because of the anticipated size of the main dishes, we unanimously decided to skip starters. There were only four possibilities anyway and these were fairly predictable - prawn cocktail, soup, pat and egg mayonnaise (prices ranged from £2.25 to £3.25). There was a whole host of main courses on the menu, as well as more than 20 specials to choose from.

These ranged from lamb jalfrezi, chicken tikka and Thai-style curry (not your usual Sunday lunch fare) to liver, sausage and bacon casserole, beef fromage, lasagne, Cumberland sausage and hand-made Cornish pasty.

Sunday roasts - lamb, beef and pork (all priced £5.50) - were available, as was half a roast chicken. Thankfully, there was no duck on the menu.

There were several vegetarian dishes though, including curry, broccoli and potato cheesebake and cheese and onion quiche, and for youngsters there were several options such as pizza, chicken nuggets and sausages - all for less than £2.

But my parents and myself only had eyes for the pies.

My dad, a self-confessed steak pie addict, was most impressed with the Alice Hawthorn offering (£5.95). The portion, as we expected, was huge; the chunks of beef tender and the short-crust pastry top delicate, but not too flaky.

Although tempted by both the corned beef pie and the sausage pie, my mum and me couldn't be swayed from the chicken, leek and bacon pie (£5.95).

The pieces of meat were chunky but melted in the mouth, and these were wrapped in a rich and creamy white sauce with a hint of garlic.

We both agreed that they were delicious, but ever so filling.

All the pie dishes were accompanied by a healthy portion of French fries, carrots and fresh cabbage.

Jayne, a vegetarian, just fancied a traditional Sunday dinner, but without the meat. She received two large, and very tasty, Yorkshire puddings, boiled potatoes, cabbage and carrots.

She did enjoy it, although she was forced to have it dry, because the only gravy available used meat stock. The pub did, however, only charge us £3.25. At some pubs we have had to pay full price for a similar dish.

For dessert there were more pies on offer, but this time of the fruit variety. I was the only one who had a little bit of room left and chose the Alice Hawthorn Sundae (£2.50), a naughty but nice, knickerbocker glory-style creation.

We left extremely satisfied and only £34.50 the poorer (great value, considering the quantity and quality of the food).

Now roll on tonight's Lottery draw!

Food: Wholesome

Service:Prompt

Value:Exceptional

Ambience:Cosy

Disabled access: No

The Alice Hawthorn, Nun Monkton 01423 330303