Mike Laycock was 40 last weekend, but the old codger felt like a school kid again as he queued for his dinner at a popular pub

If life begins at 40, last Sunday was the first day of the rest of my life. And after an enjoyable child-free birthday party the evening before, I decided it was time to include my kids in the celebrations by going out for our Sunday lunch.

We decided to head for the Anchor Inn in the pretty village of Whixley, some 20 minutes along the A59 Harrogate road out of York. The pub is easy enough to find, and boy, had plenty of people found it on this particular Sunday!

As we drove around the corner, we found cars parked all over the verge, and the large car park at the back of the pub was crammed with vehicles. It seemed that half of North Yorkshire had decided to abandon the kitchen and eat out at the Anchor Inn. This was both worrying and encouraging. On the minus side, I figured we might face a fair wait for a table and service. On the plus side, the food just had to be good if this many people had driven all the way to Whixley for their Sunday lunch.

After finding a place, we dashed through a traditional Sunday afternoon downpour for the steamy warmth of the Anchor Inn. People were standing and sitting around the foyer waiting for a table. It looked as if we would face a long wait. I was vaguely thinking of driving off somewhere else when someone came up and asked for my name, and said we'd be called when a table was free. It would be about 20 minutes, he said. But after barely ten minutes, we were shown to our place in one of a number of dining areas, where the walls were all exposed brick and beams and quite attractive.

All the food was served from a carvery. A card on our table said there was a choice from about six dishes, mostly traditional Sunday roasts such as pork and chicken, but with an additional vegetarian option. The cost was only £3.50. That seemed good value and I began to understand why so many people were there. But as I queued up, surrounded by children, and studied the puddings menu, dominated by sponges and jam roly-poly, I began to feel as if I was in some kind of upmarket school dining room.

My wife and two children all decided they would like chicken. No, said the lady, firmly. Chicken wasn't available in children's portions. And she didn't seem the type to argue with. Well, chicken was the only item the children really fancied, so I ordered them adult portions, which were served up with a couple of veg, and about three roast potatoes. Kids being kids, they asked if they could have chips, but the ubiquitous fried potato was absent from this particular hostelry. Not being keen on traditional roasts and veg, I went for the veggie dish, a sweet and sour vegetable mix on a bed of rice, and found it an acceptable if unexciting meal.

My fellow diners pronounced themselves satisfied with their ample chicken portions, if nothing else.

Then it was back to the queue, and this time it was distinctly tiresome. The heat in front of the carvery was quite uncomfortable, and the sheer volume of diners seemed temporarily to overwhelm the system as I waited some ten minutes or more. Angry shouting could be heard from the kitchen.

And I just didn't fancy the sweets, even though there was a fair range of choice. I asked, more in hope than expectation, if they had ice cream. They did, and a lady helped bring several to my table. "Busy today, isn't it?" I began conversationally. "It's always busy here," she replied, firmly. End of conversation. We ate our ice creams and left, having paid a very reasonable bill of £18.50.

I won't personally be going back to the Anchor in a hurry. But I'm pretty confident that plenty of other diners will be eagerly heading again for the Anchor tomorrow.

Restaurant: Anchor Inn

Address: Whixley

Telephone: 01423 330432

Reviewed: March 06, 1999

Food: Good - if you like traditional roasts and puddings

Value: Good

Service: Quite efficient, but no time for friendly chat

Ambience: Very busy country pub