Twelve of us, in all, descended upon The Dark Horse, and a very nice pub it is, too. Good atmosphere, good beer and friendly staff. It’s amazing how much atmosphere candles can make and I’m surprised so few pubs use them.

We had a large table which we had pretty much all night, from 7.30pm onwards, and judging how busy it was, it was just as well we did have it, as there would have been no other spare seats to sit on otherwise.

The hot haddock smokie to start was a popular choice. Smoked haddock cooked with cream, tomato and topped with melted cheese was a very tasty way to start off. The smoked salmon carpaccio which I had a taste of was also very good. Unfortunately, the waiter or chef had forgotten one of the starters, but when mentioned, the waiter apologised profusely and managed to bring the missing dish fairly quickly.

The curried chicken and chickpea pie I had as a main was not particularly inspiring, but not bad either. Others fared less well, saying that both the slow roasted pork belly and the steak were far too dry.

With the food, we ordered a, well several actually, Brazilian Cabernet Sauvignons which were very drinkable indeed and an unusual sight on the unpretentious wine list.

Overall I did enjoy the food and the pub, and would go again. I’m not sure they were that good at dealing with a large group, so if and when I return it will be with a more modest sized gang.

Considering the many bottles of wine we consumed, a bill of £25 per head was pretty good value for money, all told. Starters were around a fiver a head, with the main courses around the tenner mark.