THE Old Chequers is a charming timber-framed building in a quiet country village and it feels instantly welcoming.

As soon as you enter the premises it is plain to see that this place has been brought up-to-date through refurbishment and the contrast of modern decor and exposed wooden beams creates a nice setting.

After buying a round of drinks I sat down at a spacious table with my guests and had a good look through the clear, concise menu.

We were informed of the special dishes by our waiter and after much deliberation two of us chose the smoked haddock fishcake with watercress sauce (£5).

We were equally impressed with its taste and texture. The fish, on a bed of lettuce, was fresh and incredibly tasty. However, the same could not be said for the watercress sauce.

Fortunately, the insipid green water did not take anything away from the fish, but I could not help but feel that a sweet chilli sauce would have made this dish perfect.

My other guest chose goats' cheese and roasted vegetable tart with mixed leaves and balsamic dressing (£5). He said it was a good-sized portion and the vegetables, aubergine and carrot among them, were very fresh and the pastry light.

For mains I plumped for marinated lamb leg steak which came on a bed of well-dressed lettuce and fries (£12.50). The lamb was pure pleasure to eat. It was juicy and full of flavour and something I would recommend to all lovers of this meat.

One of my guests chose the half a Gressingham duck with plum sauce (£12.50). He said it was fantastic value, though a little overcooked for his liking, but he did enjoy the whole plum in the sauce.

My other guest chose one of the specials - a Thai chicken curry which was served with white rice and a poppadom. He said it was a perfectly-sized portion that was warming and had a good flavour. At £8.50 it was very good value, too.

After a short break we dipped into dessert. I chose the fresh fruit meringue with vanilla ice cream (£4.50). The meringue itself was very hard and a bit too sweet for me. I was also a little disappointed with the amount of fruit - raspberry and strawberry halves - on the plate but what was there was refreshing and tasty. One of my guests chose the treacle tart with custard (£4.50). He said it was nicely presented and everything he expected from a pudding like this but he wondered if it had been bought-in rather than homemade. The other guest chose mint and vanilla ice cream and said they were both tasty, but perhaps a little expensive at £4.50.

Although we did not have any wine with our meal I did notice that the pub has a good selection at reasonable prices. It is also worth noting the pub does has a lunchtime meal deal where you can buy two courses for £7.50. On the basis of my visit I would say that, too, has got to be worth a try.

THE OLD CHEQUERS INN, CROWLE GREEN, CROWLE, NEAR WORCESTER Tel: 01905 381275SERVICE: **** FOOD: *** VALUE: **** AMBIENCE: ***