IT’S hard to beat a good wholesome home-cooked meal in the welcoming surrounds of a friend’s house but I would say the closest I have come is a visit to the Chequers at Cutnall Green, near Worcester.

As soon as you walk through the door you can feel the warm and welcoming atmosphere. For a pub/restaurant it feels like home from home.

The staff are extremely friendly and attentive – without being overbearing – while the building feels and looks a bit like a farmhouse inside with its beamed walls and ceilings, classic heavyweight curtains, stone floors and an abundance of natural wood.

The ruby coloured walls in the dinning area give it a particularly cosy feeling.

Diners can start with a choice of different breads but we decided to go straight in for the starters. There was a selection of eight and two of us had the warm smoked ham, pea and leek tart topped with salad leaves and a beautiful honey and mustard dressing (£5.75). It was light, full of flavour and perfectly balanced. My other guest chose the sweetcorn and coriander cream soup with red pepper puree and garlic toast (£4.75).

This was a thick, filling bowl of soup which my guest thought a little bland to start but by the time she finished, she had changed her mind as it had “grown on her”.

There was a selection of six main courses, four additional ones on a specials board and five pub classics as an alternative.

I selected the grilled sea bass fillet, caesar salad, garlic croutons, crispy bacon and herb crushed potato (£14.50). Once again this was perfectly balanced with the delicate flavour of the fish, crunchy salad and herby flavour of the potatoes.

Both my guests chose from the pub classics and one had the Scotch beef steak pie and mash with onion gravy (£8.95) while the other went for the slow braised faggots, cheesy mash and peas with gravy (£9.20).

All main courses come as complete meals but you can also pick and choose extras so my guests had a panache of vegetables (£3.25) between them.

Tender and tasty was the description of the beef pie, which seemed to disappear with half the vegetables in a flash, while the two cricket ball-sized faggots were described as very meaty and full of flavour. One guest struggled to finish her meal and reluctantly left most of the second faggot.

We were all glad we left enough room for dessert. I had pear in mulled wine with silky smooth vanilla ice cream, flaked almonds and pieces of honeycomb (£5).

My guests had the super light and creamy rhubarb and custard creme brulee (£5.25) and the strawberry glory (£5.50) which was layers of strawberries in a sauce between layers of a creamy mixture with crushed meringue and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the top. We all agreed that this was a faultless meal in a wonderfully inviting setting and deserved top marks. No wonder the Chequers won the Worcestershire Dining Pub of the Year award in 2007.

HOW IT RATED

The Chequers, Kidderminster Road, Cutnall Green, near Droitwich Telephone: 01299 851292

Food ***** Value for money ***** Ambience ***** Service *****