THE Harrow in Hughenden Valley is a village pub aiming to serve "pub food done nicely." And the menu offers just that- decent, home cooked pub food.

Sean O'Rourke and Fi Brocklebank took over the place five years ago in March.

They said it has been an uphill struggle to get people coming back but within the last year it has really picked up.

Over the summer they are well known for offering a great burger menu and as the nights are now getting longer and the weather colder they are serving wholesome, warming dishes.

There is a bar section, where people can go to enjoy a pint, and then a restaurant area too. There is lots of space- you won't find yourself squeezed in here.

This is actually quite a plus point for me as sometimes you feel you are joining in with the next table's conversation when they are placed too close together.

For starters I had the seafood platter which consisted of scampi, whitebait, squid and fish goujons served with tartare sauce and bread and butter (£5.90).

I couldn't believe how much there was on the wooden platter, which was all served with a fresh side salad.

There was a healthy pile of well battered whitebait, which my boyfriend Tom willingly helped me out with.

The scampi and salmon goujons were both tasty with a good breadcrumb coating. The squid was a tad tough, unfortunately, but again the crisp batter was well done.

Tom went for the chicken pakora (£5.10).

The chunks of chicken were covered in a spicy batter and served with a sweet chilli dip. The chicken was succulent, the batter was not overly spicy and it was finished off well with the dip.

Other starters include soup of the day, which was vegetable, pate, mushrooms on toast and a meat platter.

I have to confess I was feeling pretty full when it got to the mains.

I had one of the specials which was steak and kidney traditional steamed suet pudding (£11.90). It was served with gravy, champ potato and seasonal vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots).

It was a huge portion and I could not finish it. The pudding was a great winter warmer- with rich gravy and well cooked kidney and steak. It was served on top of a big pile of creamy mash potato.

Tom went for the fish and chips with peas and tartare sauce (£10.50). The chips were stacked up on each other like a game of Jenga and served with their skins on- they tasted great.

The white fish was well cooked and tasted very fresh and the batter was not too greasy- it was light and crisp.

Other mains include steak, macaroni cheese, chilli con carne and burger.

And then onto puddings- which we simply could not manage.

I had to resist the roly poly pudding and chocolate brownie, for fear of not being able to move off my seat afterwards.

The Harrow offers a good pub menu and the food is wholesome and basic- yet well done. It also offers very good value as the portions are big and hearty. I hope it continues to thrive as a village pub.

For more details go to www.harrowhughenden.co.uk