BASIC pub food is on offer at a country pub in Lacey Green, and also a varied menu.

The landlady, Lynne, has been at The Black Horse for 19 years and has obviously built up a loyal customer base.

She was out chatting with the customers while I was there, which is great to see, as the pub really seems to be part of the community.

There is a nice country feel in the pub itself- with a traditional bar and snug seating surrounding it.

It was in CAMRAs good beer guide last year and has four real ales- two of which are changed each month. Although the menu is basic there is lots to choose from. For starters there is pate, soup, nachos, Camembert and potato skins.

I had prawn cocktail (£5.95). There was a generous pile of prawns in a Marie Rose sauce, which was a little too tart for me. But I liked the added touch of a large king prawn on the side. The salad was nicely done and served with two slices of buttered brown bread.

My friend, Lara had the Tempura Prawns (£5.95) which were served with a sweet chilli dip, salad and bread. They had just the right amount of battered coating.

For the mains I had the sirloin steak (£15.99). I asked for it medium rare and it was cooked just right and was a nice cut.

The rest of the meal was fine- with two halves of tomato, mushrooms and peas. I don't think the chips were home made and could have been fluffier and crisper.

Lara had the battered haddock (£8.75), which wasn't home made either. The fish could have been a better quality and the batter crunchier but it was reasonably priced.

Other options for mains include ham and eggs, omelettes, all day breakfast, salads and liver and bacon.

All desserts are £4.40 and mine was delicious.

I had the treacle sponge- it was light and fluffy with the right amount of syrup oozing over the top. Lara had the white chocolate and raspberry roulade, which had been bought in, and was a nice end to the meal.

There is quite a range of puddings (eight in total) so perhaps it would be hard for a small team to make so much choice from scratch.

For a small country pub it offers a varied menu and was very busy when we were there. The food is basic but appears reasonably priced- especially the desserts- and the treacle sponge saved the day for me.

Go to www.blackhorse-pub.co.uk