car park.

Things are so much nicer at the White Horse in Oakington, where the cars are hidden behind a high hedge, and the garden is planted up with wisteria, clematis, honeysuckle, bamboo and golden hop - amongst many other things. There is a paved area with a pond just behind the White Horse, and then a large grassy garden to the side, with swings and a chain walk, where the kids can romp and the adults can play petanque. (There are even two teams from the pub in the local petanque league.)

This pleasant Greene King pub, an old building with low ceilings and open fires, has an informal and welcoming atmosphere. There is a bit of character to the different parts of the pub, and some interesting old photos and artefacts (and teapots) on the walls. You feel relaxed as you choose from a menu which offers the comfort of the great staples (beer battered chunky cod & chips, macaroni cheese or bangers & mustard mash) but also ventures to wild mushroom risotto or pan-fried pigeon breast with bacon and wild rocket. The pub prides itself on its home cooking, and indeed the chef came out into the garden and talked to us later, to find out what we thought of his efforts - and he did not know at that point that we were there to do a review. But we had enjoyed our meal - so that was all OK.

You could tell that there was home cooking when the chicken and ham pie arrived. The filling was generous, but the pie was not made of the usual short crust pastry or decorated with a puff pastry hat, but had rather a suet crust - soft and deep and filling. Real comfort food then. It came accompanied by cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, peas and mash, which made it all a very good plateful.

The other dish - rump steak - came with chips, which are always a good test of a kitchen, and a test which this kitchen passed with ease. The salad was a very attractive mix of leaves and peppers and so on, but the centrepiece was the steak and its scrumptious mushroom sauce. This was a sauce which made a meal; mushrooms, brandy, cream and the juices from the steak, a sauce which leads you to reach for the bread and wipe up every last smidgeon from the plate.

It was a very satisfying meal, and one that was good value too. Our conclusion was that The White Horse is a place to return to.