the eighteenth century Mill. Surrounded by tables for waterside eating and drinking and with the mill wheel turning; the Mill is a place to savour on the outside before you step down into the building itself, reincarnated into a lively bar and restaurant. Mind your head on the very low beam as you approach the bar, where real ales are on tap!

You have many choices of where to eat. Alfresco is lovely - when it is warm enough. There are several rooms on the ground floor, to enjoy snacks in an old-fashioned and homely atmosphere. Head up the first set of stairs and you reach the first of four separate areas to eat meals, spread over three different floors. The largest room has nearly 80 covers, and on a busy weekend evening was buzzing with customers. Wooden floorboards and heavy roof beams testify to the origins of this building, endorsed by the use of deliberately mismatched chairs and bare wooden tables. Rather bizarrely, one end of the main restaurant has a small more modern area with carpet, bistro style furniture and coffee coloured walls - perhaps a relic of one of the several refurbishments this building has been through over the last decade.

Food is based upon simple good quality grills. Starters had a rather 1970's feel: whitebait, prawn cocktail and a tomato and basil soup for example. A smoked chicken and bacon pate was tasty and accompanied by onion relish. A main course of rump steak produced a well flavoured piece of meat, cooked just as requested. The accompanying chips were brown, crisp and piping hot. There was also a bowl of salad: crisp and fresh, if a little uninspired. The pork and apple sausages were quite a hit, subtly flavoured and well cooked, accompanied with a good dollop of mash, some good thick gravy and green beans. Continuing the 70s theme, we finished with sticky toffee pudding and custard: suitably sticky and satisfyingly sweet.

Service is much better than the average grill. Chatty and friendly, the waitresses must also be very fit (three flights of stairs from kitchen to main restaurant!), and highly organised. We were surprised at how well the small staff team managed to effectively monitor and serve customers in all the nooks and crannies of this idiosyncratic building on a busy summer evening.

Food may not be particularly sophisticated here, but it is tasty and good value. The real draw is undoubtedly the building itself, the riverside surroundings and the cheerful, family-friendly service. Long food service hours, including Sunday evenings is also a great plus.