a small stream are a line of old houses, leading up to the Three Tuns itself.

Painted beige the pub is clearly the focal point of the village and, as the menu notes point out, it has been since time immemorial. Taking over the pub in 2006 the current landlords Mark and Sam Fuller were no strangers to the venue or the village as Sam's parents ran The Three Tuns back in the 1980s.

Once through the sturdy wooden door reinforced with iron bands, a superbly old fashioned heritage style pub greets one. Now don't be deluded - this isn't one of those remodelled jobs pretending to capture a certain pub ambience - this is the real ticket.

What's really interesting here is how only a curtain divides the pub into two very distinct halves. A raised dining area is separated from the bar and two drinking areas by a velvety red curtain. It's an evocative touch. As the landlord described the curtain goes up in winter to make the restaurant feel more homely and then it comes down in the summer months opening it all up.

The drinking parts of the pub are stone floored, very wooden with lots of farming style trinkets on display, brass horsy implements, that sort of thing. But this is a real working pub, not some toy. There's a fruit machine in the corner; the lunch menu is exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to find. Lasagne with chips etc.

By contract the dining area behind that luscious red curtain has the feel of an aunt's living room. It's carpeted, the wooden chairs are padded and set around wide wooden tables. Old prints of the pub are on the walls and porcelain adorns a sideboard. Add the dark wooden beams and the relaxing twilight of an old building and all that's missing is the ominous tick of an old clock. There was one in the bar area but we couldn't hear it!

In keeping with the theme of a real working pub inhabiting an old building, the bar serves a capable range of beers, led by Greene King IPA. The area behind the bar is sparse but well presented. The food is hearty pub grub with few pretensions and plenty of starch. We try the lunchtime beef and ale pie with new potatoes and with chips (one of the party has thrown caution to the wind). For a lunchtime quickie it's deeply welcome. Well presented desserts follow.

The main menu consists of solid fare such as homemade beef lasagne and a good selection of grills. All the main courses are hand made at the pub using ingredients from local suppliers. The meat for example comes from T & S Thomas Butchers of Godmanchester. Many of the desserts are made by Sam Fuller's father, the former landlord.

Although it's a blustery autumnal day on our visit, the outside area at the Three Tuns looks exceptionally inviting for sunny days. Two sets of covered seating are spread about a large (and very well tended) pub garden with the centrepiece being a large children's play castle. Playgrounds seem to have improved immeasurably since our days wearing short trousers.