Lock House Café, Linton Locks (From York Press)

Lock House Café, Linton Locks

2:35pm Saturday 17th July 2010 in Food & Drink By Graeme Robertson

OFF the road between Newton and Linton on Ouse, this café is well signposted with a prominent Yorkshire flag at the entrance.

An unmade road takes you past caravan and camping sites to Lock House, poised, as its name suggests, above the lock.

There were three seating options; inside, on a terrace or at picnic tables on the grass. Because of a strong breeze, we elected to sit inside. In addition to jacket potatoes, the menu offered gammon, egg and pineapple with chips and peas (£7.50), scampi, lasagne, chicken Parmesan or homemade steak and ale pie (priced at £6 to £7). For the light bite, toasties and sandwiches are priced from £2 upwards.

Ann took me by surprise by requesting the £5 all-day breakfast (a first in 14 years snacking out!) but could she have a bit more black pudding instead of bacon. No problem.

So with an egg, sausage, baked beans, a tinned tomato, not forgetting the black pudding she was well satisfied. Two slices of toast and a mug of tea were included in the price.

I selected a spicy bean burger (£2) with chips (£1.50). The food was piping hot, having been cooked to order and the burger was, as stated, spicy. However, with a mug of tea, I really enjoyed my snack.

Snags? There are no public toilets and it might be a little hard to push a wheelchair from the parking area along the unmade path to the café.

Benefits? The opportunity to get away from it all, watch the wildlife, the anglers patiently waiting for a bite, and listen to the relentless sound of water as it cascaded over the nearby weir.

We spotted a sign on the wall – “I can only please one person a day – today is not your day!”. Don’t you believe it, Mr Host. Hearing your son offer to carry shopping from the car without being asked said it all.