I WENT on a recce before this particular Eating Out assignment. I had heard that the local branch of CAMRA had recently made the Crown & Cushion at Welburn its country pub of the season, and naturally wanted to check if the real ale really was that good.

But I also wanted to find out if I could make the pub the half-way point in a nice country walk.

I prefer working up an appetite and a thirst before eating out, rather than arriving on the doorstep by car, feeling queasy and soporific.

Well, the beer was good and the walk was a pleasant one-mile stroll each way along lanes and farm tracks, and across fields where horses grazed.

So come a midweek day off and some more of this autumn's mild, misty and mellow weather, I repeated the exercise with my wife - only this time with food in mind as well as beer.

We parked up near Castle Howard, and walked along a reasonably well-signed route to Welburn, a pretty little village with roses round some of the doors.

The welcome in the pub was friendly - although I think I'd steer well away if I were a fox. A stuffed one had pride of place in the bar and notices on the wall showed this was definitely hunting country, stating: "Shoot dinners.

Gentlemen, do you need somewhere to be fed and watered before or after a hard day's hunting?"

On the walls were a number of amusing cartoons by The Press's own Wolf, whom I gather lives in the area.

We ate at an unpretentious table in the bar and I ordered a pint of the guest beer - Copper Dragon Golden Pippin brewed at Skipton Brewery, which was lovely and might have merited a CAMRA accolade in itself, I felt. An eclectic selection of other beers was suggested on a blackboard near the bar.

There was a limited selection of lunchtime items on the menu sitting on the table, and we chose exclusively from the specials blackboard.

My wife opted for the homemade soup of the day, for £3.25, after discovering it was carrot and coriander, while I decided that this particular real man could eat quiche, particularly when it was homemade with peppers and leak, for £3.75.

The soup was lovely, said my wife - not bland as one might have expected but with a distinctively hot and spicy edge. The slice of quiche was as good as quiche can be; no complaints from this real man.

For mains, my wife opted for "Catch of the Day" swordfish for £9.55, while I chose roast Wintringham Partridge for £9.50, with two portions of chips costing an extra £3.50.

The partridge arrived, a complete fowl, served with an absolutely delicious apricot cream sauce and various vegetables including red cabbage and carrots.

The meat was tasty though a little less tender than I had expected, and I was a little concerned to see red juices seeping from one of the wings. But I was assured me this was normal for such a game dish and I did indeed come to no harm.

The sauce made a marvellous accompaniment to the meat. My wife found her fish a little dry, although the lime and mustard crust was tasty enough, and I generously donated some of my sauce.

The chips were smashing, golden brown and full of flavour.

The quantities were also good, and my wife retired from the fray, but I battled gamely on to sample a dessert, picking a cointreau and chocolate mousse for £3.95, which was very rich and strong - a little too rich for me to finish.

The Crown & Cushion is run by Chris Bennett - himself a real ale fan - and Claire Garbutt, who took it over in 2005, since when they have transformed the building and refurbished the gloomy tap room.

It won its CAMRA award after being nominated by a secret drinker from CAMRA, and drinkers now come from miles around to sample the guest beers.

The total bill came to £39.80, which seemed okay for some pretty good food at a pleasant pub, and it was certainly well worth our journey and walk.

The Crown & Cushion, Welburn.

01653 618304.

Mike visited the pub on October 3

factfile

Food: Very good Service: FriendlyValue: OK Ambience: Country pubDisabled loos: YES