THE Castle Inn at Sheriff Hutton is a traditional village pub which serves a decent meal that won't break the bank.

Driving through the historical village you pass the imposing ruins of Sheriff Hutton Castle. You could quite easily miss the pub but a quick detour down Main Street and there it is.

This pub seems to be aimed at the local customer rather than the tourist market. But don't let that put you off, we were made to feel welcome.

The Castle Inn is very traditional - so traditional that it did not take debit or credit cards, which most people expect nowadays. Be warned there are no nearby cash points so make sure you take cash.

The menu is limited with no starters but there is a good selection of main courses and sandwiches. The sign outside says 'pub grub' and pub grub is what you get.

Management team Des Emmerson and Lisa Snaith have been in place for only four months and say they are slowly building up the menu, so this could well change.

We arrived early on a Monday lunch time, so early we were there before the chef, but the staff were helpful and sat us down with a drink as we waited.

The menu features good pub fare such as steaks, chicken dishes and fish. Everything was reasonably priced with a 16oz steak at £9.95, lamb shank for £6.95 and sandwiches for £1.50.

Des he is happy to cater for children and will offer most of the meals on the menu in a kids portion at half price.

With it being first thing on a Monday, the pub was empty and we chose to enjoy the sunshine and sit at tables outside with an orange juice and lemonade (£1) and a soda and blackcurrant (40p).

To eat, I ordered a nando chicken (£5.95) while my other half went for chicken kiev (£4.95). It took a while for the food to arrive but we had turned up early and didn't mind sitting in the sunshine.

My nando chicken was good quality, not overcooked and covered in a delicious spicy sauce. The chips didn't quite live up to the chicken, but there was plenty of fresh salad and coleslaw to fill the plate.

Tony's chicken kiev was lovely and crispy on the outside and was filled with tender chicken and a delicious garlic sauce.

For desert the menu is again limited with one or two puddings to choose from, although the menu asks you to check with staff for more options.

Due to the extremely hot weather Tony skipped dessert, while a bowl of vanilla ice cream was all I could manage. It was enormous, as well as being delicious and cooling.

Sheriff Hutton is a lovely village and The Castle is an ideal place to stop off if you are visiting the area. You are able to get a good hearty meal at decent prices.

Our bill came to £13.80 for two main courses, a dessert and drinks - which is good value in anybody's book.

The Castle Inn, Sheriff Hutton. Tel 01347 878335

Rosemary and Tony visited the Castle Inn on August 4.

Updated: 10:41 Saturday, August 09, 2003