Inspired by a story in last week's Bar Talk about French workers at the new glass factory at Eggbrough tucking into British meat at a local pub, I decided a nice, juicy steak would suit me to a T.

I've never pandered to all the warnings about beef, or eggs, or anything, for that matter, but now beef is firmly back on the bone it was time to talk the Eating Out editor into letting me make a trip to Warthill.

The Agar Arms has been serving up steaks in the pub by the pond for going on 30 years and I do like to keep popping back to see if all is well.

There have been changes in that time - and a few ups and downs - but several people were already tucking in when we arrived, always a good sign, especially on a mid-week night.

A jolly lady was behind the bar and didn't bat an eyelid when I made slight amendments to our order, twice.

And the pub is still as warm and cosy as before; in fact we had to prop the door open at one point as the balmy March night made the glowing fire redundant.

I really didn't need to look at the menu. I had had a vision of peppered sirloin in my mind all the way there. For Chris there was no hesitating either and he ordered a 20oz T-bone.

We could have chosen from a selection of other dishes - I was almost tempted by the Creole chicken - and there were several vegetarian options, but in the main, meals are steak, steak, or steak.

Ravenous after a day in the fresh air, we ordered starters. Chris chose breaded camembert with cranberry, from the specials board, and I dipped in with potato skins and barbecue sauce.

Both were tasty, but we wished we had foregone them when our main meals arrived.

My sirloin weighed in at 12oz of prime tender meat with not a trace of fat. It was crusty with peppercorns and the sauce had a nice, spicy bite. I'm not that fond of boring peas so I had ordered ratatouille instead for 50p extra. Well worth it too, very tasty, tangy and tomatoey.

A touch of green salad and a pile of chunky chips topped off both meals although you couldn't get much more on to Chris's plate for the meat, which he set about with a surgeon's precision.

Well, was it worth the wait for the politicians to tell us what we can and can't eat?

He declared it to be very, very tasty but said he hadn't felt unduly deprived before the ban was lifted. He nevertheless polished off the lot.

Puddings? You must be joking, even though the American rum and raisin cheesecake sounded good, as did the raspberry meringue.

But we did succumb to a Gaelic coffee to end the meal on a sweet note.

Our bill came to just over £37, not particularly cheap, but it was worth the trip to see the Agar has survived the beef crisis and is as good as ever.

The Agar Arms, Warthill, (turn left off road to Stamford Bridge),York. Tel: 01904 488142

Restaurant: Agar Arms

Address: Warthill

Telephone: 01904 488142

Reviewed: March 11, 2000

Food: ****carnivore's delight

Value: ***side orders can add up

Service: *****with a smile

Ambience: ****warm and cosy

Disabled access:no

PICTURE:It's steak, steak and steak at The Agar Arms at Warthill