YORK residents may avoid Shambles as a matter of course.

The street is frequently full of visitors. It is also difficult to walk on the uneven cobbles.

But neither of these factors should prevent the occasional foray along this medieval thoroughfare, where there are a number of notable eateries.

The Earl Grey tea rooms are deceptively large. In addition to three connecting rooms downstairs, there is additional accommodation upstairs and a sheltered area outside.

We were warmly greeted and invited to sit anywhere on the ground floor. A chalk board at the door advertised sausage and mash at £5.85. This sounded a good option, but by the time I had read my way through the menu I had forgotten my good intentions.

If you prefer to eat heartily there is a smoked fish platter for £7.99. Chicken Caesar (£8.50) and Greek (£7.85) salads were also available. On a lighter note, we saw scrambled and poached eggs on toast being served.

Ann was content with a sandwich. They were priced from £4.45 to £6.75. For her, a tuna and cumber (£4.65) in brown bread was acceptable. This came with garnish including a good helping of grated carrots.

I couldn't resist the soup of the day - spicy parsnip. This was exceptionally good, served at just the right temperature. A basket of mixed rolls appeared for me to choose from, together with a dish of butter. Ann was satisfied with her sandwich, but that did not prevent her from sharing a toasted teacake. We agreed this was probably the hottest teacake we had sampled in our years of snacking.

There was a steady flow of customers during our visit. From snatches of overheard conversation, all appeared to be visitors to York. Come on readers, this is a venue worth visiting, that is unless the upstairs toilets would prove a difficulty.