The Marcia, 29 Main Street, Bishopthorpe, York

MUCH like me, my parents have three hobbies: breakfast, lunch and dinner. From the moment we rise until bedtime, it's a full-time occupation keeping our appetites satisfied.

When they visit from their home in Edinburgh, we have weekends of total indulgence, visiting favourite coffee shops, bistros and restaurants.

Forget the Gay Gordons and meet the Greedy Gordons!

Last weekend, the fun began on Friday teatime at Totos in Fishergate, where we took advantage of the happy hour meal deal: any pizza or pasta for £4.95. We passed on pudding, however, for back at home I had a lemon and lime sticky cake from Bettys waiting to be appreciated.

On Saturday, they volunteered for babysitting, so had to make do with a ready-meal from Sainsbury's, which I blasted in the microwave before locking myself in the bathroom to get ready for that rarest of occurrences: a date with my husband. A dinner one, of course.

Sunday arrived and Mum and Dad were determined we all go out for lunch. One of their favourite haunts is The Marcia pub in Bishopthorpe. And it is easy to see why. It offers a three-course lunch for £10.95, with portions to challenge the hungriest members of the Gordon clan. You can sit in the light and airy conservatory, or settle for a less formal and more cosy spot in the bar.

Food at The Marcia is of the pile-it-high/sell-it-cheap nature. So be warned: order three courses at your peril (or if you can afford to write off the rest of the day snoozing).

The menu has a good choice of favourites, from prawn cocktail and homemade soup, to roast dinners and fish and chips. Veggies come on the side, in huge silver platters. There is a kids' menu too, selling nursery favourites with chips, but I always just ask for a side plate to share my meal with our three-year-old, Eva.

We agreed to skip starters, reserving our right to have pudding. Mum and Dad ordered roast lamb with all the trimmings, my husband, Nick, and I picked fish and chips. Our waitress also took our drinks order and returned with an orange juice for Eva, a white-wine spritzer for me and a bottle of house dry white wine for Mum and Nick.

Our meals arrived promptly and we were glad we hadn't ordered a starter. The fish filled half of the large oval plate, with scores of golden chips flooding the other side. The batter was crisp and deep golden. The fish was fresh, which was just as well since it was on the side of being slightly under done. Another couple of minutes in the fryer and it would have been bright-white brilliant.

Nick and I would have liked the condiments served in dishes rather than those fiddly little sachets which seem to only contain and thimble of ketchup.

Mum and Dad's plates featured slices of lamb covered in gravy and a single Yorkshire pudding. Veggies, including roast potatoes, cauliflower and cheese and carrots came on the side.

One bite of the lamb saw Mum recalling the waitress. "I'm sorry dear, but this lamb is so tough, I cannot eat it." Dad concurred. With apologies, the waitress whisked away their plates and offered them an alternative. They both chose beef and a few minutes later, our waitress returned with their new meals and a second round of apologies.

Mum and Dad found no complaint with the roast beef: tender and full of flavour. Their admiration for The Marcia was restored.

After a rest, the pudding menu was considered: cheesecake, chocolate fudge cake and the interesting-sounding fruits of the forest fruits were on offer, but Mum, Dad and Nick all picked the toffee pie, described as a toffee cheesecake on a biscuit base. It came with cream or ice cream. Again, the portion was generous and, although it was not home made, it was tasty enough. Eva had a bowl of chocolate ice cream which took half an hour to finish.

At a neighbouring table, a colleague of my husband was dining with his family and friends. They all had starters and when we saw the size of the prawn cocktail, we were glad we'd given it a miss.

For sheer value, the three-course lunch at The Marcia is hard to fault. Friends have been during the week and have high praise for its evening menu, which boasts pizza, chilli and salmon at excellent prices.

Most of the waitresses are young and although polite and efficient, tended towards forgetfulness. Dad ordered a coffee, which we had to ask for again and it took 20 minutes to arrive. I had to go to the kitchen to summon someone to settle the bill of £52.95.

Back home, Mum and Dad's attention turned to holidays and how they wanted to go on a diet before their trip next month. I recommended the Atkins Diet for rapid weight loss.

My dad was happy soul, driving back to Scotland safe in the knowledge he could have a diet of fry-ups for breakfast and still look good on the beach.

The Marcia, 29 Main Street, Bishopthorpe, York.

Tel: 01904 706185 Maxine visited on Sunday, May 20, 2006 Food: overwhelming.

Service: up and down.

Value: great.

Ambience: relaxed.

Disabled access: No