COULD this be the start of a national chain, or is it just the same place we visited a year or two ago but with a new name?

Situated on the A19 just south of the York ring road this venue proved to be a busy lunch spot.

Heavy goods vehicles are prohibited from the car park but this did not deter many snackers who were clearly working in the area. In fact I got the distinct impression that many were regulars.

The menu is fairly simple. Apart from the day's specials, which included roast beef and Yorkshire, home-made cottage pie and jacket potatoes with various fillings (all priced at £2.95), there were the predictable fried offerings too.

Cold as it was on the day of my visit, I declined the day's soup (tomato) with a roll at £1.95 and ordered a gammon steak with pineapple and chips which, with mushrooms as an extra, at £4.

There was quite a delay before my plate was delivered to the table. Watching some of the two dozen or so people who came in after me I concluded that they must have a standard order at a fixed time as they were served promptly. No worry. When my meal did arrive it was piping hot.

The gammon was generous in size, the chips and mushrooms just about right with an unexpected addition of peas, green beans and diced carrot.

I contemplated having a pudding but ran out of time. Pity because I spotted 'trickle' roly poly on the board. Was this a house speciality or a spelling error?

The throughput of customers was swift with tables being cleared quickly. Since our last visit, the furniture has been replaced and all tables and chairs are now free standing. The carpet and decor looked fresh and the couple running the caf keen to please.