Peter Martini makes a French connection with Hazlewood Castle.

I was on a primary school trip the last time I went to Hazlewood Castle.

All I can remember, apart from the usual larking about, was a dopey kid mis-kicking his football in a big fishpond and trying to entice it back towards him by dragging a stick in the water (not realising he merely made ripples that took the ball further away).

I didn't remember it being such a fine old building, an exclusive hotel situated in beautiful surroundings, but then you don't at that age, do you?

I visited the castle again this week with Louise to try out its restaurant. We'd initially planned to sample its dinner menu, but decided to go for lunch instead; at least this way we got to enjoy the location in the September sun.

The approach to the castle is off the A64 just before the A1 (15 miles from York but barely 15 minutes' drive on the dual carriageway). After turning off, you enter a long tree-lined drive amid attractive woodland, and the entrance alone suggests you are going somewhere sophisticated.

Iron gates open automatically and lead to a car park which, it would seem, used to be a walled garden. (By the way, to leave, you need to ask at the hotel reception for a security code to open the gates from the inside.) A short walk through gardens heads to steps up to the hotel reception, and down to the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant called Anise, which was taken on by French chef Valerie Hamelin in March.

The eatery was the former Prickly Pear bistro - the main hotel restaurant used to be in an adjacent annex, but that is now a function room. Anise has retained the bistro feel, with old brick walls and low ceilings, plus single roses on each table, making for an agreeable atmosphere which would suit romantic couples as well as refined groups.

Nevertheless, we decided to make use of the last days of summer and sit on the patio looking across the well-tendered lawns, mature trees and distant fields. There were 13 dishes on the lunch menu, ranging from soup of the day with French bread (£4.75) to fillet steak (£16.95), thus serving all appetites.

Louise tried the soup (today it was leek veloute) and it was pleasant enough. The French bread was one slice of French loaf, in the form of a little island in the soup, with a cut of parsley being the palm tree.

Being quite peckish (greedy), I had the croque madame as a starter followed by a braised shank of lamb as a main meal.

To the highly critical, the croque madame (£6.75) was an expensive cheese and ham toastie with a fried egg on top. But it was good, and the egg was fried to runny perfection.

The shank of lamb (£14.50) was excellent, with the meat simply falling off the bone. It was tender, juicy and tasty, and it came with a delightful rosemary mashed potato, seasonal vegetables and lamb jus, which finished it off perfectly.

Lou was in two minds about her main meal. She chose the "ever-popular" Hazlewood freshly battered cod with chunky chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce, which, at £8.95, was not much pricier than you might pay in a pub.

The chips were average, while she said the battered fish, although delicious to start with, became a bit sickly after a while, the fish perhaps not well done enough for her liking. It was all a tad too oily, too, as shown by the amount of grease on the Financial Times' greaseproof paper (a nice touch).

That said, I tried some and thought it was fine, while we overheard (ear-wigged) another diner say her fish and chips had been "delicious".

Talking of other customers, there had been quite a few for a Tuesday lunchtime. Most, we guessed, were hotel residents, though a handful came along just for lunch.

We indulged in a blackberry frangipane tart (£4.95) to round things off and it was delicious, if not particularly healthy, served with a brandy snap containing thick ice cream and a shard of chocolate.

The service had also been good. In fact, when my croque madame was brought out, the waiter noticed a fly had "just committed suicide" on the egg and, without hesitation or request, returned the plate to the kitchen.

The total bill, when you add in a cup of tea (£2.25), glass of coke (£2) and two lime and lemonades (£3.70), came to £47.10, which, though somewhat pricier than your average packed lunch, wasn't bad value given the refinement of it all.

(It actually should have been £47.60 but I'd been charged for a croque monsieur, which comes without the egg, and we only realised half-way home. The extra 50p is in the post.) Restaurant Anise, Hazlewood Castle, Tadcaster.

Tel: 01937 535317.

Peter visited on Tuesday, September 12, 2006.

Fact file

Food: classy
Service: excellent
Value: suitable
Ambience: refined
Disabled access: Yes