Melville Inn

Nothing beats a real log fire, so it was with great delight that we escaped the biting wind and settled down to bask in the warmth of the huge open hearth at the Melville Inn on a cold winter's night. The building was only constructed in 2008, but you would be hard pressed to notice, managing as it does to instead impart the feel of an old country pub that has been brought up to date and had new life breathed into it.

The food also combines the traditional and the modern, sitting comfortably side by side. The menu is full of your favourite pub grub, but there are some welcome and interesting additions that set it apart from the ordinary, including treats like baked whole Camembert, Mediterranean lamb and a host of everchanging specials. The beef, mushroom and Guinness pie was the best pie I've ever tasted, deep filled with slow-cooked beef topped with puff pastry. Coupled with mashed potato and seasonal greens, it was the perfect comfort food. My companion's rib-eye steak, served with seasoned chips, garden peas and a huge mushroom, was chargrilled perfectly. The fact that she fell silent whilst eating, aside from the odd murmur of approval, showed just how much she was enjoying it. The dessert menu seemed too good to miss, and the sticky toffee pudding and warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream provided the perfect conclusion to a tasty meal.

Geordie Bob Middlemiss moved up to Lasswade to open and run the Melville Inn, and it's testament to both his amiable disposition and the high standards he sets that he has acquired so many regular customers so soon. When you add an informal and welcoming atmosphere, hearty food and a fine selection of cask ales to the mix, it makes it a terrific place to indulge yourself. And with an attractive lunch menu that offers three courses for less than £10, you'll no doubt be returning again; sooner rather than later