TRYING somewhere new to eat out is often a nerve-wracking experience. Will the food be up to scratch and the service be good?

As we ate out at The Bolingbroke Arms, Hook, near Wootton Bassett, though, there was no need to worry. The food was generally very good and the service excellent.

The Bolingbroke used to be a pub but is now also a hotel and has a dining room. We went there on a Saturday night and the pub was full of couples and parties of friends.

We had booked a table and after ordering drinks at the bar, we looked through the menu while we sat down near to a jukebox playing sixties songs.

I thought the pub area with pine tables and chairs, white-washed walls and flowery curtains was homely, although Keith thought while it was pleasant the lighting was too bright.

After choosing our food, we were shown through to the dining room. On the way, we passed two or three tables that were behind rattan screens and looked very cosy.

While there was enough room between the tables in the square dining room, and the lighting was subtle, we felt the room was clinical. The lemon-white walls had prints hung up and there was background music, but we felt the room could have done with some warmer colours and some plants to brighten it up.

For starters, I plumped for garlic mushrooms which were cooked in white wine and garlic cloves and served with brown bread (£3.75) while Keith chose the calamari, battered fried squid rings which were served on a bed of lettuce with lemon dressing (£3.75).

Although the food was generally good, my starter was the most disappointing meal of the evening.

It consisted of a pot of mushrooms accompanied with slithers of brown bread and although the mushrooms were tasty there needed to be something more, such as a salad garnish, to keep me interested.

Keith, who adores fish, said his calamari was nicely cooked and wasn't chewy as is often the case. The lemon dip was subtle and the lettuce was crisp.

For the main course I chose the special which was tenderloin of pork pan fried in oil with a cider, apple and cream sauce (£10.50), while Keith chose the eight- ounce sirloin steak with fries, peas, mushrooms and onion rings (£10.50).

The pork was attractively presented stacked up on the sauce with a slice of orange and chunk of apple.

It was accompanied by a dish containing a generous portion of vegetables comprising slithers of carrots, sliced leeks, peas and potatoes cooked in a gorgeous herby, tomato sauce.

The pork melted in the mouth and was exquisite and Keith's steak was cooked exactly as he had requested.

He helped me to finish off the vegetables and we greedily tucked in, determined not to leave any. As a result, he could not manage a dessert but purely in the interests of research I decided chocolate heaven (£3.75), sounded too good not to try.

It consisted of layers of plain white and milk chocolate topped with chocolate fondant. It was served on a scribble of rich chocolate sauce and was yummy.

The bill included three rounds of drinks and came to £40.

Jill Crooks

Fact File

Vegetarian options although limited

Children under the age of 14 not allowed entry

Lunchtime menu

All major credit cards accepted

Plenty of car parking

Disabled access

Specials board

Non-smoking restaurant

Vegetarian options although limited

Open lunchtimes Friday, Saturday and Sunday and every evening except Sunday

Booking recommended for weekends. Tel 01793 852357