IT'S sometimes hard to find a country pub that provides top notch food as well as a cosy, homely atmosphere. But this is exactly what Bant's at Upton Snodsbury manages to do.

With all the warming atmosphere of a traditional country pub, you can enjoy a quiet drink in the bar or sit in a comfy sofa while you look at the fairly extensive menu to see what's on offer for an evening meal.

Staff were pleasant and attentive - always a winner - and not at all put out by the fact we were late for our booking; even giving my friend and I a hand making the tricky decision on what to have from the enticing menu.

The restaurant itself is an expansive conservatory with just the right ambience to enjoy good food and, if we had been drinking wine, the perfect place to enjoy a glass from the huge list with plenty of choices served by the glass - again a great feature that is sadly lacking in so many places.

For starters I opted for asparagus served with lemon butter which came with delicate triangles of bread and butter. Well-cooked and beautifully presented, it was just right to whet the appetite. My counterpart chose goats' cheese which came served on a crispy ciabatta, with red pesto and topped with walnuts.

He said the pesto was the perfect complement to the cheese, but the bread was slightly too crusty for his liking.

For main course I chose one of the specials - baked cod served on spinach mashed potato with crispy bacon and a cheese sauce. The cod was perfectly cooked and the mash incorporated the spinach well. However, I am not a huge fan of cheese sauce and I admit this was a gamble. It proved too overpowering and completely disguised any taste of the otherwise delicate and beautifully-cooked fish.

My friend chose a classic fillet steak, which came with chips, a generous helping of caramelised onions and tomatoes.

He said the steak was perfectly cooked, just as he had asked, and declared himself impressed by the fare. Full as we were, dessert was not an option and, with a few beers thrown in for good measure, our bill came to £58.65.

We thought this was more than fair for good food, brilliant service, and a great environment in which to eat.

Bant's is definitely one to return to, if only to try all the choices on the set menu, let alone the specials.

BANT'S,UPTON SNODSBURY, NEAR WORCESTERTel: 01905 381282SERVICE: ****FOOD: ****VALUE: ***AMBIENCE:****