That first sight is quite something for the black and white Nag's Head, tucked away on the appropriately named Long Lane in the village of Haughton Moss between Bunbury and Spurstow, in one of those corners of Cheshire that preserve the best of a much tried county.
There is the same excellent sensation when you go in, with a cheerful welcome from the young barman, and a smiling waitress to show you to a table.
We didn't book, and tried that severe test of an early weekday lunchtime visit, where I have known pubs that seemed disturbed by the arrival of customers who interrupt the staff handling their accounts and cleaning the glasses.
None of that at the Nag's Head on a cold April Friday, with several couples dining already, tucked about like us in the spread of conveniently sized beamed rooms with plenty of alcoves and corners for privacy and conversation.
The decorous background music included my favourite Greensleeves but the pub was actually built in the century after its author, Henry VIII, composed his music and ran the country, and was an alehouse from its opening in 1629, blossoming now into a considerable restaurant and pub.
There was a good selection of lunchtime specials on offer, as well as the popular buffet, but we worked on the a la carte menu, with Sue choosing garlic mushrooms with figs as a starter, while I tried the pâté, a favourite after countless meals in France where they have an engaging way of plonking a huge dish before you and leaving you to dig at leisure.
But this rustic approach is not for the Nag's Head, which offered a good smooth pâté in a small bowl accompanied by three attractive bready biscuits, together with a perfectly good salad of the type I seldom eat.
Sue found the garlic mushrooms excellent, but didn't reckon the figs added anything to the dish, apart from selling it in the first place, but she always eats the salad and was perfectly satisfied.
She followed with a good sea-bass, fresh and perfectly cooked, backed by a selection of broccoli, carrots and cauliflower, with chips picked from the selection of potatoes on offer.
I went for a 'Steak Nag's Head' which proved to be a sliced fillet as medium as I specified, covered with mushrooms in a rich port and brandy sauce that required a soup style dish to contain it.
The same vegetable support accompanied the steak, which came at £18 25, while the fish was £11 50, both being about what I would have expected.
I took a pint of Bombardier, and Sue was very pleased with a glass of the house white, suitably cold and medium.
A good range of desserts provided an agony of choice, and I did well with a syrup sponge topped by a pear and served with cream, although custard or ice cream were also possibilities.
Sue opted as always for creme brulee, and was annoyed to find piped cream laid on top, which disfigures what should be a plain crisped surface.
There doesn't seem much point using a blowlamp to create that lacquered top and then to soften it with oddments, but it's quite a widespread practice, and one that should be discouraged by all right thinking diners.
After that tart comment, I approved my cup of coffee, and was glad to see that it came with two mints, although Sue hadn't ordered the beverage, so that's just another of those small points that creates the right impression.
Service was brisk and cheerful from the start, but slackened off slightly as the meal progressed, but taken all round, the Nag's Head is welcoming and efficient, and combines good food with a cheerful atmosphere, which obviously attracts plenty of regulars to a well run house.
It's a small general grumble, which does not refer particularly to the Nag's Head, but although most of our bad habits come to us from America, we rarely copy their good ones, such as the way their waiters never ask who is having what when they bring the dishes; they always remember even if there are 10 of you!
Factfile:
Location: The Nag's Head, Haughton.Lunch from 12 noon, with the a la carte menu available all day and every day, and a daily lunchtime buffet between 12 and 2 pm. Not to mention a good Sunday roast and plenty of seasonal specials.
Tel: 01829 260265.
Best thing: Large menu and good food.
Would suit: Any food buff, and anyone who likes beamed ceilings and Cheshire black and white.
Worst thing: Needless piped cream on the crème brulee, which was otherwise fine.
Bill: Two lavish meals with a pint of bitter and a glass of wine cost £56 65.
