The Ferry, Cookham

Well, if I'm honest, I'd hoped that my first post would be about somewhere altogether more extraordinary...it's not some chic city eaterie but one of these eating houses that seem to be taking over much of the country. Somewhere between a pub and a restaurant, these can be a mixed bag and previous visits to The Ferry (http://www.theferry.co.uk/index.htm) have varied, but today was a pretty good one. The place itself is well decorated with comfy leather chairs in the bar, smarter tables in the restaurant area and views over the Thames and Cookham bridge. On a sunny day, the chances of getting a table on the riverside terrace are thin but it's a good year-round spot for a drink, with plenty of space for drinkers as well eaters.

Trying to find somewhere for lunch at 3pm on a Sunday can be a risky game, and past experiences have been of uncleared tables, exhausted waiting staff and the dried up remains of the roast beef. There were plenty of tables available for McFoodie (a.k.a. hubby) and I, although we were still asked if we'd booked, which is odd when you're looking at a room that's scattered with empty tables. Having been offered a table for four, our request to take a quieter corner table for three was greeted with only a slight grimace, and then we were seated in our chosen spot and left to peruse the menu and list of specials and gaze out of the window at the river.

We were asked fairly quickly what we wanted to drink but it took a while to actually take our order. Having been warned that the roasts were almost all gone we steered clear, not wanting to get the bits that had been kept warm for the last 3 hours, and both opted for beer battered haddock with minted pea puree and frites, with a glass of white wine each. The Ferry has a good selection of wines - my sauvignon blanc was a very nice one, and McFoodie enjoyed a glass of fiano. The complimentary bread failed to appear - it might be free but you pay for it in some way and my view is that if you give it to some, you should give it to all. However, our rumbling stomachs weren't left empty for long, as the food came fairly quickly and was generally pretty good. The fish was nicely cooked in a good, crisp batter, the peas were pleasant and the chips were...chips (not frites at all).

Having decided that fish and chips had well and truly scuppered any healthy eating plans, pudding seemed like the obvious next step: I went for an apple and blackberry crumble with vanilla custard and McFoodie opted for a total chocolate overload, with a steamed chocolate pudding with chocolate sauce and double chocolate ice cream. Both were surprisingly good, with the crumble topping being nicely crunchy (it sounds obvious but can be such a disaster if heated up in a microwave prior to serving) and the chocolate pudding being a moist chocolate sponge with a good cocoa-intense flavour.

By that time on a Sunday, the staff understandably just want to go home and put their feet up. Although the initial greeting was a little icy, that wasn't the case for the entire meal and the staff were friendly and helpful. When the food was brought, an apology was offered for the absence of bread. which is far preferable to the error being ignored for fear of any problem eating into the tip. The atmosphere was also good - lively enough but not too loud or crowded.

The total cost for a glass of still mineral water, a diet coke, two fish and chips, two glasses of wine and two desserts was just shy of £43.00.