THIS month it was my three year wedding anniversary. Fish and chips from our favourite takeaway weren’t going to suffice. And neither was a picnic.

We ventured north – of Colchester that is – and 20 minutes later were in Stoke by Nayland.

The Angel Inn looked nice. By that I mean the building looked old (16th Century coaching inn to be precise).

Wooden beams and low ceilings made up much of the interior.

And to drink was the option of a carafe of wine so at least we wouldn’t go too mad on a work night.

My husband took the rare opportunity to eat some crispy lamb (as I can’t stand it) with wraps, for his starter, served with chickpea sauce. A lot of food for some but he seemed just fine.

My main meal was a combination first for me; a plate including fish, green vegetable risotto and a scotch egg.

I tentatively prodded said egg as though it might hatch something onto the plate.

Such was my distraction the hake went ignored for a good three minutes. When it regained my full attention it softly fell away onto the bed of green beneath it and into my mouth.

All the while the yolk from the Scotch egg had begun to ooze around the edges of my plate proving to be an unexpected compliment to the dish.

It was definitely a million miles away from any sort of picnic egg or fish and chips, it was better than that, posher, and it all worked together.

At that moment I realised I’d been ignoring my husband.

But as I looked across the table and saw him engrossed in a plateful of pork cooked three ways, the guilt evaporated.

Pork belly, cheek and fillet all on one plate really meant he was spoilt so that meant the meal was an all-round thumbs up from a man who turns his nose up at any dinner not involving meat and carbs.

His thoughts? Succulent, not too tough. All round satisfying.

The finale had to be chosen with care. So far, so good but we’ve known lovely meals to fail us due to an overcooked brownie.

The banana and Bailey’s crème Brulee caught my attention, mainly due to the liquor and little to do with the fruit.

Under the crispy layer of caramel my spoon slid through the banana custard and made its way onto my tongue. Delicious it was, if only I could have tasted the Bailey’s in there.

The husband’s choice of chocolate brownie was thankfully a winner. I tried it myself just to be sure.

A nice generous portion, sat in lots of sticky sweet sauce and not a hint of any burnt after tastes.

Now for some observations on service; a bit hit and miss to be honest. One waitress was really on the ball and genuinely seemed to be enjoying serving customers.

Another staff member was a little less convincing which is a shame as the Angel had a lovely atmosphere.

Thankfully the bill came to roughly what we’d been expecting.

Bar minor blips in service, the Angel exceeded expectations and I think we’ve discovered a hidden gem.

Next year’s anniversary dinner will have a lot to live up to.

ANDREA COLLITT

The Angel Inn

Polstead Street,

Stoke by Nayland

Suffolk

CO6 4SA

01206 263245

www.angelinnsuffolk.co.uk

WHAT WE ATE

Bread and oils £4.50

Crispy lamb £5.75

Hake £13.95

Pork three ways £16.95

Crème brulee £5.95

Chocolate brownie £5.95

OUR VERDICT

Atmosphere 5

Décor 5

Value for Money 4

Service 3

Disabled access? Yes