Despite lying some way to the north-west of Melton, sleepy Old Dalby is a surprisingly quick sprint up the A46 from Leicester, writes Tom Mack. And the village's Crown Inn is a great place to relax after a busy week in the city.

Unfortunately for us, it was raining as we arrived for our dinner on Friday night, but on a sunny summer's evening the Crown Inn must be an idyllic dining experiences, with its large outdoor eating area, big lawn and general abundance of greenery and wholesomeness.

The pub itself, which dates back to 1590, has been through a few extensions recently and is now clearly all about the food.

The main restaurant is in a spacious wing with almost as much window as wall, making for a great semi-al fresco feel.

While the food is very good indeed, the pub does better than many others at justifying the high price tags by also putting a lot of effort into the furnishings, and a friendly service.

In fact, by the time we got to the main course it had become pretty clear there was nothing to criticise, other than the weather.

While the style of the food probably falls into the category of modern cuisine, diners are offered olives before their starter and the delicious homemade bread is served with the Mediterranean mix of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

The choice of starters left us with a bit of dilemma, because three of them looked so good.

In the end, we decided to save the chicken liver parfait with pear chutney and toasted brioche for another day, with Polly choosing risotto and I the scallops.

The three juicy scallops, which cost £8.95, came underneath a wafer thin piece of crispy Parma ham and on top of a pea puree. The basil vinaigrette complemented everything perfectly, and it was one of those rare occasions I forced myself to eat very slowly.

Polly's risotto, topped with truffle oil and made with wild mushrooms, also came with a chunk of melted brie buried inside it. For £6.90, it was real value for money.

The choice of main courses was equally mouth-watering. We decided to get the sea bass and the lamb – and switch dishes halfway through!

The lamb came with a nice mix of pink flesh and broiled, tougher meat and a big tasty lump of potato and the sweetest French beans I've ever had, wrapped up in bacon.

The fish, meanwhile, came with its own amazing heap of potato and peas. The fish skin was done nicely with just the right amount of crunch and not a bone in sight.

Without any dessert, the food bill came to £49.60 and with drinks we paid £55.

So if you're hungry and the sun is shining, I'd recommend the Crown Inn wholeheartedly.