The Hind's Head, Bray, UK

One might be tempted to regard The Hind's Head as the 'least' of Heston Blumenthal's restaurants but make no mistake this Michelin starred venue is different rather than to be discounted.

Located a couple of cottages away from The Fat Duck in the tiny village of Bray it's a picturesque location and we were lucky to hit it on an 'indian summer' day. (The car park by the way is opposite the restaurant and quite tricky to spot).

Yes, there's a relaxed atmosphere but it's still more of a restaurant than the 'pub' it claims to be and most of the diners on the Sunday we visited had dressed in their Sunday best (or at least a notch above what I'm used to in a pub on Sunday). It's worth a Sunday trip by the way, as the menu that day includes two special roasts (pork and beef).

I started with Heston's trademark Scotch Eggs, which I'd seen a recipe for online and couldn't wait to try. I had two in lieu of a regular starter. The tricky thing with Heston's eggs in getting the sausage cooked to succulent perfection while the egg yolk remains runny. The first egg was perfect. The second's yolk was more 'done' perhaps due to sitting around while I ate the first one.

I tried the jasmine smoked salmon too which was very nice with a taste that seemed somehow freshly applied rather than deeply inlayed.

I followed that with one of the Sunday specials, roast sirloin of Highland beef with roast potato, mixed veg and Yorkshire pudding. The beef was served medium technically (not bleeding) but very pink indeed. Fat was rendered to the point it melted in the mouth. It was delicious. Given that I'm of Irish extraction is it a terrible cliche to say that I liked the roast potatoes best out of this dish? Frankly I could have eaten a plate full.

The vegetarian main course of warm new potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower puree was likeable, from the small amount I tried.

We'd asked for an extra portion of vegetables but what actually showed up with the main course was a portion of crispy fries. They looked too good to send back so I kept quiet about the mix up. The bill was correct at the end of the meal.

For dessert I had the mess of blackberries, which mixed fruit with a crunchy meringue. I've got a thing for Eton Mess at the moment and this was a neat, if slightly sweet, example. This was a very generous portion and I felt somewhat sleepy after lunch.

Food is not especially cheap if you're thinking of it as a pub, but reasonable enough for its pedigree. Indeed you could probably spend less at Dinner if you went for the set lunch there but the portions are perhaps a little more generous for the most part. I'd perhaps feel a bit short changed if I'd stumped up £32 for the relatively small steak (I'm guessing under 300g by the examples I saw carried by).

Service was excellent and the meal took about two hours, which seemed well paced. Wine list seemed reasonable too (by which I mean there are some decent affordable choices). We had a half bottle of very pleasant Sancerre for £25.

With quality more than deserving of its star and a pleasant, relaxed vibe The Hind's Head is a great place for a meal that delivers more than it demands.