Restaurant review: Sewerby Grange, near Bridlington

So, where to take mum for Mother's Day? Somewhere that wasn't too long a drive, was somewhere different from her usual haunts and served decent food.

I'd heard tell Sewerby Grange, in Sewerby, just north of Bridlington, had a reputation for good meals and was the sort of place you'd go for a treat.

So I booked (at the end of January) and a good job, too, because when we turned up on Mothering Sunday for our 12.30pm slot, the place was buzzing and cars had overspilled on to the lawn (and the poor snowdrops).

For a short time, there was nowhere to sit to drink our aperitifs, apart from a little antique bench seat and another chair set directly in the entrance.

But then the lounge became free when a large party was ushered into the dining room. We had plenty of time to peruse our menus – in fact, too much. After half an hour, Mum was wondering if we'd been forgotten, and it turned out we had.

An apologetic waitress, who popped in to see if wanted more drinks, was horrified we were still sitting there with menus in hand.

Only a minor niggle, and we were soon on our way into the brightly lit restaurant, the seats all dressed with cream covers and fresh daffodils decorating the tables.

Our party of three had a pleasantly positioned round table (I'd have preferred a window, but there wasn't another seat to be had) to one side of the restaurant.

A selection of fresh bread rolls was brought, soon followed by our choice of starters – one of our trio plumped for the smoked salmon and crab roulade, which was beautifully presented and was a real hit, and two of us had the honeydew melon pearls with sorbet – simple but delightful and served in wine goblets. Picking a main course from the tasty-sounding offerings was a difficult choice. I fancied at least three of the dishes, but in the end, two plates of roast loin of pork, with crackling (and optional Yorkshire pud) and a fillet of cod with a cheese and herb crust, and parsley sauce, arrived at our places.

The plates were large and pleasingly hot.

Side dishes of creamed leeks, broccoli, carrot and roast potatoes were delivered, accompanied by a boat of gravy and a little pot of apple sauce for the pork.

I thoroughly enjoyed the chunky piece of beautifully cooked cod, with its crispy crumb crust, and the vegetables were just to my liking.

My companions said their meat was nice (cleared plates all round also reinforced that) but as roast pork lunches go, they had possibly had better (and more generously carved helpings).

The choice of home-made desserts was again extensive and posed the same problem of what to have.

Caramelised lemon tart and crème brûlée were contenders for me but, in the end, the raspberry and white chocolate trifle won out – and I was so glad I went with my gut feeling.

Chocolate profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce also went down a treat at our table, but the Chocolate Nemesis didn't live up to its name. The humble slice of brownie-like cake was very easily conquered by a person who has suffered many deaths by chocolate. Although it was quite disappointing, it was polished off before freshly ground coffee and truffles arrived to finish our meal.

The special menu for the day cost £18.95 per person for three courses, and £1.95 extra for the coffee and truffles (Mum managed to wangle a second cup before our table was needed).

I thought our bill was very reasonable for a little over £61, including a round of soft drinks, and I honestly couldn't find fault with any of my food choices.

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Sewerby Grange

Where: 441 Sewerby Road, Sewerby YO15 1ER.

Call: 01262 673439.

Web: www.sewerbygrange.co.uk

Open: Lunch served daily in the restaurant; "lite bite" menu served in the bar from 10am to 2pm; closed for evening meals on Mondays.

Accessibility: Ramp to entrance door.

Vegetarian: Selection of dishes on the menu.

Family friendly? Yes.

Parking: Private car park.

Type: Traditional English mixed with a touch of the oriental and extensive use made of fresh local produce.

Quality of food: Good

Atmosphere: Bustling, this is obviously a popular spot for lunchtime dining

Service: Could have been better – we were forgotten at the start and no one came to take our food order for half an hour.

Value for money: Our meal worked out at about £20 per person, for three courses, plus coffees, and soft drinks, which I thought was very reasonable, especially on a special occasion.

Best for: An unflashy but decent Sunday lunch with plenty of choice on the menu.

Would you go again? Probably