ON a frosty but sunny afternoon my friend and I decided to brave the cold in search of sustenance.

Admittedly, the freezing temperatures had been a bit of a deterrent to our hunting and gathering so I was delighted to find that The Ilchester Arms in Abbotsbury had an open wood-burning fire.

I was even happier when our waitress asked us if we would like to sit right in front of it for lunch.

The Ilchester Arms is situated right in the heart of the village and is great for tourists and walkers passing through on their way along the coastal path or to the world-famous Abbotsbury Swannery.

The pub is decorated in a traditional rustic style with the open fire, exposed timber beams and old photographs of the pub on the walls.

The staff were very friendly, polite and very efficient.

The pub has two menus, a lunchtime and evening menu with daily specials.

Both my friend and I decided we were in the mood for traditional pub grub so I opted for the scampi and chips and peas and my friend had the cod with chips and salad.

The service was very fast and within 15 minutes of placing the order we had our meals in front of us piping hot.

My friend said that the cod and chips were among the best she had ever had. She said that the cod was very fresh and broke apart and the batter was crispy and tasty.

The salad came in a separate side bowl, which my friend liked as it was a good portion and varied.

My scampi was a generous portion with thick chunky chips and garden peas. The scampi was really nice, the peas were cooked just right and weren’t mushy and the chips were just the right side of crispy.

To finish off we shared a Tennessee Toffee Pie, which contained layers of toffee and chocolate mouse with ice cream and toffee sauce.

It wasn’t too sweet but it was very moreish with a nice vanilla farmhouse ice cream.

We both agreed we had thoroughly enjoyed the meal, which was substantial without being too filling, which was good considering we had to brace ourselves against the freezing temperatures and venture back outside. I very much enjoyed my lunch at the Ilchester Arms and will be returning. The food has traditional pub grub, like pies and steaks but also has an all day breakfast option and dishes like cauliflower, broccoli and cheese bake for vegetarians.

If you are taking a walk along the coastal path or just driving though it would make a welcome break for any hungry traveller at any time of year.

* For more information call pub on 01305 871243.

My Galley Bistro bill:

Cod & chips: £10.95

Scampi & chips: £11.25

Juice: £2.50

Cup of tea: £2.00

Toffee pie: £4.45

TOTAL: £31.15