ON a typically rainy Monday we ventured down to West Bay and substituted our walk on the beach with a bite to eat.

We had our young son with us and thought that the Quarterdeck bar and restaurant looked as though it would be accommodating for an energetic two-year-old boy.

The bar and restaurant adjoin the Durbeyfield Guest House but are also open to the public.

We sat in the bar area rather than the restaurant. The staff were very friendly as were the locals and the room was comfortable with an eclectic and nautical theme.

There is also a decking area through the French windows, which would have been very appealing on a warm day.

The Quarterdeck bar is a freehouse. My partner being Yorkshire born and bread is partial to a good pint of hand-cranked beer and was suitably impressed with their ale.

The menu offered a cheese or Mediterranean platter, pasta of the day cooked to order, mussels, garlic prawns, omelettes, jacket potatoes and filled baguettes.

There was also a specials menu which included cottage pie, toad in the hole or brie and tomato risotto.

Not having had my fill of cold meats over the festive season I plumped for the Mediterranean Platter which consisted of salami, Parma ham, capers, olives, salad and rustic bread with olive oil and balsamic dip.

The selection of white and walnut bread was fresh and delicious. The platter was well presented and the rich flavours all complemented each other perfectly. My partner chose the brie and tomato risotto which arrived with a surprise addition of cashew nuts.

There was lashings of brie and some red pepper but we had a job to find any tomato. Despite this it was very rich and tasty.

We chose a ham and cheese toasted sandwich for our son. This was again well presented with salad and crisps, the bread was soft and buttery and it was filled with plenty of fresh ham and melted cheese.

They were running low on desserts being the bank holiday at the end of the Christmas and New Year holidays but this did not spoil our enjoyment of a relaxing lunch in a very friendly venue.

The Quarterdeck is within Durbeyfield Guest House at West Bay, Bridport DT6 4EL, telephone 01308 423307.