AFTER a Saturday spent indoors preparing for a house move it was time to get out, preferably to a beer garden.

We headed for the King’s Arms at Portesham, a country pub with the advantage of being only a short drive from Weymouth.

It has a large garden with a stream running through it, perfect for relaxing on a summer’s evening.

The tranquillity is occasionally shattered by noisy birds nestled in the branches of a magnificent cypress tree towering over the garden.

I’ve always known it as a pleasant spot but I was unaware it had been given a makeover.

It’s beautifully decorated inside with a main restaurant area, a coffee lounge and a separate fireside area with comfy chairs.

A word of warning – try to avoid a west-facing window seat where the setting sun’s glare is off-putting. Some blinds had been pulled down but it made the dining room dark.

They’re obviously going for the higher end of the pub grub market but without charging the earth for food. It filled up quickly during our visit.

Traditional pub favourites are on offer along with a few exciting extras including chicken in whisky sauce and an array of seafood.

Ingredients are locally sourced where possible.

My one gripe as a vegetarian was there was only one main available, linguine, which although plentiful, was bland. Hopefully this will change or at least the pie of the day can include non-meat alternatives.

My starter was wonderful however (a fig shortage meant apples were added instead) and my dining partner was delighted with her barbecue ribs in an ‘amazing’ sauce, and gurnard, which came with overcooked green beans, which is how she likes them.

All in all, a satisfying summer evening trip.

The Bill

Fig and goats cheese tart £5.95
BBQ ribs £6.25
Large linguine £8.95
Gurnard fillets £13.50
2 x large glasses of wine £10.90
Fizzy water £1.50
Total: £47.05