READERS will have enjoyed last week's tale of the reviewer's recalcitrant mother making a tiddly spectacle of herself at a restaurant in Staindrop.

It brought to mind my own dear mother who was somewhat more Presbyterian in her approach but just as adept at making a scene when things were not just right. Her problem was not alcohol but cold plates. To serve hot food on a cold plate was a culinary crime of the very highest order.

She clearly worked with a precise mathematical formula which determined that the nutritional goodness of food declined exponentially with the drop in temperature at which it was served. It followed that unless the searing heat of the mince and dumplings or Scotch broth fresh from the stove removed three of four layers of skin from the inside of your mouth it was not hot enough.

Allowing food on the plate to cool was not encouraged. My sister and I had to eat swiftly so as to avoid allowing any of the mouth-scalding "goodness" to dissipate.

Had my mother been in the Countryman's Inn at Hunton, near Bedale, last Thursday night, she would, undoubtedly, have had a dicky-fit. The plates on which the main courses were served were absolutely stone cold. Which was a shame because what was served upon them certainly deserved better.

The Countryman had come highly recommended by a reader in Thirsk who, we suspect, has sampled plenty of fine dinners over the years. The establishment also has a certain amount of "form" in that it featured heavily in this newspaper earlier in the year when villagers fought a successful campaign to keep it open after the last owner obtained planning permission to turn it into a house.

Since June the pub has been in the hands of villagers Neil and Maureen Gardener who have re-established its reputation for serving fine real ale (Camra commendation received last month) and are working hard to build up the restaurant.

Cold plates aside, they are making good progress. The restaurant is at the back and brightly decorated with white and terracotta walls and lots of pictures. Wood floors and sturdy pub furniture complete the look.

Manageress Jane Huffadine, who was one of the campaigners who fought to save the pub, was cheerful and friendly, taking the order and acting as the sole waitress.

Starters were spot on. Sylvia's lentil and parsnip soup (£2.95) was full of parsnip sweetness and well seasoned. My smoked salmon salad (£3.95) featured plenty of fish and, praise be, some decent chunks of lemon to squeeze over it.

Other starters we could have had included battered black pudding served with a herby apple sauce (£3.50) or fiery fishcakes with sweet chilli dip (£3.95).

Our main courses, while suffering from the chilly plates on which they were served, were pretty good too.

I certainly couldn't fault mine - a Langthorne's buffalo burger served with cheese and manifestly home-made chips (£5.75). I am a keen fan of the buffalo burgers from Langthorne's farm at Brompton, near Northallerton (also available from farmers' markets), and this one truly was a thing of beauty. Perfectly cooked through without being burnt at the edges, it was the epitome of juicy meatiness from first mouthful to last.

Sylvia's lamb shank with rosemary and red wine gravy was not quite so successful. The menu said it would have been slow-roasted for five hours which had undoubtedly been the case. Unfortunately, the lamb had not survived the re-heating process particularly well and some of the lamb was dried out at the edges.

Other main courses included the Countryman's fillet with a choice of sauces (£14.95) and chicken stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon with cream and tarragon sauce (£9.95).

I finished with Harriet's chocolate brownie (£3.95) which couldn't have been richer and more chocolatey.

Having enjoyed a couple of drinks (including an excellent pint of Theakston's Black Bull Bitter) we skipped coffee and settled a bill of £33.95.

A later conversation with the Gardeners revealed they had been on holiday the evening we dined at the Countryman. Maureen said she shared my mother's views about cold plates. It was an issue about which she had previously spoken to their young chef, Matthew Lockey (formerly of the Wyvill Arms, Constable Burton). She would do so again and also noted the problem with the lamb.

All in all, the Countryman's Inn is equally worthy of countrymen's and city types' patronage. The Gardeners have a big challenge and are working hard to build a reputation. The task is by no means complete but they and their young team deserve your support