AT a time when the provenance of our food is becoming increasingly important to us, it's reassuring when a restaurant tells you the name of the river where its salmon came from.

At the Nag's Head, at Pickhill, near Thirsk, they also tell you who caught it.

Wild salmon from Border Esk in Cumbria, the blackboard proclaims and - proudly - caught by Peter Wilkinson.

"I usually know which beat it was caught on," explains the affable Edward Boynton, who's run the pub with his brother Raymond for the past 30 years. And it's a tribute to his dedication to detail that he seems quite put out that he can't remember.

For the record, the salmon was rod caught by Mr Wilkinson, a friend of Edward's from Thirsk, whose family have fished the river for years. "Nine pounds, a nice size," Edward says. "The week before we had one that a friend caught on the River Ure. I do think people should know what they're eating."

Edward's also a man for all seasons - in the right order. "You can't beat having things in their season," he says. "I look forward to English asparagus. I'll only eat it between May and June. It's the same with strawberries and we're still able to get hold of some old-fashioned varieties of tomatoes. They taste fantastic. But no-one grows them commercially anymore."

The seasonal bias is reflected in the Nag's Head menu. We're now fully into the game season and although, metaphorically, we've missed the grouse, there'll be partridge, pheasant, rabbit and venison on offer throughout the winter.

On the Saturday night we were there, the restaurant was fully booked, but it's certainly no hardship to eat in the comfortable and cosy "lounge" bar with its log fire giving an instant feeling of welcome.

The disarmingly smiling staff, who, among others, include a Russian, a Latvian and a Pole, glide seamlessly back and forth; nothing is too much trouble they seem to smile as we ask for more time before we order, can't decide what vegetables we want, whether we're having wine or not.

Eventually, we decide on mussels with shallots, white wine and cream for me (£5.25) and, for Peter, mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce with bacon and blue cheese (£4.95). The mussels are plump and delicious and I feel rather smug when a later customer is told the last portion has gone (eaten by me). With warm bread rolls to mop up the liquor, this could have been a meal in itself. Peter, who will admit to being a little cautious when he sees garlic writ large on a menu, was totally taken with the mushrooms - the sauce similarly dealt with a crusty wholemeal roll.

Other starters included cream of mushroom and tarragon or carrot and coriander soup (£3.50); tuna, brie and avocado salad on riccia pasta (£4.94); locally smoked salmon with or without scrambled egg (£6.95); carpaccio of beef, rocket, caramelised onions and shaved Parmesan (£5.50); and poached smoked haddock on spinach, topped with a soft poached egg and hollandaise sauce (£5.50 starter, £13.95 as a main course).

There was no contest when it came to choosing one of our main courses. It had to be the salmon for Peter, the plainly cooked fish served with asparagus (imported this time, but sometimes you've got to stretch a point) and hollandaise sauce. At £15.95 this was one of the most expensive main courses but the chance to taste wild salmon isn't to be missed - especially with all the scares about the farmed variety - and Peter thought it a real delicacy. I choose the pan-fried pigeon breast (pink it said on the blackboard, and the better for it) which came on a cauliflower cream mash, which was surprising sharp against the richness of the meat, and a red wine and berry reduction (£12.95). I was somewhat disarmed when, our conversation turning to pigeon shooting, Peter asked me if I knew the difference between a wild pigeon and a "skemmy", which he insists is a North Yorkshire colloquialism for a tame or racing bird which has flown the coop. More informed readers may have their own opinions on this.

Other main choices were: roast rack of English lamb, spinach, concasse tomato and straw chips (£14.75); traditional half roast Gressingham duckling with apple sauce and lemon stuffing (£14.95); casserole of wild rabbit in grain mustard and marsala and herb dumplings (£11.95); pork fillet wrapped in dry cured bacon with noodles and wild truffle oil (£13.50); and vegetable and coconut korma, pilau rice and lime pickle (£8.95).

After the robust flavours of my main course, my pudding, vanilla and rum panacotta with mango coulis was just right - the lovely creamy panacotta contrasting well with the sharp coulis. Peter choose banana charlotte with raspberry coulis and butter biscuits, which, despite being fairly substantial, disappeared amazingly quickly and with much appreciation.

Other choices were chocolate truffle torte with rich chocolate sauce; poached figs with a peach compote and sweet mascapone; and hot passion fruit pudding with a lemon custard sauce. All puddings were £4.25 with the cheese board £4.95.

The cost of our meal, with two (big) glasses of house wine, was £54.20.

With a string of awards, including entries in the Good Hotel and Good Pub guides, Les Routiers and the Michelin guide, the Nag's Head could have good cause to be swollen, but Edward's a man with refreshingly few pretentions. "Don't call us a gastro-pub," he insists. "That's horrible. We're a restaurant in the country, a pub because we still have a bar that sells beer. I like beer - and I drink wine. I don't like to think of us as an hotel either, although we have 16 bedrooms. We're an inn, yes I like that. That sounds, well, welcoming."