AFTER living around here for more than 20 years, there's a well-known hostelry in one of the most scenic areas of the Yorkshire Dales the doors of which I have never darkened.

The reason for not trying the CB Inn in Arkengarthdale was really quite irrational. Remember the CB (citizen's band) radio craze of the late Seventies? Every other lorry driver and Ford Cortina owner had one and the strange desire to communicate with strangers on the road spawned a ghastly mid-West US sub-culture and language. There was even an irritatingly-catchy No 1 hit record about it. (What was the title and artist? Answer at the bottom of the page.)

Whether I thought the CB Inn was frequented by the sort of people who had furry dice hanging from their rear view mirrors I am not entirely sure, but perhaps subconsciously it kept me away.

What certainly didn't help was a reputation for wildness that was reinforced on a regular basis by Monday morning proceedings in Richmond magistrates court.

That was a long time ago. Since those days, the court's no more, the pub's had a number of owners, was closed completely for 14 months and then, in 1996, was bought by Charles and Stacy Cody.

Charles admits the CB Inn's reputation was not as it might have been. It was, he said, the pub where locals tended to recall it was the place where they first got drunk or first got into a fight.

Such is the place's renown, or infamy, changing the name has not been an option, but the Codys are keen to tell people that CB stands for Charles Bathurst, the lead-mine magnate who at one time owned most of Arkengarthdale, as well as the inn

Since then they have refurbished the place from top to bottom, introduced 18 letting bedrooms, survived the foot-and-mouth debacle and developed a reputation for fine food.

Last Saturday night we discovered that reputation is justly deserved. The place was heaving with diners (we had booked the last available table) as well as locals in for a drink.

The refurbishment has respected the traditional Dales pub structure and the wooden flooring and natural earthy colours used on the walls give it a contemporary feel.

Food is ordered at the bar from a menu written on a large mirror (pictured in the background above). One tip: it helps to stand directly in front of the mirror. Move to one side and the reflected lettering produces a blurring effect which makes it hard to read and prompts one to start wondering about the strength of the beer.

Despite the crush, service was brisk and the young waitresses ever-smiling.

Our starters were Bathurst salad - mixed leaves with black pudding, green olives, smoked bacon and balsamic dressing - and seared herring served on spiced lentils (£4.95 each). Both were, in Sylvia's words, scrummy. The herring dish was especially memorable, the lentils having been cooked down with garlic and cardamom and served with a jus flavoured with coriander, cumin and chilli.

As we were eating in the heart of sheep country, it seemed most appropriate to have lamb - in this case lamb from Paul Brown's Swale Hall farm at Grinton and butchered at McIntyre's in Bainbridge. The Codys source as much of their ingredients locally - fish from Hodgsons at Hartlepool, vegetables from Carricks of Snape, beef and pork from Hammond in Bainbridge.

My loin of lamb stuffed with black pudding "Rack 'n' Black" (£11.25) and Sylvia's lamb shank served on borlotti beans with a juniper jus (£10.50) were both superbly executed. The flavour of the lamb was as good as one could imagine it could be.

We finished with a light but tangy orange and lemon tart (£3.75) and a specially-requested bowl of strawberries (£3.50). The bill, which included a couple of drinks (a fine Black Sheep bitter among them), was just over £50. This was seriously good food for a keen price. The Codys and their team, which now includes five chefs to cope with the establishment's growing popularity, have created a fine dining pub. We can only recommend beating a path to the CB - sorry, Charles Bathurst - Inn.