IT was with some trepidation that we decided to give a second Sunday chance to what is regarded as the premier hotel in the county town of North Yorkshire, but 12 months can make a big difference.

Our first Sabbath visit in 2003 to the Golden Lion at Northallerton, scene of many a convivial office do at Christmases past with old pop songs blasting from the travelling disco, was less than auspicious and that's putting it politely. We left with the impression that some of the gilt had been taken off that noble creature above the entrance.

We knew it was going to be one of those days when we found that a charity bungee jump in the rear car park had gobbled up practically all the spaces.

High street ranks were full and, after peevishly performing a full circuit of the town centre, we were obliged to squeeze into a narrow, litter-strewn corner just over the wall outside the Club Amadeus in East Road. Each charity to its own, nothing wrong with that, but we figured paying customers should have had somewhere decent to park on the premises.

Worse was to follow. Big let-down on restaurant service front, as Reggie Perrin's lugubrious military acquaintance, played by the admirable Geoffrey Palmer, might have said in that eccentric 1976 TV comedy series. It was an opinion echoed quite independently by someone else.

There didn't seem to be enough waiting staff and those who were on had obviously become overwhelmed by customer numbers. The presence of large and demanding family parties, as well as bar meals and presumably hungry bungee jumpers, cut no ice on that occasion in such a leading establishment.

The food was OK but the restaurant service was so unacceptably disorganised, the delays were so needling without a glimmer of explanation or apology, that we threw in the napkin and cleared off after only two courses. Things were all over the place and it was felt quite simply that they could, and should, have done better.

So why did we decide to go back? Not sure. Maybe because circumstances forced us to find somewhere in a hurry for this month's column. Or maybe because we have a charitably soft centre, philosophically believing that everyone deserves another chance if they happen to have had an off day.

Anyway, we have to give credit where it's due and report an improvement of almost 100pc. And they could not have made any special arrangements for our second visit, the nature of which was not revealed when the booking was made at 36 hours' notice.

Parking presented no problem and, although at first we feared there might have been a lapse in communication between reception and restaurant as we awaited a menu, this time there was a figure who looked like a head waiter keeping a ubiquitous eye on proceedings.

That person turned out to be none other than Phil Wooller, Northallerton born and bred, who took over management of the Golden Lion only a few weeks ago.

Phil, who smartly delivered our starters only minutes after we sat down, made no bones about the tribulations we encountered last year: "We are tightening up. We did realise that service was something that needed looking at and we are trying to ensure that it improves. I like to be everywhere, making sure everyone is in place." He added: "It can only get better." Which was encouraging to hear because 12 months ago we thought it couldn't get any worse.

Despite the presence of a sizeable family party, one table of five, a few couples and the added pressure of bar meals, service was virtually bang on. This time we lasted the full distance and finished comfortably in a little short of two hours. It might have been more like five had we tried to persevere last time.

Menus come in book cover form with extensive notes on the pedigree of the Golden Lion by the late, great Northallerton historian Mick Riordan, whose surname unfortunately happens to be misspelt.

It is, of course, best known for its fleeting but famous appearance in the 1945 film The Way to the Stars, shot on and around the then Catterick airfield with Michael Redgrave and John Mills.

Close inspection of the scene on my video version of the film reveals some clever editorial sleight of hand. The officers' little sports car is seen entering Bedale past St Gregory's Church and the market cross, is then obscured by a passing hay cart and is finally seen pulling up outside the distinctive frontage of the Golden Lion.

In the hands of Trust House for more than 70 years, ownership of the Golden Lion passed to local couple George and Greta Crow in 1998. Extensive refurbishment has not obliterated that civilised, conversational atmosphere familiar from the film, especially in the lounge and reception areas.

Drinks in the bar, where a 17th century well is now safely covered by a feature resembling the dome of a transparent UFO, and on into the dining room, a pleasantly furnished place with enough room to sit and talk without conversations being overheard.

From a menu that was fairly comprehensive without being bewildering in its variety I chose as my starter a warm salad of duck, cherry tomatoes and black pudding. I'm normally a conservative chicken or turkey person, so the deeper, darker flavour of the duck challenged my palate. An interesting combination of ingredients but the dressing was a shade too oily for my taste. My companion settled for a deep bowl of cream of tomato and basil soup, hot in more ways than one and considered satisfactorily full bodied.

Roast salmon fillet, tomato, red onion and basil compote with a pesto dressing constituted my main course. It was a chunky and tasty piece of fish, quite well prepared and served, but there was an inescapable dryness about the nature of the dish compared with my preferred sauce treatment. My companion was pleased with the flavour and texture of a generous leg of lamb which, like the salmon, came from a local supplier. If only they had been a bit more generous with the vegetables.

For dessert I sampled what I thought was a nice little chocolate truffle torte while my companion chose a sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce. It was considered solid, a reference not to the quality but to the quantity after two courses which had almost filled us. The butterscotch sauce was commended.

There are one or two refinements which discerning customers might appreciate, such as having drinks carried to the table by staff and crumbs swept away between courses, but the improvements we found at the Golden Lion will do for the moment