A reader dropped me a line last week suggesting I put on my food reviewer's hat and pay a visit to the Railway at Lindal. So, striking while the iron was hot, I did just that this week.

On the lane down towards the candle factory, the Railway sits in the middle of a row of terraced houses; and from the exterior stonework it's clear this village free house has had a fairly recent facelift.

That facelift becomes even more clear upon stepping inside, where I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself in a light and airy pub, with comfortable seating areas, an open fire and a bright and sunny dining room at the rear.

The very pleasant landlord couldn't have been more accommodating, bringing drinks to our corner table in the dining room. Other patrons were tucking into early evening meals in this spacious eating area, which is a veritable riot of purples and lilacs, of which my much-missed mum would have heartily approved.

For starters, my husband and I were in traditional mood, Gordon opting for a classic prawn cocktail (£5.95), while I chose that day's soup, which was broccoli at £4.25.

Both were generous portions, the prawn cocktail being exactly what a prawn cocktail should be: a large mound of prawns in a pink dressing of Marie Rose sauce (or Rosemarie sauce, according to the Railway's menu), crispy lettuce, tomatoes, lemon and thinly sliced brown bread and butter.

No pub worth its salt should go wrong with such a classic starter - and the Railway didn't.

My soup was a huge bowl of piping hot broth, served with a warm crusty roll and butter. It was nice enough but seriously under seasoned and in desperate need of an extra ingredient to give it some zing. Broccoli is on the blander end of the scale when it comes to vegetables, so as the main ingredient of a soup, it really needs a helping hand - which is why a salty, blue cheese such as Stilton is so often combined with it.

Lacking the peppery punch of watercress or the pungency of leeks, broccoli doesn't really work as a stand alone soup.

For our main courses, Gordon chose that day's curry, which was his favourite: lamb rogan josh (£9.95). I had wanted the mince and potato pie with mushy peas, chips and gravy, which has to be one of the ultimate comfort foods.

Sadly, they had run out, so I chose instead stir-fried beef in Cantonese sauce.

Both dishes were again generous - and very well presented. Gordon thoroughly enjoyed his curry, which came with good long grain rice, home made chunky chips and a pretty side salad. He liked the tender lamb and the sauce was a tasty if standard rogan josh.

My beef was also good quality meat, with plenty of crunchy vegetables. It was served in a bow tie shaped bowl, which looked attractive. Like Gordon's curry, mine came with chips and rice, plus salad.

As with the soup, the dish overall lacked seasoning and it could certainly have taken some extra spicing; but it was tasty and well-cooked, and for those who prefer their spicing and seasoning at the lower end, this would be a real hit.

We lingered over our meal, enjoying the atmosphere of the dining room, which is a real sun trap (thankfully, there are plenty of blinds to provide shade).

Chatting to some locals, we got the distinct impression that the pub is a real asset to the village - as well it should be.

Gordon tucked into a large slab of cake and a cheery cappuccino for afters - a very good value £3.95 deal. All told, this had been a very good meal in surprisingly delightful surroundings.

The Railway at Lindal has certainly been hiding its light under a bushel. It's high time this charming pub became known to a wider audience.

By LOUISE ALLONBY

Food 4

Service 4

Atmosphere 4

Value 4

Pros

Light and airy dining room

Recently done up

Local ales

Beer garden

Cons

Some dishes need jazzing up

No food Sunday, Monday, Tuesday evenings

Lunch served on Sundays only