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Traditional pub favourites served in relaxed surroundings

I’ve always liked Cellars as a pub, but hadn’t been there to eat for a for a while.

So on a chilly Friday night weventured down t o Valley Road to see if much had changed since our last visit.

Cellars is known for its real ale and live music and for an early evening there were already quite a few people enjoying a pint and a bite to eat.

Bar meals were being served but diners also have the option to eat upstairs in the restaurant.

The menu features plenty of pub classics, such as steaks (from £9.95), warm baguettes ( from £ 4.95) and homemade steak and ale pie (£8.95).

Main dishes also included homemade chicken curry, with rice, chips or both (£7.95), lamb shank braised in a tomato sauce with rosemary and horseradish (£14.50) and fish and chips (£7.95).

There i sn’t a selection of starters, but chef ’s homemade soup of the day i s available, served with warm bread, for £3.95.

Despite the menu being fairly standard in terms of pub fare, there was a real lack of vegetarian options.

The only veggie main dish was vegetarian lasagne served with seasonal vegetables (£7.95) so I plumped for that – but it would have been nice to have at least one other option from which to choose.

My mum decided on Whitby scampi served with chips, salad and tartare sauce (£8.95).

There were a handful of people eat i ng, but we were surprised that the food took an hour to arrive. Dishes are homemade, which is great, but I still think this was a long time to wait.

On the plus side, portion sizes are generous and there wasn’t a frozen chip in sight.

Even though I expected my lasagne to come with seasonal vegetables, as per the menu, it arrived with chips, peas and salad. However I didn’t mind as the chips were lovely. I enjoyed the lasagne too and finished the lot.

My mum also enjoyed her meal, but commented that the food could have been hotter.

With room left for dessert, we were tempted by the select i on on offer, which i ncluded traditional puddings such as chocolate fudge cake, j am sponge, treacle sponge and a selection of dairy ice cream, all £3.65.

The desserts arrived swiftly and again the portion size was quite generous and good value for £3.65.

However, my mum’s was cold in the middle and had to be sent back.

The barmaid was very apologetic and sent it back straight away, s ay i ng a new dessert would be sent out.

However, when it did arrive, it was the same treacle sponge which had been warmed through.

It was a blip, undoubtedly, but was resolved quickly and politely which we appreciated.

And there was nothing but cl ean plates l eft at the end, which says a lot.

I would return to try the Sunday lunch, which at £7.95 seems good value and which we enjoyed on our last visit.

The pub is a wel c o ming and relaxed place to spend an evening. There’s plenty going on at the venue, with a quiz night on Tuesdays, Open Mic on Wednesdays and live music on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Real ale and bitter fans also have plenty of choice when it comes to choosing a tipple to enjoy.

Overall score: 6