SAT on dark wooden furniture, with low beams above and soft lighting from numerous candles flickering on each table, The Olive Tree feels a million miles from the busy high street it sits on in Romsey.

The restaurant/pub comes highly recommended, with glowing reviews on sites like Trip Advisor, but I was still surprised by just how much I enjoyed the afternoon I spent there.

There is something very relaxing about a dimmed pub lit with candles when it is so very grey outside, and the many nooks and crannies where diners can while away a few hours made it even more intimate.

Staff members passed our table regularly but did not rush us as we browsed the extensive menu, which offered much more choice than the usual list of pub favourites.

Eventually I settled on chicken schnitzel, served with a pan-fried egg and chips.

Priced at just £10.50, the large crispy piece of chicken placed before me with crunchy chips occupying any remaining space seemed a very reasonable lunchtime cost. And the simple meal was perfectly cooked, with a deliciously runny egg to dip the tasty chicken and chips combo.

My husband plumped for the light lunch deal of a smaller dish with a glass of house wine for £10.

This was a very good price, but in comparison to my platesized slab of meat the mini casserole dish of beef bourguignon and three slices of baguette seemed rather measly. However, I did not hear a word of complaint from the husband between some very satisfied noises as every last bite of tender beef and beautiful gravy was demolished.

The dessert menu looked equally appetising and I was very tempted as large slices of Victoria sponge floated across my line of sight, making me wish that I had room for an afternoon tea.

I certainly did not want to go and the warm atmosphere of this quirky eatery made me sip my remaining drink with an uncharacteristic slowness.

A final quirk of The Olive Tree to make me leave with an even bigger smile was the bill of £27 being presented in an ancient joke book.

Certainly a fun way to end a meal and something to admire while waiting for the payment to be taken.

Jen Rivett