IT’S that special time of year in the Dales, when a clear summer evening rewards with fantastic views.

Fields that have yielded their summer crops are pale yellows and greens, as if scrubbed for a new start.

The view across Lower Wensleydale from the large dining room at the back of the Queen’s Head – a short diversion off the A684 east of Leyburn - is a highlight, enjoyable outside on a deck or in the pleasant garden

The view also takes in woodland reputed (though it's not clear by whom) to have inspired Kenneth Grahame for his setting of The Wind in the Willows.

On the recent Monday night we arrive, we welcome the opportunity to take our drinks straight into this room, where there is enough space to take a comfortable sofa seat and choose from the menu, before being shown to our table.

En route, however, I take in the dark, low ceilinged, long bar area with its many corners and welcoming nooks. It's as good a bolt-hole for cold winters’ nights as the newer extension is for the fairer months. Generally though, the décor is rather unremarkable throughout, with bits of 18th century character peeping through the Artex in places.

A good pint of nearby Wensleydale Brewery’s Gamekeeper is a grand start for my taste buds, as we consider what to eat.

The children opt to share the two-person deliboard, a platter of cured and smoked meats, cheese, crayfish tails, chutney and bread (£15). I say children, but the eldest is now significantly taller than my six feet, with an appetite to match, and his teenage sister is fast catching up.

Nevertheless, they are grateful for a bit of help with the contents of the wooden board, laden as it is with four types of charcuterie, terrine, smoked salmon and smoked cheese. It's a hit.

Anna chooses seared king scallops, black pudding with a grain mustard sauce (£9.50) from the chalked up specials board (a second one of these, in the dining room, would have been helpful – but a camera phone picture saved some traipsing to and fro).

She declares the three huge scallops beautifully sweet and succulent with a perfect earthy foil of black pudding, all atop the creamy, mustardy sauce.

I select a salad of poached asparagus, Harrogate Blue cheese, toasted pine nuts and a mustard dressing (£6.95). It's a decent dish, if a little too chilled for my liking.

Other a la carte starters range from soup of the day (£4.50) through ham hock terrine (£5.95) to seared king scallops, cauliflower cheese purée and black pudding (£8.95). Seafood, from Ramus in Harrogate, features prominently, and a full lobster, king prawn and scallop Thermidor (£25) appeals.

When it comes to the main course, it's my turn to choose from the specials board, with pan-fried Guinea fowl breast, confit leg and black pudding, sitting in a brandy and raisin sauce (£15). This is great – the confit meat a lovely complement to its simpler fried counterpart. If anything, the black pudding is perhaps overkill, although there's enough delicious sauce with its plump rehydrated vine fruit to sustain the dish.

Anna also chooses once more from the specials – roasted pork fillet rolled in serrano ham with sauté potatoes, chorizo and olives (£16). It's a rich and generously proportioned dish, but the pork is disappointingly dry despite the ham jacket, and served with too many olives, she says, to the extent she is glad to be able to give away the last bit.

My daughter goes for a Queen’s Burger – 8oz of beef topped with dry-cured bacon and Wensleydale cheese (£10.95). It's huge and delicious, its moistness in stark contrast to Anna's pork. Coleslaw and a salad come on the side, and the burger is in a nice soft bun.

Big son, clearly not full of enough meat after his starter, chooses a 12oz ribeye steak (£17.95). It comes with a nice fat field mushroom and grilled tomatoes, as well as some good chips. Job done.

A side dish of broad beans, cabbage, broccoli and sugar snaps complete the line-up, and render us collectively too stuffed to justify puddings. But, in the interests of research...

We managed to try two: a crème brûlée with pistachio ice cream and a lemon syllabub.

Asa declared the brûlée the best he’d had in ages; the ice cream a really creamy triumph. The syllabub was pleasingly tangy and partnered well with fruit.

A couple of pints and soft drinks brought the total bill to just under £120 – lots of dosh for a meal that was at its best only a notch or two above pub quality, served in fairly ordinary surroundings. Service had been smiley, efficient and faultless throughout, and big appetites will certainly appreciate the generous servings.

All in all, it was a pretty successful experience, and we made our way back down the dale, full, satisfied and quietly taking in those great views once more.

FOOD FACTS

The Queen’s Head, Finghall, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5ND

Tel: 01677 450259

Web: www.queensfinghall.co.uk

Food served: Seven days, noon-2pm and 6-9pm.

Access: Fine for disabled

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 7 Service 8 Surroundings 7 Value 7