The Westwood Restaurant Bar and Grill, Beverley

I go, as I do to any restaurant, full of hope and enthusiasm but arriving here in Beverley, I had a slight sinking feeling. Despite being in an annex of the former Beverley courthouse – a splendid Grade II listed Georgian building – the restaurant has that one-size-fits-all contemporary look. It is all dark wood, hard surfaces and floors that send noise bouncing off the walls. These walls though did have some rather lovely prints, which softened the edges a little.

And then there was the music. To get the music right in a restaurant is not rocket science: it should be there as a mood enhancer, not, as I suspect it was here, to entertain the teenage staff. It was one of those maddening English summer days when the sun was shining, but it was just a bit too cold to eat outside, so nothing to do but try to ignore it.

Said young staff arrived at the table full of smiles and somehow, like a favourite child, it's hard to stay mad with them for long. They bounced around in their casual-jeans-shirt-bistro apron wrapped uniforms, all competent and bursting with enthusiasm. It seemed nothing was too much for them.

The menu looked equally willing. Straight to the point but making sure everyone will be happy. There are five starters, five mains (including two roasts) and seven puddings. The starters leave room for a full roast dinner, and come all perky and summery with words like vine tomatoes, fennel, mozzarella, and white peach catching my attention. Though I could have had a wild Skipsea sea trout and halibut pie, a Blythburgh T-Bone or a broad bean risotto, there was no contest with a 28 day aged fore rib of beef with all the trimmings, or Cornish spring lamb and the same accoutrements on offer.

This was Sunday after all.

A buffalo mozzarella, white peach and speck salad, white balsamic and extra virgin rapeseed oil dressing starter sounds like an ingredient too much but as it turned out was a mouthful too little. I could easily have eaten this dish twice over, it was so delicious. It arrived with gusto and had been prettily dressed by an expert hand. The mozzarella had a softness to the point of it almost breaking up on touch – the mark of real freshness and quality – and had a gentle tinge of buffalo-scented sourness. The salad, speck and peach, were draped carefully alongside and dressed lightly with the oil and vinegar. A glass of wild strawberry-scented French ros wine made a perfect partner to a perfect summer dish.

I requested that the roast lamb be pink. I was told it would be difficult as the meat was already cooked but chef would do his best to find some for me. He did, and did very well. For the most it was the raw side of pink which I like – it gives me the maximum hit of the delicate flavour. This Cornish lamb (not sure why it isn't Yorkshire) was a tender little beauty .

It was somewhat overshadowed by a towering, majestic Yorkshire pudding, sweetened with a little redcurrant jelly, and when it finally arrived, got a huge back-kick from a fresh mint sauce. Where the lamb was all delicate and soft, the beef packed a punch. There were several stonking slices of flavour-packed tender beef, the same Goliath of a pudding, with a slightly too gentle kick from horseradish crme frache. Both had gravies so shiny I could see my face in them and came with bowls of broccoli with an onion sauce and kale. The only tiny disappointment in this splendid lunch was the duck fat roast potatoes which should have been all crisp and sparkly but were a little on the tired side.

Puddings came all charmingly dressed with the same attention to detail. A soft, warm Bakewell tart with clotted cream was dressed up with strawberries and drizzled with gooseberry syrup and had the pastry not been a little burnt would have been deemed flawless. Vanilla Pannacotta, all shiny and wobbly, had a dollop of elderflower poached summer gooseberries. The gooseberries had just the right amount of tartness. I couldn't find any elderflower but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the dish.

I had been so engrossed with my lunch that I completely forgot about the music, and not even noticed the level of noise around had increased because the dining room was now packed. Every table was full with families and friends having a jolly good time, including a three-generation family of 14 close by boisterously tucking into lunch.

With a couple of glasses of wine lunch came in at just over 50 and because service had been so good, I was willing this time to ignore the 10 per cent charge already added to the bill. Lunch of this quality with such cheerful service, is already tempting me back to sample the evening menu and maybe, just maybe I will be getting out of the kitchen a little more on a Sunday because I really enjoyed myself.

The Westwood Restaurant Bar and Grill, New Walk, Beverley, HU17 7AE. Tel: 01482 881999. Open Tuesday to Sunday, lunch noon to 2.30pm and dinner 6pm-10pm. Set menus are available Tuesday to Friday evenings. Sunday brunch-lunch from noon to 3.30pm.