The White Swan, Pickering

Back on land, it was the White Swan that provided a steadying injection of alcohol when it was thankfully all over. Never did a large Pinot Noir taste so good, served in a fine bulbous glass, beside the fire in the soothing calm of the front bar.

We returned to the White Swan in mid- October for an autumnal lunch, and by coincidence took the same seat in the bar and naturally honoured it by ordering a glass of Pinot Noir. Not the same as the one of fond memory but a beautifully rounded 2008 Devil's Corner from Tasmania. Our recollection was no illusion; the White Swan knows and cares about its wine.

It was "We'll Meet Again" in Pickering too. The whole town was swathed in red, white and blue bunting. The charity shops had bargain tea dresses, old fur coats and assorted militaria in their windows. It looked like a Ukip military coup was brewing but it was, in fact, the run up to Wartime Weekend, when the whole town dresses up to recreate 1940s Britain.

The White Swan appeared aloof from all this wartime partying, but it has something timeless about it anyway, partly down to its historic coaching house roots, partly down to a clever makeover. Eat in either the lovely stone-flagged dining room, an elegant Georgian-styled side room with silver candlesticks, the bow-windowed lounge with winged chairs and copies of Horse and Hound knocking around, or most informally in the bar with its traditional leather banquettes and Windsor chairs. A pair of old riding boots on the hearth suggests Mr Jorrocks has just returned from the hunt.

The menu is the same in all four rooms with fish of the day specials and a couple of extra courses replacing snacks in the evening. It reads solidly English, too: game terrine with apple chutney, Whitby fishcakes and shrimp salad, rib of Longhorn beef, Tamworth belly pork with bubble and squeak, lamb's liver and onions and to finish, rice pudding, sticky toffee pudding, lemon tart and raspberries. That's not to say the kitchen is stuck in a time warp. The results are thoroughly modern with a smattering of fashionable ingredients like squid and chilli, pancetta and slow-roasted tomatoes.

My starter was a warm salad of roasted beetroot, pine nuts and grilled Lowna Dairy goat's cheese, beautifully balanced and nicely finished with a balsamic dressing. Another starter of shallow fried squid was an intriguing balancing act between the kick of a chilli and rocket salad and the coolness of crme fraiche. It just made it.

There were no wartime shortages in the main courses. A fine hunk of halibut put to shame those places that serve miniature fillets of halibut and charge the earth. It came with a "stew" of pancetta, baby leeks, carrots, potatoes and mussels in a wine and cream sauce and was both sensitive and satisfying. Liver and onions were equally good and well-timed – liver just pink, red onions cooked down to a melting sweetness, crisped-up streaky bacon and a good serving of mash in a puddle of gravy – just the job for a late autumn lunch.

At dessert we shared a bramble brule which arrived in a large, shallow terracotta dish with blackberries and home-made biscotti. Perfectly bruled, it was big enough to feed a small family, contained more than a month's Second World War egg ration and should on no account be followed by a zip-wire circuit of Dalby Forest.

Far better to settle back in the lounge with another glass of wine. If the back pages of the wine list read like a Sotheby's auction catalogue, then the White Swan has something to boast about because the Buchanan family has squirrelled away a significant collection of St. Emilion Grand Crus, some at 300 plus some, like the grandest estates in the Country Life property pages, simply POA: Price On Application.

Unfortunately, we had mislaid our Euro Millions winning ticket again but with wines by the glass from a St Jean Vin de Pays at 3.50 through mid-range bottles starting at 13.50, it's a list that respects

the product and the customer.

That ethos extends throughout the place, through the kitchen, the various dining areas and the charming service. Let wars rage outside, this is a delightful bunker to hole up in.

The White Swan Inn, Market Place, Pickering, YO18 7AA 01751 472288. [email protected], www.white-swan.co.uk. Open: Mon to Sunday noon to 2pm and 6.45pm to 9pm. Price: Dinner for two, including wine, coffee and service, 80.