THE Woolpack Inn in Sutton Veny is a traditional English village pub set in the heart of Wiltshire.

The family-run establishment is known for its warm welcome, locally-sourced seasonal produce and fine wine selection.

Owners Tim and Abbie Smith have lived in the area all their lives and base their success on running a well-kept pub, with forays into outside catering and event management.

My wife Feona and I had passed The Woolpack on a fairly recent visit to Heytesbury and liked the look of the exterior. We decided to go back to see what the inside looked like and to sample the food on offer.

I ordered a large glass of Merlot (£6.70) and a pint of Blackcurrant and soda (£2) and settled down to peruse the menu on the blackboards.

Fee opted for a plate of smoked salmon, as she’s currently on a restricted diet, while I selected a carpaccio of thinly-sliced fillet beef, both priced at £7.95 each.

They came with a large portion of salad, liberally covered with the pub's 'secret recipe' salad dressing and mine had fine slivers of parmesan cheese with a balsamic glaze on top.

Both starters were well presented and mouth-meltingly delicious. They were accompanied by a basket of freshly-cut baguette bread slices with butter.

After the starters, it was on to the mains, and here Feona chose The Woolpacker home ground burger in pancetta and Mont Jack salad and sautes (£12.75), while I selected a Confit of Duck with creamed potatoes and vegetables (£16.95).

My meal was accompanied by a good-sized portion of fresh vegetables, including carrots, green beans and broccoli.

Feona declared her dish as being beautifully cooked, well presented and very tasty, but with just a little too much salad, after previously having had salad in the starter.

Mine was also beautifully cooked, with the duck being very tender, and the skin crisp and crunch to taste. The potato mash was indeed very creamy.

We finished our meal with the puddings at £5.50 each. Feona chose the blackcurrant sorbet in a brandy snap basket, while I plumped for one of my favourites, sticky toffee pudding in a toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Feona described her pudding as being “absolutely rammed” with flavour, while mine comprised slices of toffee pudding in sweet toffee sauce.

The meal was thoroughly enjoyable and served on proper plates - something of a rarity these days when many pubs and restaurants are serving dishes on wooden platters.

Our total bill came to £65.50 and I felt it was good value for money. The service was prompt and efficient and the atmosphere within the pub pleasant.

Tim and Abbie have been at The Woolpack Inn for the past ten years and appear to run a good local pub that is popular with villagers.

My only observation is that some visitors might find the animal heads adorning the walls slightly off-putting in this day and age, but the quality of the food and service can't be faulted.

John Baker