A PUB dinner, complete with a cold pint in hand, is very much an element of normality our household is missing during lockdown.

So on Friday we did our best to recreate this with an order from the Greyhound in the village of Bromham.

Like all pubs across Wiltshire, staff have had to completely alter the way they operate. An extensive takeaway menu and a small kiosk at the side of the building now ensures it can be business as is Covid-normal.

After a busy working week, and the looming arrival of our dog’s seven puppies (all now born safely), we were incredibly excited to treat ourselves to a cosy meal.

We have varied diets in our household, with a pesky vegan - Dave - and a paranoid coeliac - me - that need to be accommodated for.

Our order included a massive portion of loaded fries, peppered with jalapenos and smothered in beef, two Hound burgers, a falafel burger, nachos, sweet potato fries and a chilli chicken burger with extra bacon.

We immensely enjoyed our food, despite the fact it was lukewarm by the time we got back to the house, but that was no fault of the Greyhound's - we do live some distance away and drive below the speed limit.

Dave was out when the food arrived and therefore ate later than us – and I got a text stating the food was simply “lush”.

I had opted for a beef burger which had a very decent gluten-free bun. The Greyhound’s meat is sourced from Bartletts of Bath and Walter Rose of Devizes and the high quality was noticeable.

When I picked up the food the staff were helpful in discussing how the food had been cooked and which elements were safe for my difficult gut.

It can be occasionally nerve-wracking to eat out with a food intolerance - not long before lockdown I was accidentally given the wrong bread in a Bath restaurant, which subsequently ruined the weekend away. But The Greyhound was the type of place that made me feel at ease. The staff had not only answered my various Facebook queries but, as I popped in the shower before leaving to pick up the food, my housemate Sean had decided to take umbrage with my choice in “plain” side orders, and called to add in some nachos and loaded fries into the mix, which the staff had no bother providing.

It was certainly a novelty to get pub grub to go, and while it was incredibly tasty food it goes without saying it would have been even better within the pub’s four walls. The atmosphere created by fellow customers, perhaps with a roaring fire or live music, is what puts the sense of comfort in a well-crafted pub dinner, an experience that can't be matched at home, even with a warm dressing gown and the sounds of Magic FM.

Restaurants and pubs across Wiltshire have done a fantastic job responding to being forced to shut their doors for a second time.

It is important, if you can, to support your local as we traverse the final week of lockdown so we can all enjoy that cracking fire, cold pint and sense of community when restrictions allow us to return to normality.

Kirsten Robertson