The Sutton Arms, Faceby, near Stokesley

Mar 29 2009 by Mika Smiles, Sunday Sun

We were given just enough time to finish our second round of drinks — Mrs E opting for fresh orange this time — before our scran was delivered in all its glory.

I went for the roast beef while Mrs Eats plumped for the lamb. Both came on steaming hot plates with roasties, a Yorkshire pud and plenty of gravy.

The beef was melt-in-the-mouth yummy . . . not at all like Mrs Eats’s on the extremely rare occasions she is chained to our cooker on a Sunday. She assured me her lamb was also tender and tasty.

Whoever cooked the roasties must have had lots of practice. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.

Being the Yorkshire pudding connoisseur I am, I could tell that this variety was clearly homemade . . . light, lovely and not an Aunt Bessie’s in sight.

Our roasts came with a selection of freshly cooked vegetables including cauliflower, carrots, turnip, broccoli, cabbage and mash.

The only rule when asking for extra veg in this establishment is that you finish them, so I was a bit concerned when Mrs Eats insisted on more of the rich, buttery mash.

My worries weren’t unfounded. Her eyes were far bigger than her belly on this occasion and we were forced to leave half a bowl.

And would you believe it? Mrs Eats was so full up that she couldn’t even manage her usual Sunday dessert! A definite first.

After giving our tums five minutes to settle we turned our attentions outside. The sun wasn’t so shiny now.

The lack of light, combined with my current back problems, meant that we decided to forego our walk in the country air.

What we did instead was pay up, jump into the Eatsmobile and enjoy the scenery all the way home.