SITTING in the village of Radley, The Bowyer Arms may not be a landmark of gastronomic wonder – but it’s an ideal place to spend a relaxed Sunday afternoon.

A few miles from Abingdon, this Greene King establishment gives its punters exactly what they want: cheap hearty food, a solid mix of drinks and pleasant staff.

With a warm and inviting atmosphere, pub has a sort of traditional feel - the kind of pub your grandad would have spent the odd evening.

When I stepped inside on a Sunday afternoon with my girlfriend Zoë it was like a bit like walking into the home of a friend – albeit a friend with a particularly large house and collection of drinks.

The staff were all smiles and the atmosphere was that of cheery calm – and scanning the menu only pleased me more.

My biggest gripe with menus is that they are too often overwhelming, suggesting a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ approach to culinary endeavour.

The Bowyer Arms, however, almost as if anticipating my arrival, has its menu printed on a single rectangle of card, the food limited to pub classics: roasts, steaks, burgers, fish and chips, etc.

Given that it was a Sunday and that it had that kind of feel, I opted for the roast (£10.29) and so did Zoë.

She went for classic chicken while I was tempted by the pork belly.

After a very brief wait both meals were brought out and we were instantly impressed.

The mark of quality in a roast, in my humble northern opinion, can be found in the quality of its Yorkshire puddings and, frankly, my eyes widened when I saw The Bowyer Arms’s offerings.

They hadn’t just risen. They had surged upwards like battery explosions and looked absolutely delicious.

The taste didn’t disappoint, more than matching up to their spectacle.

My pork belly was also lovely, soft and tasty though disappointingly lacking in any accompanying crackling.

Zoë had high praise for her chicken too, which she feared may be drab when she chose it.

The stuffing could do with some work. It was nice, but came in the size of an Oxo cube, incapable of stuffing even a roast door mouse.

But these are small concerns. On the whole, the decent food, friendly staff and warm atmosphere make the Bowyer Arms a winner more than anything, because it doesn’t try to be something it’s not.