Nicki Dixon finds her new favourite eatery at The Dark Horse in Stowlangtoft

The offer of a “date” lunch after a very pleasant drive through Suffolk was enough to encourage my husband out of bed after a 12-hour nightshift.

The drive from home in Sudbury to Stowlangtoft gave him enough time to fully wake up and realise he was hungry - which was a good job because by the time we left The Dark Horse we were stuffed.

His shift work doesn’t give us many opportunities to catch up over a delicious lunch but, it would seem, we now have a favourite place.

Situated on the Stowlangtoft Estate and dating back to 1859, the Dark Horse offers a rare opportunity to feel the atmosphere where heavy horses worked and were stabled.

The floors are well worn from years of use from both foot and hoof and the cosy little bar is literally in a former stable, and very welcoming it is too.

We were greeted by our host, Paul Gooch, and had pre-lunch drinks in the bar which stocks a wide variety of real ale, wine and soft drinks.

I’m a sucker for Adnams beer so was well pleased to see it on one of the pumps while Jason had a Coca Cola.

Our table, cutely reserved with a dinky easel on which was chalked our name, looked out over the courtyard and as we waited for our starters we watched a sparrow bathing in the fountain as well as the arrival of some more visitors out enjoying the glorious weather in this part of Suffolk.

A couple who had just eaten were very keen to book again for a few days time which is a sign the Dark Horse is doing something right.

The restaurant is light and airy thanks to the huge picture windows overlooking the courtyard where you can also eat.

It was a baking hot day so windows and doors were open, allowing plenty of air to circulate through the room.

But it didn’t stop us thinking and wondering how beautiful the restaurant would be at Christmas time with a tree and some lights to add to the winter atmosphere.

I was very encouraged to see a lot of choice for those who don’t eat meat and even my carnivore husband went for a meat free starter.

I had sautéed mushrooms in a stilton sauce served on warm toasted ciabatta while Jason had a goats cheese, spinach and caramelised onion filo pastry tart (both £5.95).

Mushrooms combined with Stilton is probably the closest thing to food heaven for me and I was not disappointed.

The piping hot generous portion was completely delicious and Jason is still going on about how glorious the goat’s cheese was.

Other starters include smoked duck, pear and walnuts, smoked salmon topped with a timbal of prawns and a beef tomato and mozzarella salad.

He reverted to type for the main course and chose a homemade burger with bacon and cheese which was huge and served with chips and salad (£8.95).

I went for the vegetable lasagne, a gain a generous portion and perfectly served with chips and salad (£9.95).

Fish lovers can have a whole gilt head bream in a coriander butter, while other mains include slow cooked lamb shank, smoked bacon steaks and a breast of chicken in a leek and cream cheese sauce.

Dare we do dessert? We looked at each other, both willing the other to cave first.

We caved together when we saw the dessert menu.

Jason chose the syrup sponge pudding and custard and I chose the lemon roulade and ice cream.

Mine was sharp, cool and delicious while Jason’s was as syrup sponge should be, steaming hot and floating in a sea of perfectly made custard.

Other tempting treats for sweet lovers include pecan pie and blueberry, meringue and cinder toffee ice cream sundae.

We were not hassled by our lovely waitress who checked on us just a couple of times during our lunch which was fine by us.

The menu has been changed a few times since Paul took the restaurant over in March with Cathy O’Neill who is responsible for the amazing food and, as Paul explained, they are still finding out what people want and like, hence the regular changes.

This gives us an excuse, as if we needed one, to hop in the car for the 40 or so minute drive to Stowlangtoft and the wonderful Dark Horse which, quite rightly, boasts “Once found, never forgotten”.