My nan had made the trek from London to Alnwick, along with my aunt and my nan's friend.
My nan is partial to a Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes, so my girlfriend, her sister and I decided to treat them to a Sunday lunch.
My nan's friend had spotted The Hairy Lemon on an earlier look around the town. It was the name that had caught her eye.
With the pub a familiar drinking haunt of mine and my girlfriend's, we chose the Lemon for lunch.
The pub is found at the bottom of Narrowgate, arguably the most attractive street in the town centre.
Inside, the Lemon has a really traditional feel. A dull-lit pub, but certainly not dingy, it keeps its character through an array of alcoves, decorations and panelling.
We were surrounded by bookshelves, ornaments and what looked like a Victorian fireplace, creating a comfortable and homely atmosphere.
Sunday lunch at the Lemon is served between noon and 2pm.
Although we went straight to the mains, there were starters available. The three dishes – of which two were vegetarian – were home-made soup of the day, served with warm roll and butter (£2.75), quorn dippers and chicken goujons (both £2.95 and served with salad and garlic dip).
The main courses on the Sunday menu are largely geared towards the traditional Sunday feast.
All priced at £6.25, and complete with potatoes, fresh vegetables and Yorkshire pudding, a trio of roasts awaited us, with a choice of roast beef, roast chicken (with sage and onion stuffing) and lamb, which was roast of the day.
Other options were breaded wholetail scampi served with chips, peas and tartar sauce (£5.75) and the vegetarian alternative of Provencale cheese and vegetable tart, served with potatoes and fresh veg (£6.25).
A range of baguettes were also on the menu including hot roast beef and gravy and hot roast chicken and stuffing. Both with chips and priced at £4.50.
As it was, five roast dinners – three beef, one lamb and one chicken – were ordered, while I chose the chicken baguette, amounting to a total of £35.75.
To whet the whistle, a round of drinks was reasonably priced. A glass of water, pint of Coke, half a lemonade, half a bitter shandy and a bottle of red wine came to a modest £13.
In fact, the drinks order came with a great offer. By ordering two large glasses of Merlot, (priced £4 each) we were given the rest of the bottle free, much to mine and my aunt's delight. A good money saver when the bottle of Wolf Blass Eaglehawk 2006 is priced at £10.95.
And for those who aren't Merlot fans, the deal extends to a range of wines – a deal perfectly suited to accompany a meal.
As we waited for our food – about 10 minutes – easy-listening background music was being played at a pleasant level, adding to the homely appeal of the pub.
When the meals arrived the plates were packed with food. The roast dinners were accompanied with a colourful mix of vegetables – peas, carrots, swede, cabbage, cauliflower and both new and roast potatoes.
The veg was fresh and well cooked. The three meats also got the thumbs-up. The chicken was moist, the lamb was flavoursome and the beef melt-in-the-mouth tender.
The chicken baguette was tasty. The warm chicken was comforting, especially on the wet Sunday we had been dealt, and the optional gravy (served in a gravy boat) helped to give the meat added moisture. The dish was accompanied by a stack of chips and a well-presented side salad and made for a tasty and filling alternative to a roast.
We were impressed at the range of condiments.
Despite the size of the meals, which were fairly large, the majority of plates were cleared. Eyes then turned to the dessert menu.
A range of sweets were available, including sticky toffee pudding and custard (£3), apple and blackberry crumble with either custard or ice cream (£3) and cheese and biscuits (£3.25).
But my chocolate-loving companions went for the hot chocolate fudge cake, two with cream (£2.75) and two with vanilla ice cream (£3).
I choose the gluten free almondy cake with Snickers (£2.25).
My nan, defeated by her lamb, skipped pudding.
The desserts weren't home-made but that didn't really hinder the flavour.
The fudge cake was soft and moist while the Almondy cake was delightfully sweet. In fact, after kindly giving everyone a try of my pudding, I was left fending them off from coming back for more - even my "full-up" nan.
In total, the meal came to £62.50 which, for six main meals, five desserts and a round of drinks, was really good value, especially considering the tasty and filling meals we received.
The menu, as mentioned, contains vegetarian and gluten and dairy-free choices. There is also a special kids menu, designed especially for the under 12s, with a roast lunch (£3.50), chicken nuggets with chips and beans (£2.75 and gluten and dairy free) and fish fingers with chips and beans (£2.50)
And even though we arrived fashionably late – 1.50pm to be precise – the bar staff never rushed us with our choices or skimped on either the quality or appearance of the dishes.
Certainly my nan came out with a big smile!