THEY say you should never judge a book by its cover.

The cover in this case was not inviting, especially in the depths of winter. Perched on the edge of the windswept, bleak Alnwick Moor, The Shepherd's Rest has to withstand the worst the weather can throw at it.

I struggled to make the outside picturesque in the photo above.

But the rugged exterior hides a heart of gold.

Landlord Bob and landlady Geraldine created a warm atmosphere inside with friendly banter and good service.

We were particularly grateful for the effort they made with the children.

A blazing, open fire and the heat and delicious aroma from the carvery added to the glow.

It's a real, old-fashioned, spit-and-sawdust pub this one. OK, it could do with a lick of paint and a new carpet but a quaintness oozes from the walls and ceilings stained from years of pollution from smokers. The only thing it lacked was some soothing background music to drown out the noise of diners chomping and cutlery clanking between muffled conversation and lessen the ringing of the Sunday morning hangover.

We sat in the bar and ordered drinks (a pint of John Smith's, a pint of lager and two small lemonades for £6.10). A small conservatory restaurant at the rear looked bright and comfortable.

We were surrounded by firearms of various descriptions mounted on the walls alongside typical pub artefacts like horse brasses, bed warmers and faded sepia photographs.

I sat and looked at pictures of 6ft snowdrifts on the moor in 1947 wondering if we'll ever see the like again.

The Sunday carvery is a simple affair, served from noon to 2pm and costing £8.50 for two courses (£4 for children).

My wife announced that she could eat a "scabby hoss", she was that hungry, so I hoped the plates were big enough to cope with her appetite!

At the splendid spread we were offered a straight choice between turkey and beef plus trimmings. I ended up with beef and a cocktail of Yorkshire puddings (two), mini-sausages and stuffing. In fact, only my son had the turkey.

There was a bewildering 10 varieties of vegetable on offer: Roast, boiled and mashed potatoes, carrot chunks, cauliflower, cabbage, mashed swede, peas, roasted parsnips and sprouts.

We helped ourselves to veg and returned to our table, slightly embarrassed by the mountain of food we had been tempted to pile on our plates.

The food was very palatable, well cooked and piping hot. The meat was a bit dry but the herby beef gravy more than made up for it.

We couldn't argue with the value – just £8.50, with dessert to come and no dishes to wash – fabulous!

The children had a similar feast and were able to cherry-pick the vegetables to weed out the ones they didn't fancy before they hit their plates.

STAR RATINGS (out of five)
Quality of food 3.5
Choice 2
Value for money 4.5
Atmosphere 3
Service 4
Children catered for 4
Disabled access 1 (steps in)
Disabled toilet No
Overall experince 3
Verdict: Friendly, cheap and piles of food, but building in need of a serious make-over.

Contact details: Bob and Geraldine, The Shepher'ds Rest, Alnwick Moore, ALnwick, Northumberland NE66 2AH. Tel: 01665 510809; 07904981604. website: www.the-shephereds-rest.co.uk