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And that is exactly what you get at The Cricketers, in Hartley Wintney.

The attractive pub is right beside one of England’s oldest cricket clubs and in many is so quintessentially English, but with a French twist.

The pub restaurant is part of a small independent chain, with its French l’auberge restaurant.

I popped in one lunch time with a colleague to see if the pub restaurant met our expectations and it did right from the moment we walked in through the door.

We were immediately greeted with a cheery welcome by Jella Gil from behind the bar.

The main restaurant area looked full with lunch time diners, but we were more than happy to sit in the light and airy bar area.

After ordering our drinks, we were greeted by the equally attentive and friendly Archie Iqba, who is the new assistant manager.

The lunch time menu was not overwhelming, promising good wholesome and well made meals.

Again we were not disappointed.

The French style menu was a departure from the pub’s Englishness, offering Les Entrees, Les Plats and Desserts, but the food was certainly pretty hearty, especially for those with more traditional palettes.

I was tempted by the handmade Lincolnshire sausages, made by a traditional butcher in Hartley Wintney, which was accompanied by mash and onion gravy – delicious.

However, before tucking into this treat, I decided to take advantage of the two course meal offer on the lunch time menu and so got my tastes buds going with caramelised chicory, pear and gorgonzola tart with a walnut dressing. I wanted to try something new ¬– it was delicious.

I could have easily gone for fresh beer battered haddock with homemade chips, or even a beef burger and French fries – that was the sort of food I was in the mood for that day, or even a 28-day aged rib eye steak.

But equally tempting was Moules Marinieres – mussels cooked in white wine, with shallots, garlic and parsley.

The is also a delicious choice of granary, baguette and ciabatta sandwiches came complete with fresh crayfish, with Marie rose sauce and cucumber, Scottish smoked salmon with cream cheese and even homemade fish fingers and tartar sauce.

The sausages were delicious, made by a local butcher.

A selection of side orders including olives and crispy potato skins is on offer as well as a children’s menu.

We were pretty full after our meal and as we had to return to work, we skipped the desserts, as enticing as the crème brulee amd apple crumble with cream or ice cream were.

Next time I’m there I might try the milk chocolate tart with pistachio ice cream!

Chatting with Archie, I discovered that there is quite a lot going on at The Cricketers, with its Spring Dining Offers, where you can take advantage of the wine and dine promotion, where you can enjoy two main courses with a carafe of wine for just £20.

Friday night is fish night at The Cricketers, while those who want to pop in for a drink after work can take advantage of the Dusk Deals, from 5pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday.

The pub restaurant also has an extensive wine list for wine buffs.