This is Somerset --There was a time when pubs were pubs, and restaurants were restaurants.
In short, they were two very distinct and dramatically different ways of spending an evening. But over the last couple of decades, and increasingly so in recent years, the distinction between the two has become blurred.
While many restaurants that once catered only to the needs of their diners have adopted the addition of a bar for drinkers, you would rarely find a pub these days that doesn't make some attempt at feeding its customers with something a little more than the traditional pickled egg and a pie.
This shift may have been dictated by an economic imperative, as well as our increasingly "Continental" tastes, but, when combined with the smoking ban that has lifted a carcinogenic fog from pubs and restaurants in recent years, the real winners have been families.
Had I been born a few decades earlier, and been bringing up my two little boys in the 1970s, I can't imagine my wife and I would have considered taking them to the Seven Stars in the west Wiltshire village of Winsley on a sunny January afternoon for lunch.
Back then, the Seven Stars was known as a real "drinkers' pub". The sort of country local where silence might have descended when an outsider walked through the doors – the kind of place where children would be lucky to be entertained in a "family room" with a bottle of Coke and a packet of crisps to which you had to add your own salt from a little blue packet.
Things have probably changed more at the Seven Stars in the last decade than they have in the pub's entire history – and with parts of the building dating back to the early 1700s, that's really quite a long history.
Today something of a gastro-pub, with a growing reputation locally for the quality of its food and the friendliness of its service, the place has focused on being family friendly.
That was clearly one of the key priorities of the new owners Alan and Sarah Appleby, who took over the ancient pub just over a year ago. Familiar to villagers as the former owners of a community grocery store in the village, near Bradford on Avon, it's unsurprising that they have enjoyed great success with the locals since taking the helm behind the pumps. But it's clear from chatting to people in the bar on the few times I've visited, that diners are happy to travel for miles to spend a few hours here, and enjoy the excellent food produced by chef James Hooper.
It's no wonder then that booking is almost essential. Even before 1pm the place was bustling with diners – from young families to pensioners being taken for a meal by their grown-up children, and groups of walkers who filled the bar area with their rucksacks, yomping boots and uber-healthy complexions.
Chef James is clearly doing something right to attract such a mixed crowd.
The main evening menu certainly seems a world away from "pub grub". With main courses including the likes of slow-roasted belly of pork with garlic, shallot and savoy cabbage, crisp new potatoes and a stilton and port sauce (£13.50), braised lamb shank with wholegrain mustard mash, glazed root vegetable with thyme butter and a red current and rosemary sauce (£15.90) and what about the delicious sounding grilled courgette, red onion, peppers and spinach risotto with slow roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a baked parmesan biscuit (£10.50).
Also, impressively, there is a "catch of the day" board with fish caught that day by King Fisher into Brixham – a level of freshness when it comes to seafood that you might have thought was restricted to the more exclusive hotel restaurants this far inland.
Starters are just as impressive – take for example the pan-fried Cornish scallops on tempura calamari with a lemon dressing (£6.50) or the baked goats cheese with crisp prosciutto, red onion compote and balsamic reduction (£5.50), both of which come highly recommended.
Of course there are the more familiar pub staples on the menu too – from steaks to ham, egg and chips (all be it rather sophisticated ham, egg and chips, complete with salad from the nearby Hartley farm).
The Sunday lunch menu is more down-to-earth, with traditional roasts (beef, pork or lamb) seeming to prove popular with customers. My wife opted for the roasted lamb with roast potatoes, steamed vegetables, cauliflower cheese and gravy (£10.50). No feeble slices of lamb and anaemic gravy here – think more lamb cutlets.
I fancied the local ale-battered fresh cod from Brixham, with mushy peas and chips (£9.50). The fish was enormous, and in with its crisp batter, and chunky chips, it brought together all that's right about this most traditional of English dishes.
My little boy, who chose the same as me, was catered for wonderfully – with a "children's version"– i.e. just fewer chips and a slightly smaller piece of fish, being presented before his wide-eyed delight, for half the adult price.
With a well-stocked bar, complete with a range of local ales, including Bath Ales' Gem and Cornish Knocker, you can't help but feel that this is what true "gastro-pubs" should be like. We will certainly be regular visitors from now on.
Venue The Seven Stars, Winsley, BA15 2LQ.
Contact 01225 722204; www.sevenstarswinsley.co.uk
Price range Starters from £4.90 for soup of the day, mains from £8.50 for ham, egg and chips, or £9.50 for fish and chips. There is also a good selection of desserts, from £5. Reported by This is 2 days ago.