WHETHER 31 years of marriage is cause for celebration depends on your view of the institution.

But deciding we could still stand the sight of each other over the breakfast table, or in this case the dinner table, husband Peter and I opted to dine at the much-lauded Rose and Crown at Romaldkirk.

Our expectations were high, as the eighteenth century coaching inn has won a string of awards for owners Chris and Alison Davy. We had booked dinner in the recently refurbished oak-panelled restaurant but first enjoyed a drink and complimentary nibbles in the cosy residents' lounge. Under no pressure to order, we sat and perused the menu which for a set price of £26 for four courses offers a choice of seven starters, five main meals and four puddings and is changed daily.

We were impressed by the understated elegance of the intimate 26-seat dining room. The panelling shone, as did the silverware, as we took our places on two of the most comfortable chairs we have ever encountered. With padded backs and wide seats they were more like easy chairs than dining chairs.

The extras you would expect from an acclaimed establishment were in evidence - enormous snow-white linen napkins, toothpicks in a silver holder and a water jug with a choice of tap or mineral.

Although the Davys have been there for 14 years, the hotel is now managed by local woman Nicola Wearmouth. A hands-on manager, she was much in evidence during the evening, helping wait at tables and readily imparting information in a courteous yet friendly and informal manner.

Looking forward to a feast of locally-produced food, cooked by head chef Andrew Lee and his team, the starters duly impressed. I chose baked Cheddar souffle with chive cream while Peter plumped for hot wholemeal blinis with smoked Loch Fyne salmon, gravadlax and creme fraiche.

The souffle had a delightfully crisp shell with a light-as-air centre. The cheese was strong, but not overpowering; the sauce creamy but not too rich.

Peter's blinis went down well too, including the generous portion of smoked salmon. Cream of pheasant was the soup course, and its fulsome flavour suggested the bones had been used in the stock.

We followed with char-grilled calves' liver and bacon with a confit of onions, red wine and balsamic jus, and roast farm duckling with leek and bacon pudding, apple and calvados sauce and gravy from the roasting tin.

Peter is particularly fond of duck and pronounced it perfectly cooked, but while I thoroughly enjoyed my liver I was a little disappointed in the dish as a whole. I would have liked the bacon crisper and perhaps diced rather than served with a rasher on the top and would have preferred a bit less mushiness in the onion confit.

Perhaps we had set our sights too high with the establishment being such a prolific award-winner but we were both a tad disappointed in the vegetables. While the potato gratin was tasty enough, the beetroot and mange tout could have done with more bite for our palates. They were presented on individual side plates, but with no cutlery to dish them up. We resorted to using our dessertspoons, but we also noticed some fellow diners in the same boat.

However, when mentioning the matter to Miss Wearmouth later it seemed to be a quirk of Rose and Crown diners that they treat the vegetable dish as an extra plate, using knives and forks to switch from there to the dinner plate. So if you want serving spoons, ask.

Not the biggest pudding fan, I nevertheless caved in to temptation as it was included in the price, while Peter went for the cheese and biscuits. My home-made stem ginger ice cream, served in a tuiles basket, was delicious, but being a "ginger nut" I would have enjoyed it more had it contained actual pieces of ginger.

As usual, I ended up wishing I had ordered my husband's choice. The home-made oatmeal biscuits were fresh and crisp, as were the accompanying celery and seedless grapes.

As I was driving, I was on tonic water, but Peter opted for wine and was impressed by the choice of four reds and four whites, rather than the single house red or white usually on offer when buying by the glass, settling on an Australian Shiraz at £3.99.

We ended with coffee and mint fudge, which was included in the price, both agreeing that while it had been an enjoyable enough meal, for us it narrowly missed the heights that would have elevated it to the truly memorable.