MY friend drives past the Spice Ship in Preston every day and said how appealing it looked – so we decided to treat ourselves to lunch there.

It was a warm day so we found a seat in the large and appealing beer garden.

There was plenty to choose from on the main menu and we spent some time browsing the choices, only to discover yet more options on the specials board and a separate menu with ploughman’s lunches and sandwiches.

Starters included homemade soup or king prawns, the choices from the grill included sirloin, rump, and gammon steaks, there was a selection of the pub’s signature dishes, as well as traditional pub food.

Among the fish dishes were beer battered cod and wholetail scampi, and there was a good choice of salads and ciabattas.

There was plenty for vegetarians, such as sautéed mushrooms, a goats cheese and caramelised red onion tart, and mixed bean chilli.

The menu stated that as all food is cooked to order it could mean delays during busier periods, but as the only other diners were a table of five, we were sure it would not be the case on this occasion.

But we waited 50 minutes for our food to arrive, which is far too long by anyone’s standards, especially as we were on a one-hour lunch break.

I chose the lamb shank, slow cooked in red wine with mushrooms and rosemary, served with new potatoes and seasonal vegetables, followed by the raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake with ice cream.

I was impressed with the amount of meat, which was so tender it practically fell off the bone, and the sauce was rich and tasty.

But I wouldn’t call swede or leeks seasonal vegetables and there was no sign of the promised mushrooms.

The cheesecake was light and creamy, with a sauce that had a faint taste of summery peach – the perfect finish to my wholesome main meal.

My friend opted for the oriental Thai fishcakes, followed by the Dorset apple cake with ice cream.

She couldn't fault her main dish, which was very generous in size, consisting of two large fish cakes, a lavish portion of salad and rice with a sweet chilli dipping sauce on the side.

The meal was far from bland, with an ample sprinkle of paprika on the rice and a dressing on the salad.

Having enjoyed her meal so much, she asked the staff to wrap her left over fishcake in tin foil to take home.

My friend also enjoyed her Dorset apple cake although she was beaten, again, by the generous portion size.

Other desserts included treacle and coconut tart and chocolate fudge cake, served with ice cream or cream.

I would return to the Spice Ship, although it would be for a leisurely lunch when I have plenty of time to spare, rather than a quick bite during my lunch hour.

*The Spice Ship, 240 Preston Road, Weymouth, DT3 6BJ, telephone 01305 835294. Lunch – 12pm to 2.30pm.

Evening meal – 5.30pm to 9pm. Open all day for food at weekends.

The Bill

Lamb shank: £9.95

Fishcakes: £9.50

Dorset Apple Cake: £4.50

Cheesecake: £4.50

Drinks: £3.10

Total: £31.55