ON SUNDAY I enjoyed the rare experience of eating al fresco in the Lake District.

The weather came good just in time for a visit to Bowness and although we’d planned to eat elsewhere we couldn’t resist the sundrenched hill outside The Angel Inn where crowds were tucking in to some beautiful-looking dishes.

I ate here not long after it was refurbished in 2005 but don’t recall the food being so impressive.

My companion and I tucked into a starter of mixed beets and asparagus with Yorkshire Blue cheese and a toased walnut dressing. Portion size and presentation both get top marks and if only the dressing had offered more of a kick, the taste would too. There was certainly a good mixture of flavours and textures going on.

Second up were two stunningly presented mains. One was a simple open sandwich of salmon and prawns but full of colour and stacked high with mouth-watering fish.

It was impressive enough to make our neighboursadmire it and was a resounding success according to my lunch date.

I chose warm smoked Lakeland trout salad which came with braised leeks, two poached eggs and sat on a sturdy, satisfying pile of buttery potato which was somewhere between crushed and mashed.

Although the ‘salad’ element of the meal was restricted to a few strands of wispy leaves, I didn’t care: The dish was a triumph, full of rich, salty, buttery flavours that I can almost taste as I type.

To finish we shared a farmhouse cheese plate which offered five different cheeses, along with plenty of biscuits, grapes, celery and a lovely damson chutney. It could have been a meal in itself and was a bargain at £7.95.

Washed down with a couple of glasses of pinot grigio and a much-needed dose of sunshine, the experience was one that will no doubt be repeated next summer.