But it really comes down to weighing the pros (such as a nice hand-pulled pint and no washing up) against the cons – none of my very pregnant beloved's gravy and a shared suspicion that pub lunches can, too often, be very hit and miss affairs.

We'd booked Old Crown Inn at Ashton, just beyond the village of Roade, where, at roughly the same stage of pregnancy four years ago, we'd enjoyed a very good evening meal with family.

It's a beautiful pub to look at from the outside – really striking when you drive past. Inside, the pub has beautiful low beams (mind your head if you're over about 5ft 8in) with what I call a Cheers-style bar (ie you can walk round it) as the centrepiece. It's all very cosy and extremely welcoming.

After ordering a pint of Youngs and some orange juices, we perused the menus. Starters included a tempting-sounding deli board (sundried tomatoes, olives, chorizo and ciabatta), but instead we opted for a pea and ham soup for me and prawn cocktail for Kate, with Jack gnawing on some bread. The prawn cocktail was tasty enough, with a good sauce and a fresh-looking salad, while my soup was, well, okay. It just didn't taste very pea and hammy and did taste very salty. Also, there wasn't that much of it.

Not a great start, but main courses promised more. Jack went for roast beef with all the trimmings while I had roast lamb, direct from a farm in nearby Wicken. The meat, particularly mine, was full of flavour and the trimmings – roast potatoes, parsnip, Yorkshire pud, broccoli and, the one let-down, a far too al dente cauliflower – were wolfed down.

Kate, however, having toyed with having free range chicken, went way off-piste and opted for beef and Bedfordshire Eagle (beer) pie with mashed potatoes and veg. She knew this was a mistake when she decapitated the pastry to expose what lay beneath: A mass of shredded beef that resembled what Jack was eating but didn't taste like it, served in a thin gravy.

I'd been for a long run that morning and was seriously hungry, but even I couldn't bring myself to eat more than a couple of mouthfuls to make some impression on the plate.

Maybe this was the usual recipe – in which case, I'd humbly suggest the chef revises it – or else the kitchen hadn't planned on anyone ordering it, but it was not good. Vegetarian-wise, there was just one choice – a vegetable penne with a garlic ciabatta.

Things picked up for dessert (including chocolate sponge, and bread and butter pud and even crepes Suzette) with delicious strawberry ice cream for Jack and a mint-choc chip for his hungry mum.

The bill, which included three orange juices and two pints of bitter, was £46.

Would we come again? Definitely maybe.

We received a very friendly welcome, the food was good in parts and not great in others and we liked the bistro style of the menu and the way in which food was locally sourced where possible.

On this particular day, our Sunday lunch was a bit hit and miss, but on another day – providing we avoid that pie – I suspect we'd have a clear run to good meal.

The pub is all on one level, with no steps.