They say if you want to know the time ask a policeman.

Well, I now have my own little saying - if you want to find somewhere good to eat, that serves excellent real ale, ask a Methodist minister.

I've met the Reverend Geoff Reid twice for lunch at pubs of his choice and he's never let me down (his other selection being the excellent Jacob's Well).

On this occasion we ventured to this easily-missed pub on the outskirts of the city centre.

We were given a hearty welcome by some jolly bar staff and served promptly.

While waiting for our food we tried a pint of Caledonian's IPA Deuchars, a steal at £2 a pint for a tasty, light beer, ideal to try at lunchtime if you've got to back to work and need to keep a clear head.

From a fairly basic pub menu I opted for a steak pie with chips and peas (£3.75) while Geoff went for chilli and chips (£4.50).

The steak in the pie was succulent, and although the pastry a little soggy, it was an excellent bar meal, just the right amount and served by another friendly member of staff.

Although the pie was no bigger than a standard pork pie, it was filling and covered in a warming, thick onion gravy. Even the peas were good and I don't generally enjoy them with pub grub.

I had to admit I was rather envious of Geoff 's chilli, which came in a vast metal pot, and smelled delicious and lasted a good five minutes longer than my meal - hope that's not a sign of my 'keen appetite' as I like to call it, or 'wilful greediness', the phrase used by my wife at meal times.

Geoff said: ''It's nice to come into a pub and try proper, home-made food. The chips were nice and large too.'' They were certainly man-size portions of potato, not the anorexic potato strings served in most fastfood outlets.

My only gripe would be the two ladies sitting a table up from us who seem determined to smoke as many cigarettes as possible before the smoking ban in pubs serving food comes into force, but fortunately they had left before our meals were served.

The decor wasn't up to much either, but as we live in an age of bright, artificially-lit pubs, to find somewhere you could say had some genuine character is quite satisfying.

If you are looking for somewhere a bit different to eat or try some decent, well-kept beer over the festive season, I can heartily recommend the Ring O Bells.

Failing that, I can always give you Reverend Reid's number!

RING O BELLS 18 Bolton Road, Bradford Tel. (01274) 728448

  • Our writers comment on what they find during a single visit. They accept standards vary from day to day. In the interest of fairness, they do not reveal their identities, and they pay for their meals in full. Each venue is judged against other restaurants of a similar type.