SITUATED just outside of Malmesbury in Lea, towards Royal Wootton Bassett, The Rose and Crown offers a fantastic variety of delicious food.

Lea is a very small village with just under 1,000 residents.

The Rose and Crown is the only pub in the area, but if there were, then they would do well to compare with this little gem.

A single bar pub, The Rose and Crown is split up into intriguing alcoves and corners.

We arrived early on a Tuesday evening, and were greeted by a happy member of the bar staff.

With a friend running late and a packed council meeting ahead, we both decided to get a drink and grabbed a seat in the corner.

The pub is friendly, warm and comfortable.

We looked though the menu of home-cooked food and were impressed with the variety in the menu, proving to be a hard choice.

We both eventually settled for a Beef Steak Bolognese served with tagliatelle, basil pesto and freshly shaved parmesan priced at £9.95, whilst we took it upon ourself to order the Slow Cooked Belly Pork priced at £14.95 for our late guest.

We also ordered a Sourdough priced at £2.95 to accompany our meal.

Also on the menu was Prawn and Mussel Linguine, Chargrilled Sirloin Steak and Coq Au Vin to name a few.

Our friend arrived just in time for the food to arrive.

The food was presented very well, and was packed full of flavour.

The Bolognese proved to be the perfect portion and very well priced.

We were all impressed by the very warm service.

We opted against a dessert, but if you still require food after, there is a lovely menu consisting of Chocolate Truffle Torte with Raspberry Coulis, Eton Mess and a Winter berry Brûlée with sort bread to name a few.

Sitting down, we also noticed a separate drinks menu that included just about every gin we could think of, one for another day perhaps?

It is also worth noting that the at the back of the pub is a huge pub garden, that includes a children’s play area, perfect for those long sunny days in the summer.

And in the summer, food can also be enjoyed outside, with a purpose-built BBQ area.

We were all very impressed by our first trip to the pub and we will definitely be back to try out some of the range of gins on offer under the sun in the garden.

The Rose and Crown offers delicious food, at a very good price, with a fantastic drinks menu and a wonderful garden.