THE Mill at Sonning has a unique experience for theatre goers with a hot home cooked meal served before you see a show- all in the same venue. The theatre has been entertaining for 30 years and offers a quaint and pleasant experience.

I went along to the theatre, which is based on the banks of the River Thames, on a fairly busy Friday night.

It has a unique system, where upon arrival you find your name on a board in reception, which has your table number on.

The place is a bit like a maze so we had to ask many of the friendly staff to find our seat, which had our tickets on the table. We arrived at about 6.30pm, which is when the buffet opens, and diners can head through to choose their food.

On offer last Friday was spicy pork; steak, stout and mushroom pie; five spice oriental chicken and a tomato tart. Along with this you can have rice, potatoes and a selection of vegetables.

The food is prepared daily and reminded me of my mum's cooking- fresh, tasty good home cooking.

I went for the spicy pork, which wasn't too spicy at all, and had chunks of pork with shallots and peppers in a rich, casserole style sauce.

My friend, Daisy, had the pie, which was full of the delicious meaty filling and was well cooked.

For dessert there was the option of bread and butter pudding, white chocolate and raspberry mousse, cheese and biscuits and icecream. The mousse was light and creamy with the added punch of the raspberries.

Daisy enjoyed the beautifully cooked bread and butter pudding with lashings of custard.

The play started at 8.15pm and the current run until July 21 is Father of the Bride. It is set in the intimate 215 seat theatre, which gives every audience member a great view of the stage.

Once seated I marvelled at the set, which was based in the home of the family who were preparing for their daughter's wedding.

And as the play progressed I was amazed at the amount of props there were- from cornflakes and milk to lots of boxes of wedding presents.

But of course, the set and props did not steal the show as there was a cast of very talented actors.

The story sees Stanley Banks, played by Steven Pinder, learn that his daughter, Kay (Evelyn Adams) is engaged to her boyfriend, Buckley Dunstan (Dale Monie). The other family members- Kay's mum, Elly (Rachel Fielding) and her brothers, Ben (Edward Elgood) and Tommy (Adam Philps) are pleased for them but Stanley starts to worry about the size of the wedding.

What was going to be a simple affair starts to escalate and soon the whole family are involved, as well as the housekeeper Doris (Lynette McMorrough).

An eccentric wedding organiser called Mr Massoula (Harry Gostelow) is called in along with his gruff side kick, Joe (Patrick Monckton).

The actors were all superb, especially as the audience were so close to them and could see every single facial expression.

As it is so intimate sometimes the shouting in the play was a bit too much, but other than this it was great to be able to be so close to the action.

The story is fun and fast paced, and entertaining to watch, although essentially not really much happens. I enjoyed my evening at the Mill at Sonning, which felt very quaint, yet professional, and has a high standard of actors on show.

Father of the Bride is at The Mill at Sonning until July 21. Tickets range from £38.50 to £49, which includes the price of the meal, coffee and show. For more information go to www.millatsonning.com