THERE is no chance of leaving the Harte and Magpies hungry as the portions are huge. If you are looking for good food at a reasonable price, where dogs and family are welcome, this pub is the one for you.

The large family friendly pub is easy to find as it sits on the side of the busy A355 from Beaconsfield to Amersham in Coleshill.

It is a huge pub, with ample space, and rustic wooden beams and hops adorning the walls.

Dogs are welcome, with the resident dog, Scrumpy, hopefully wandering around the pub and there is plenty of room for children to run around with a great outdoor garden and play area.

Landlord Steve Lever said they aim to cater for families, offering reasonably priced children's food. It is managed by the same team which run The Royal Standard in Knotty Green and The Red Lion in Penn.

The menus are similar, for example, it has the popular fish and chips and lamb's liver and bacon, but they are also varied and it is the only one of the three to serve children's food, such as Kids fish and chips (£7) and Spaghetti bolognese (£6.50). It also serves an All day breakfast from 10am to 5pm and lunchtime baguettes.

It has a Sunday lunch menu with roasts and they specialise in local craft ales and ciders. The lamb is sourced from a Welsh Farm in Elwy Valley, the seafood comes from a national chain and their policy is 'local or better'. When it is shooting season they get their game from a neighbouring farm.

The menu offers good pub grub, with a great choice. Steve is friendly and welcoming and the pub feels quite homely.

The specials on the night I went were Pan fried duck breast with orange sauce (£16), Pan fried trout with new potatoes and a lemon parsley butter (£12), a Greek salad for a main or starter, Mussels as a main or starter and a vegetarian dish.

For starters I went for the special of Mussels in a creamy white wine and garlic sauce (£7). I was presented with a huge bowl of plump, large mussels served with three chunks of fresh, white baguette. The sauce was wonderfully creamy, and had a good flavour of garlic, which was not overpowering. I really liked that there were slices of celery in the sauce which gave relief from the richness and there was also a nice sprinkling of fresh parsley.

My boyfriend, Tom, went for Moroccan spiced lamb koftas, Caesar style salad and tzatziki dip (£7). There were four balls of lamb presented on a fresh salad of lettuce, tomato and cucumber. The dip was tangy and went well with the succulent lamb, which was lightly spiced.

Other options for starters range from Garlic flatbread (£4.50) to BBQ pork ribs (£5).

For the main course there are a selection of pizza and pasta dishes you can choose from, as well as salads. Then there is the good old Fish and chips, Fish pie and meaty main courses.

I had the Classic Burger, with caramelised onion, tomato and lettuce, and chips (£10.50) with onion rings (an extra £1). It was a huge portion and I wondered how I would ever tackle it. There were two beef burgers with caramelised onion spread inbetween in a fresh sesame bun.

The meat was wonderfully seasoned with a beautiful grilled taste and the onions finished it off a treat. The chips were crispy, with plenty of them, and the salad had a nice French dressing. The onion rings were crispy and tasty.

Tom went for the Chicken, leek and mushroom pie, chips and greens (£10.50). Again, this was a great sized portion. The pie was packed with a beautiful filling in a flaky exterior that crumbled as Tom went further into the depth of the pie. The greens were peas, broccoli, green beans and carrots which were cooked to perfection. By the end of the mains we were feeling pretty full, but we did manage to share a Sticky toffee pudding (£6), with icecream.

I love making sticky toffee pudding from an old recipe book, so I am always dubious about trying others. But this did not disappoint.

The sponge was light and the sauce was sweet, but not too rich, and was finished off perfectly with the vanilla icecream. Other dessert options are Bramley apple crumble (£5), Treacle tart and a hint of ginger (£5) and Eton mess (£6), which I can vouch from trying at the other pubs is delightful.

Having driven past this pub many times, I will definitely be dropping in a bit more often for the reasonably priced, wholesome pub food on offer. For more information go to www.magpiespub.com/