Eating at the yellow Aqueduct is certainly no peril

llanblogger taste test

* The startlingly yellow Aqueduct Inn at Fron.

THE new vivid yellow external paintjob might be a little startling but there’s nothing disturbing about the welcome and the food at the Aqueduct Inn in Fron.

If discerning Llangollen folk would care to travel just a couple of miles up the road to sample Sunday lunch there, they are not likely to be disappointed.

The historic pub in its prime position overlooking the Dee Valley and the World Heritage site was empty for quite a few months but, just as the place where we did our last taste test, the Sun at Rhewl, enterprising new people have now moved in and are doing their best to make a go of  what was once a thriving village boozer.

Despite the canary-like exterior, the interior of the Aqueduct is still reassuringly old world, from its muted, heritage-style painted walls to the old-fashioned tables and chairs.

The guy behind the bar when llanblogger went there recently was extremely welcoming and chatty and offered us something cool to drink as soon as we stepped in looking hot from the sun-baked A5.

There was a couple of interesting-looking real ales and one of them made a very refreshing pint of bitter shandy.

The Sunday lunch menu was hardly vast but featured the essential roasts – good old beef and lamb.

There was a slightly wider choice of starters, including the tasty garlic mushrooms we ordered at £3.95.

We then went for a couple of beef main courses at a very reasonable £5.99.

The beef was succulent and came with all the usual trimmings – mashed and roast potatoes, two veg, a Yorkshire pudding and some very pleasant gravy.

Helpings weren’t lavish but perfectly adequate and left enough room for a couple of desserts.

The last helpings of chocolate cake and cream having been snaffled just before we got around to ordering, it had to be apple pie and ice cream times two for us, at £2.50 apiece.

But that was certainly no imposition as these were delicious, with a nice crust, plenty of apple filling and two scoops of vanilla ice cream to top them off.

Service came with a smile, the landlord called at our table for a chat and we were able to sit in one of the two main rooms and look out over an idyllic canal scene as we enjoyed lunch for a very digestible total of £26 including our shandies.

The Aqueduct is definitely worth driving up the A5 to try.