Chequers Restaurant, Manchester Road, Westhoughton - THIS establishment falls comfortably into the traditional English restaurant category.

It is housed in former police station and the interior has been thoughtfully and tastefully designed to present the hallmark of class.

For example, original oil paintings are illuminated by their own lights around the walls and the decor is homely, in keeping with the building, and old fashioned in the best kind of way.

At the time of our visit -- 5pm on a Sunday -- there was a healthy buzz about the restaurant. The restaurant and bar area were busy, but there were plenty of staff orchestrated by the woman clearly in charge to cater for everyone's

needs.

At first glance, the a la carte menu had a wide variety of dishes available to the discerning diner. Starters ranged in price from £3.50 to £6.95 while main courses fell between £11.95 and £17.95. Not cheap, I know, but judging from what I saw going to other diners' tables, this is an eatery that likes to sell itself on quality. Nothing wrong with that.

My companion and I were mulling what to have when our attention was drawn to the special deal for the four-course Sunday meal, which comes at £12.95 a head. The cut-off point for this was 5pm, so we had arrived just in time.

For starters my companion ordered the pate and toast while I opted for tomato and Cointreau soup. We were offered, and took, lovely fresh bread rolls before our starters arrived. The pate came, as it always seems to in my experience, without enough toast to finish it, while my soup was simply the best I have tasted for a very long time.

Wines ranged in price from £14.95 to £24.95 (red) or you could have the house red, a Villa Rosa, a Chilean merlot, at £12.95. The white house wine was the Villa Rosa chardonnay, which also came in at £12.95, while other white wines ranged between £11.95 and £21.95.

We opted for a bottle of the house red and found it to be a highly agreeable drink which set us up nicely for our main course. I had ordered the roast turkey, while my partner had selected roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

The dishes came in perfect time with generous helpings of vegetables -- a carrot and swede mix and cauliflower cheese -- and roast potatoes. Both of us found our meals delicious.

My companion's roast beef was succulent and very tender, as was my turkey.

By this time the restaurant was virtually full and there was a highly convivial atmosphere.

This was helped by our charming young waiter, a lad of school age with impeccable manners. Under normal circumstance we may not have had a sweet but the £12.95 was the all-in so it would have been rude not to on this occasion.

My companion opted for the strawberry cheesecake while I had the fresh fruit St Honore Gateau. Both sweets were fine, but we both agreed that I had struck gold with gateau. It was superb. I finished off with coffee while my partner enjoyed the mints before retiring to the bar where we enjoyed a glass of port each for a total cost of £7, which I paid for over the bar. The total bill for the food and wine was thus £38.85 and I feel strongly that we had value for money.

This restaurant is easy to find. It is on the Chequerbent roundabout of the A6. There is plenty of space to park although I must stress that on the evening question, because we were drinking, we used a taxi.

There is easy access to the restaurant for the disabled. The eating area is on the ground floor, although there is additional space upstairs.

Personally, this not somewhere I would bring a young child, but I am sure many people do and are quite happy about it. Otherwise, this is an ideal restaurant for a quiet, romantic meal for two when you've got a few quid in your pocket, or for a special occasion.

STAR RATING

Quality of food...****

Menu...****

Service...****

Value for money...****

Atmosphere...****

Overall rating...****

How to get there...

From Bolton town centre, take the A58 towards Westhoughton. Continue straight on at the junction with the M61 and onward towards the Chequerbent roundabout on the A6. Chequers is facing you.