THEY say the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Except we didn’t actually get round to the pudding on this occasion.

Not that we didn’t want to; the choices were stunning.

It was simply that we had enjoyed an absolutely superb meal already and another course would have been a step too far.

But we did have the proof; the proof that quality will always out.

The Three Acres at Roydhouse, Shelley, has long held a reputation as one of the finest eating establishments, not just in Huddersfield but in the wider region.

Would-be challengers have come and gone but in recent months, there have been new and inspired restaurants lobbying for the crown.

The Three Acres can see them off, if the performance the staff delivered on a Thursday evening in August is repeated.

The food was excellent; the staff welcoming and helpful; and the ambience excellent.

Yes, quality does not come cheap. But our bill for a very enjoyable evening was by no means excessive.

We were in good company. The restaurant, which boasts more than 200 covers, was very full on the evening we visited and judging by the pre-meal conversations, many of them were regulars.

It was only my second visit to the restaurant, which nestles in the shadow of the towering Emley Moor TV mast.

A previous stop had been for lunch with a business colleague; this time it was a night out with my wife, Linda.

So it was a bit of a surprise when we were ushered to a table in a prominent corner in the restaurant;- the very table I had used some 15 years earlier. Talk about “Your usual, Sir”.

Coincidences apart, it was a great start. We chose to have a drink in the bar before sitting at the table and enjoyed a pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and a huge glass of Shiraz as we settled in.

The inn has nestled in Roydhouse, a hamlet between Shelley and Emley, for 100 years. It has been owned and developed by Neil Truelove and Brian Orme for over 30 years.

They have created bedrooms for guests as well as the exclusive Krug Room and Tasting Room for special dinners.

It’s a bit of an eclectic look inside the sprawling building. There is something of a huntin’, shootin’, fishin’ theme in some areas but others seem like every aspect of your favourite local rolled into one.

And the restaurant isn’t shy about blowing its own trumpet, with testimonials from one or two famous diners dotted about the walls: Town manager Lee Clark, England rugby star Austin Healey, soccer player Carlton Palmer and, perhaps most telling, celebrity chef Marco Pierre White.