It’s an inn that’s set in one of the best locations in the Huddersfield countryside.

The Wills O’ Nats above Meltham is within easy meandering distance from Blackmoorfoot reservoir – it’s a cracking little walk – and has built quite a decking area to take in the views looking towards the moors above the Holme Valley. You can sit and drink that one in all day.

And it’s one for the traditionalists.

Step inside and it’s, well, oldy worldly, with the heavy patterned carpet, red upholstered seats and shelves full of trinkets ranging from pottery dogs to plates.

What it gives is an air of reassurance, comfort and nostalgia; old photos of the area are everywhere you look – in a modern world that feels like it’s increasingly gone mad.

The 1980s music added to it. Chesney Hawkes crooned One And Only (did he sing anything else?) during the starters while Kajagoogo weren’t Too Shy to join in when it came to the mains. It brought back memories from a lifetime ago.

And when it comes to food, that’s all about comfort too.

For an inn, the menu is extensive ranging from specials to pies, to steaks and plenty for our vegetarian chums. How about a mixed bean chilli (£10.45), Mediterranean Risotto (£9.95) or roasted vegetable lasagne (£10.45).

Restaurant review. Wills O' Nats, Meltham.

There’s six starters to go at including soup, black pudding stack topped with poached egg and bacon lardons, garlic mushrooms, the Wills special prawn cocktail or, if you’re a touch ravenous, two Yorkshire puddings and onion gravy.

Having looked at the size of the portions coming out of the kitchen we played safe and shared a starter – the garlic mushrooms (£5.50). Button mushrooms sauteed in garlic butter, finished with a little cream and served with a bread roll.

The sauce looked strong for one simple reason, it was strong to the point of being almost overpowering. It demanded the bread be dipped in – again and again. The dish was spotless by the time we’d done. That’s testament enough.

Now wife Ruth isn’t one for pies but she spotted one of the pub’s signature dishes – The Yorkshire Italian Job (£11.95) which was a finalist in the national steak pie competition in 2007. Within it are hints of panacetta, spicy chorizo, oregano and Italian red wine topped with melted Gruyère cheese and a parmesan cheese crust. Yep, it’s a biggie and comes with a warning. It takes 30 minutes to cook.

I had minty lamb (again £11.95) – slow cooked lamb pieces in a minty gravy topped with sauté potatoes and vegetables including carrot, swede and potato mash. To call the lamb ‘pieces’ was to underplay it – these were tender chunks and plenty of them in a rich casserole and one of the best lamb dishes I’ve had in ages.

Ruth’s pie lived up to its big billing. It’s absolutely packed with a mix of Yorkshire and Mediterranean flavours – it’s not often you get to say that – with the steak, chorizo and peppers working so well together and the cheese gave the topping a great twist. Makes you wonder what steak pie won back in 2007.

The veg was plainly cooked to the point of being bland. It wouldn’t take much to give it a twist too and a bit of colour and vibrancy such as mange tout would add to the presentation.

The home-cooked chips were spot-on and pleased Mrs Hirst. She’s particular about her chips is Mrs Hirst.

Other signature starters include giant Yorkshire Pudding – a truly giant square Yorkshire Pudding filled with vegetables, gravy and a choice of sausage or beef and the Wills’ Original Yorkshire Wrap – that’s prime roast beef and gravy wrapped in a giant Yorkshire pudding served with the carrot, potato and swede mash.

A big choice of puddings at £4.25 each included raspberry and hazelnut roulade, Kentish apple tart, chocolate fudge cake, lemon meringue pie, sticky salted caramel cake and several sponges ranging from ginger to treacle.

We had the honeycomb cheesecake, a wise choice, with its thin base and lots of honeycomb weaved in and chocolate drizzled over.

Honeycomb cheesecake at the Wills O' Nats, Meltham

The main courses were so big we did something we’ve never done before at a pub meal. Ask to take what we left away. That lamb had seemed to grow the more I ate.

No problem. It returned well wrapped up. Tea for the next day sorted when the Wales game was on.

In short, result. And that was even before the match kicked off.

Wills O’ Nats – the name. In 1851 William Dyson took over the lease of the Spotted Cow as the pub was then known and his father was called Nathaniel so locally it became known as Wills O’ Nats (meaning William son of Nathaniel).

It changed its name to the New Inn around 1900 but was still known locally as the Wills O’ Nats and in 1973 a new drayman had trouble finding the New Inn so asked in Meltham and no-one knew where it was so the landlord decided to rename it the Wills O’ Nats to avoid any further confusion.