IT was a glorious sunny Sunday the day we had planned our visit to The Ox in Lower Parkstone.

With the amount of rain we’ve had recently, we were keen to enjoy as much of the day as possible, so made a booking for the last service at 4pm.

Despite our late lunch booking, the greeting at the restaurant was relaxed, none of the staff seemed to want to rush our dining experience so we enjoyed a few minutes at the bar sitting on comfortable bar stools.

It was a struggle to leave the soft leather stools in the happy atmosphere of the bar, but we made our way through to the cosy lounge style dining area.

Our waiting dining chairs looked even more inviting with soft padding and comfortable resting arms.

A selection of around five starters looked inviting, but at 4pm we were screaming for comfort food and decided to go straight for the Sunday Roast, which was priced at £12.95 a head.

My loin of pork and crackling looked like it would justify every penny of the price tag and it did. It was unbelievably tasty.

My partner had hoped for the lamb, which we could see in the fire pit just feet away from our table, but unfortunately that had all sold out.

His second choice, the beef, did not disappoint and was superb; pink in the middle, just as he requested.

Both roasts were served with a large Yorkshire pudding, scrummy roast potatoes and a variety of different roasted vegetables.

It’s always a gamble having a roast at the end of service, but everything we tasted was delicious.

A separate jug of incredibly tasty gravy was served on the side, as well as a generous bowl of apple sauce and also horseradish.

It was clear that the aim here is for dinners to indulge and enjoy every moment of their dining experience.

For me, sticky toffee pudding is always a tough choice to resist on a dessert menu.

As I’d already thrown caution to the wind by practically licking the porcelain off the plate after my pork, I gave in to temptation.

I consider myself a bit of a sticky toffee pudding connoisseur and The Ox’s version of this classic had me grinning from ear to ear.

Lashings of toffee sauce covered and lapped the sides of the bowl, with a perfectly portioned amount of pudding and a dollop of creamy vanilla ice cream melting into it. Every single mouthful of the moist sponge and sticky sauce was heaven on earth.

Good quality Italian coffee was served with our deserts; in fact everything about The Ox was quality, including the service which was incredibly attentive.

It was hard to fault our dining experience at The Ox. By the time the bill arrived my partner was already planning his next visit. To be honest I’d happily go back there just to taste again that delicious toffee sauce!