THE Village is a very apt name for this delightful chunk of Bournemouth, within which nestles 'The Verve Carvery'. We arrived on a somewhat dreary Sunday lunchtime, but once inside this enticing restaurant, the welcome we received could not have been warmer.

The Sunday Lunch not only includes an unlimited all you can eat buffet, it also includes free use of the fantastic leisure facilities, including a state if the art gym, pool, sauna & steam to really work up an appetite.

We were shown to our table which we all agreed was nice and 'roomy' and very promptly Jemma arrived to take our drinks order, this took a few minutes as there was such a variety to choose from! We then went to the very attractive self service counter to choose our starters, the mouth watering selection included prawn cocktails, assorted cold meats, smoked salmon & mackerel, game pies, pate, soup of the day and an array of absolutely beautiful bread to dunk in it! We chose a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the wine list, which was served in an ice bucket at the end of the table, thus not taking up valuable room reserved for our 'numerous' dishes!

We then went to collect our main courses which were served by a very proud chef whose Yorkshire puds could win competitions!

There was a choice of three roast meats, all of which we tasted and agreed they were 'melt in your mouth' moments, seasonal vegetables all cooked to perfection, proper roast potatoes and even 'pigs in blankets' and a display of every condiment you could wish for to make our meal even more delicious, oh and did I mention the gravy! The ever smiling Jemma arrived to take our plates, by which time we felt more like new friends than customers (she's hoping her boyfriend proposes soon, let's hope he reads this, Jemma).

The desserts were creamy and light, lemon cheesecake, chocolate mousse and a selection of fresh fruits and ice-cream which was the perfect end to the perfect meal. We could not have been more delighted with our first experience at The Village Carvery, amazing value, excellent food priced at £12.95, all served with a family feel by happy staff. As we were leaving we saw some friends who said "we come here every week" and we can absolutely see why and will be back very soon.