We needed a packhorse to transport our order home from the Dragon Inn – I have never left a takeaway so heavily laden with food.

And before we had even looked in the vast bag of goodies, we knew we wouldn’t be cooking the following night either.

Some 20 minutes earlier the friendly waitress had helped us negotiate our way around the extensive menu and gave us some prawn crackers to nibble on while we decided what to order.

I eventually opted for the home-made chilli sauce with chicken, and my girlfriend ordered the king prawns in a sea spice sauce (with bamboo shoots, wood ear fungus and spring onions).

Feeling hungry, we also ordered a combination of starters for two, which included salt and pepper squid, crispy wan ton, stuffed crab claws, seaweed and satay king prawns.

Our order came to a very reasonable £17.30, but because it was over £17, we were told we could choose a starter for free. So we went for butterfly king prawns in breadcrumbs.

The delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen were encouraging, but I was slightly put off when I heard the ping of a microwave.

Happily, however, the overall verdict was very good indeed. The appetisers were a big hit with my girlfriend and although I don’t usually like Chinese nibbles, I did enjoy the crab claws and the delicious seaweed.

The butterfly king prawns were rather average – but they were free – while the main courses were superb.

The sea spice prawn dish was probably the better of the two, with its delicious spices, tender prawns and sublime Oriental flavours.

That’s not to say the home-made chilli sauce wasn’t good. However, the delicious, fiery sauce was let down by the rubbery chicken that came with it.

I was disappointed with the amount of unnecessary, plastic packaging, but the Dragon Inn offers fantastic value for money, good food and friendly service.