IT’S been a good year for The Three Legged Cross pub on Ringwood Road near Wimborne.

Earlier this year, the traditional country pub was honoured by a national pub chain as part of a competition to find the UK’s best beer gardens.

Now the converted farmhouse has just reopened after a major revamp.

Inside the decor is rustic chic in keeping with its historic origins (it still smelt of fresh paint in places) and there is a new menu full of freshly prepared British dishes.

Although the beamed restaurant is spacious, it also manages to feel cosy with an eclectic mix of chairs, wooden tables and tea lights.

When we arrived a little before 8pm it was already buzzing which is a good sign midweek.

There is a big main menu divided into Sharers & Grazers such as a Sticky Meat Platter, starters, mains and specials.

But as it was a Tuesday, we decided to explore the Midweek Treat fixed price menu which offers two courses for £15.50 or three for £19.50 which is available from Monday to Thursday from 5pm.

(There is also a Pie Wednesday offer where you can add any one of the starters or puddings in addition to your pie for just £3).

For starters I had Prawn & Lobster Cocktail served with rustic bread and butter.

Although I couldn’t really taste the lobster mayonnaise, the prawns were a good size and the salad was fresh. My husband had the Sticky Ribs (for an extra £2) - five pieces marinated in a maple and chipotle sauce perched on an exotic bed of mango and pineapple salsa.

For mains, I opted for an old pub favourite, Hunter’s Chicken, a mountain of chargrilled chicken breast topped with smoked Cheddar and streaky bacon and a roasted Portobello mushroom in a smoky tomato sauce.

There was a choice of skinny fries, triple-cooked chips, but I upgraded to sweet potato fries.

This huge portion of food was served with a jug of fruity, barbecue sauce.

My husband chose the 8oz gammon steak which was topped with two perfect fried eggs and came with triple-cooked chips which he couldn’t fault in terms of flavour.

Both portions were more than generous, so for dessert I went for the Mini Pudding and Hot Drink option - a scaled down version of the Belgian Chocolate Brownie, submerged in a smooth chocolate sauce and topped with Irish liqueur ice cream. Just the right balance of sweetness to round off the meal.

Our waitress Debbie was very friendly and efficient (she genuinely didn’t know we were there to review).

Overall this is a spacious, family-friendly inn offering rib-sticking, reasonably-priced, hearty pub grub and a good selection of real ales.