With beautiful October sunshine beaming down it was a lovely day to go for an impromptu family lunch.

My daughter and her family had never been to the Cross Foxes at Erbistock, so we decided that's where we would go.

We had not booked a table but arrived bang on opening time of noon and were able to get a table for five in the conservatory.

There was a warm welcome as always and my grandsons were soon provided with plenty of paper and crayons to keep them entertained.

As a lover of mash and gravy my daughter chose the steak and ale pie, son-in-law had the burger, I had a lighter option of chicken wrap, while my grandsons had the fish goujons and sausages respectively.

Drink wise the waitress happily accommodated the boys' request for a glass of milk each.

When the meals arrived we were blown away by the portion sizes.

The pie, I am told was flavoursome, while the mash was creamy smooth to die for.

The burger resembled a tower of meatiness, so much so my son-in-law struggled to eat all of the chunky chips that came with it.

My eight-year-old grandson, who apparently is quite the connoisseur, said the lemon wedge he squeezed over his goujons really brought out the taste of the fish, the best he has ever had no less.

As for Alfie he tucked into his sausage chips and peas with the usual big smile on his face

I went for a lighter option of a chicken wrap, which was tasty with succulent chicken and the Asian side salad had a delicious dressing.

Us adults were fit to burst but the boys also managed to polish off a hot waffle with honeycomb ice cream and a sticky toffee pudding.

The food was excellent and the only fault we could find, and this is being really picky, was the time in between our main courses and asking for dessert.

Don't get me wrong I don't like to be rushed between courses but with two little boys dying to try the tractor and swings outside on a sunny day, they did very well to contain their excitement.

All in all it was a lovely afternoon, with the boys enjoying a good half hour after our meal in the beautifully maintained gardens.

The Cross Foxes, Erbistock, Wrexham Tel: 01978 780380

Ambience - 9/10

Food - 9/10

Service - 8/10

Disabled access - yes

Children welcome - yes

The bill

Steak & ale pie, mash, veg & gravy £13.95

Steak burger with bacon and cheddar, salad, mayo, coleslaw & chips £13.75

Cantonese marinated chicken wrap with Asian salad and prawn crackers £6.75