For a start, it has arguably the best view of any venue in the area. The panorama from the the Inn at Troway stretches across the horizon from Sheffield to the Humber - the very definition of a 'big sky'.

Then there's the size of the place. Room upon room, each with its own subtly different ambience, from the light and airy dining space and the stylish main bar, to the cosy snug and even a specially timber-built 'smoke house' for those who must.

And finally, there's the size of the portions - which will, indeed, finish off anyone foolish enough to aspire to a clean plate.

The Inn is the second in the Brewkitchen chain, launched a year ago by chefs Richard and Victoria Smith and brewers Simon Webster and Jim Harrison.

The first - the Cricket Inn at Totley - has won widespread acclaim and, if early signs are anything to go by, Troway is set to do just as well.

"It's surprised us how busy we've been. We had more than 500 people in over the first weekend and 1,000 by the end of last week," says Simon.

"It's not out of our comfort zone, but we're relying on reputation. That's why we wanted to change the name, because it wasn't just somebody taking over the Black-a-Moor, we were creating a completely new offer."

The inn, between the villages of Coal Aston and Marsh Lane, is one of those grand, half-timbered Tudorbethan places. Reportedly built as an estate pub for an estate that never happened, it has veered between chain pub and fine dining until being seized upon by burgeoning Brewkitchen.

Over the last two months it has been completely gutted and transformed. All the fixtures and fittings are new, there's a brand new kitchen and the place has been lovingly restored with polished wood and quarrytile floors, period features and bold furnishings that add a touch of contemporary style. The new owners also took down a lot of old fencing to open out the vista.

For more review see our Restaurant Guide

We head straight for the room-with-a-view and drink in the spectacular views as we quench our thirst with a pint of Thornbridge's Lord Marples (him) and a glass of grassy Chilean sauvignon blanc (me).

The bottle comes in a swanky chrome bucket, with smart leather handles, but there's not enough ice to make any impression on the warm wine and I have to salivate in anticipation for 20 minutes until it's cold enough to drink.

But what a great place to wait! Exposed roof trusses and Velux windows give an airy quality to the room; Lloyd Loom chairs with padded seats make it a comfortable place to relax; and on a sunny evening, the view alone is worth the trip.

Head Chef Michael Kulczak has dreamed up a menu that revels in its glorious countryside setting. Forget the current trend for locally-sourced food, this version makes a virtue of the fact that it it comes from Scotland... and Ireland, and Wales, and throughout the English regions.

"We should be proud of the dishes of our country, food we can relish, explore and enjoy," declares the menu. So diners are invited to embark on a journey of discovery, exploring dishes and ingredients from all over the British Isles.

There's a page giving the low-down on dishes such as cullen skink (creamy Gaelic haddock soup), pan haggerty (Northumberland peasant food of cheese and potatoes) and champ (Irish mash with chopped leeks).

The menu itself covers the whole gamut, with a fixed price selection at £20 per person with a choice of three dishes for each of three courses.
A starter of Ashbourne mushrooms - three of them, the big, juicy kind - is topped with savoury stuffing and Hartington stilton, swimming in melted butter and served with chargrilled bread. It's a meal in itself.

London Particular is a thick pea and stringy ham-hock soup that apparently gave its name to the capital's smogs. It's obvious why: the spoon stands up on its own! But the flavour is cracking.

If you think this sounds substantial, you won't believe the main courses. Steak and ale pie (Thornbridge, naturally), is of Desperate Dan-size proportions - as big as the one three of us shared for dinner last Sunday.

It's amazing: chunks of beef encased in crumbly herb pastry, top and bottom, with a dish of mash, mushy peas and tasty onion gravy. But in the end even my ever-game companion has to admit defeat. Which is a shame, and a waste of good food... I wonder how much they have to throw out over the course of a week.

Beefburger is, if anything, even more daunting. (And it is a beefburger in a bun, even though it's described as 'chargrilled minced steak on toasted English muffin').

The burger itself both looks and tastes magnificent - it comes on a breadboard with slices of tomato, a gherkin, caramelised onion jam and a pot of tomato relish. And there's more: on a second breadboard are two huge mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, fried onion rings, a mini frying pan of peas and a galvanised metal bucket of chunky home made chips!
Obviously dessert is out of the question after that lot, but my companion struggles manfully through a syllabub. It's pleasant, but really too solid, more like deconstructed lemon cheesecake.

Dinner for two, excluding drinks, is £35.50.

Verdict: The area's new gastro-pub will no doubt make a name for it's Great British menu - with the accent on the 'great.'

What do you think of this pub? Add your comments below, or your own review on the Your Reviews map

Open: Daily, food from noon
The Inn at Troway, Snowden Lane, Troway, Sheffield (01246) 290751


MORE:
Food Guide
Restaurant Guide
Your Reviews
Food for Thought
Eating In