Dining Out: Half Moon Inn, Acklam, near Malton

Just a 20-minute drive out of Malton is a country pub serving up mammoth-sized portions, filled with flavour, with a price that will far from burn a hole in your wallet.

A traditional country pub, the Half Moon Inn, in Acklam, is a small but welcoming setting. Although a little bit dated, you forget about that the moment you see the smiling faces of the owners.

There is a rustic wooden fireplace which I can imagine gives the pub a warm and comforting glow in winter.

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For starter I went for the wild mushroom soup which was presented in a charming oversized tea cup.

With a side of warm buttered bread, the soup was delicious and filled with flavour to the last mouthful.

The slices of mushroom added a depth to the soup, but were not overpowering, and the ingredients complemented each other perfectly.

My two cousins went for the leak and potato soup which also came in large tea cups, while my aunty treated herself to the garlic mushrooms.

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Our waitress, who I believe was one of the owners, was 
attentive and chatty and the service was absolutely superb.

For main I treated myself to a rib-eye steak which I asked to be cooked medium, to which I was asked to describe my medium – pink but I don’t like a lot of blood on my plate – and it was cooked exactly to my liking.

The dish came with a huge portion of home-cooked chunky chips, onion rings and salad. The typical pub grub food was exquisite and had a real home-cooked feel.

My cousin, who is a vegetarian, enjoyed a vegetable lasagne which she said is the best she has ever tasted. My other cousin indulged in a meat lasagne and both were presented as huge portions, with a side of chips and salad.

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The Half Moon Inn has a variety of vegetarian meals on the menu and my cousin had a tough choice choosing 
between the lasagne and a spicy bean burger.

My aunty decided to treat herself to another pub classic, fish and chips. All the portions we were given were mammoth but the quality didn’t lose out because of the quantity.

We questioned whether or not we could fit in a dessert but we were tempted by the menu and decided to indulge in a chocolate orange melt with ice cream that we shared between two. The chocolate pudding was rich and with a crispness on the outside. Inside the chocolate and orange sauce oozed out of the pudding.

The chocolate and orange melted together in your mouth in a heavenly sensation.

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Other desserts on the menu included a sticky toffee pudding, gluten-free carrot cake, jam sponge and custard, key lime flan and many more.

We had an offer; two courses for four people at a total of £22.50, and for the quantity and quality of the food we were given you couldn’t go wrong.

Between the four of us we had seven drinks, four starters, four mains and two desserts and the bill came in at under £50.

The food was mouth-wateringly good, the service was friendly and the atmosphere was everything you could ask for from a country pub.

The Half Moon Inn is a rustic, country gem and I’d definitely recommend a visit.

Score: 8 out of 10

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