Where as it used to be a Beefeater on one street and a Harvester on the other, the restaurants of our time have been wiped out and today taken over by funky bars and lounges offering overpriced food in stuffy atmospheres where you feel bad breathing out, let enough eating. What has replaced them is your Ask's and Pizza Expresses of this world, and yes they may look a bit cooler and yes the staff are certainly a bit dishier, but when you've looking for good food that comes with a good price and can involve the whole family and you can relax while you eat, then the Harvester is the place to go, providing you can still find one these days.

I went only a few weeks ago to the Harvester situated along Watford Rd, Croxley green, Hertfordshire and there are another 3 in the 5mile radar. It was around 7.30pm on a Saturday night, no table booked and we arrived on the off chance of a table.

Every Harvester I have been to always has the main restaurant on one side and a bar which often leads round to more space, quite deceptive in size and due to its crooks and crannys and well placed seats its hard to gauge just how much one holds, never been an issue seeing as you rarely find your self crammed on a table that's too small or having to keep your elbows in while you eat to avoid the family sat right next to you.

When I went we asked for our table and even though we hadn't booked they told us to get a drink at the bar and it would be ready and they were right, we haven't even paid for the round of drinks and we were being whisked off to our comfy table for 4, on what appeared to be a nice booth where the four of us could sit, laugh and enjoy our meal. They even offered to start the tab with our drinks bill.

My sister had the nachos that came out in a great crunchy stack served with guacamole, salsa, melted cheese, jalapenos and sour cream; there was enough for 2. The nachos were cooked but crunchy still, the cheese was stringy and hot, with the sour cream, guacamole and salsa to make a great taste and coolant when eaten with the peppers, which were not for the faint hearted on their own, anyway. The portion was probably too big in hindsight and the fact they tasted soo good meant my sister controlling herself not to finish at the fear of not managing her main meal became a distant memory. Unlike many places where the nachos come out with the meanest dollops of sour cream and salsa but this one was brimming with all three and the handful of cheese was generous too, making it a true bargain at little over £3.

Other starters featured include classics such as Breaded Mushrooms and Fresh Melon and of course not forgetting soup of the day, usually a tasty blend of vegetable or Leek and Potato, Carrot and Coriander or more stronger flavours like Broccoli and Stilton and Cream of Asparagus to name a few. The classic Prawn Cocktail is always available as well as the Crackerjack King Prawns and BBQ Chicken Wings. For the more adventurous there is the Tandoori Chicken skewers which comprises of two succulent Tandoori spiced chicken skewers, flame-grilled and served with a yoghurt & mint dip - simply bursting with flavour. If you're unsure on the skewers there is always the option of the Cajun basket; a crisp jambalaya fritter, tender Cajun chicken skewers, crayfish roll, spicy crackerjack prawns, Cajun salmon fishcake and a sweet chilli dip on the side.

Unlike the greedy chains such as Pizza Hut who charge £3 a bowl you can top up again and again, if you have the room that is and there is always a large stack of soft warm rolls that have just been baked. There are over 20 ingredients for you to choose from making an enjoyable accomplishment, so healthy as well as tasty. Even kids enjoy picking what they like from the selection and tucking into their creation. You can choose from iceberg and cos lettuce, beetroot and pineapple chunks, the classic cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes and crunchy onion, red and white, the array of colourful juicy peepers, sweetcorn and grated carrot. Then there's the chunky potato salad with chives and lashes of mayonnaise, so filling yet so scrumptious and the coleslaw is just as good and there's always the option of pasta salad and three bean salad too. If that weren't enough they are croutons, onion bits and raisins and the final choice of the salad cart experience has to be what dressing you are going to douse on. If you're like me and chose the top sellers such as the coleslaw and potato salad and the richest dressing then the salad cart begins to move from the fat free snack to a portion that needs to calorie countered but there is also the option of cutting out the heavy saturated items and swapping them for low-fat dressings and more of the sin free choices such as the carrot and peppers.

Talking of saving some salad for the main, out came ours and we were pleasantly surprised by the speed of the 2nd course and the size of meals. Our plates and cutlery were taken no longer than 5 minutes after finishing our starters and our mains arrive no longer than 15 minutes after that, just enough to allow our 1st course to settle a little. The service was great; we were asked whether we enjoyed our food, whether we have enough drinks and why we were out. We were never going to invite the waitress to our next dinner party, but she was so friendly, warm and genuinely interested in ensuring we had a good time, she was a real tonic to the usual waitresses who can sometimes forget they are working in the service industry especially when they would rather be the ones out.

My brother in law had saved himself for the 10oz Eye Steak which was The most tender and tasty of all the beef cuts, served with crisp seasoned fries, roasted flat mushrooms, onion rings, garden peas and a grilled tomato.

I went with my all time favourite wherever I go and as usual the standard was above average, in fact I would push to excellent on this occasion. Nothing beats one of their classic flame-grills, which was served as an 8oz prime rump steak and breaded scampi, served with crisp seasoned fries and garden peas. There was plenty of scampi and the steak would have filled me up on its own. The presentation and general layout was great and the finish garnish of herbs made it, not to mention the dollop of sour cream the waitress helpfully placed on my jacket spud that I swapped the fries for. There is always the option to choice jacket or new potatoes over the fries, but a hard choice seeing as my hubbies chips tasted soo good, nicely finished in their fryer which left no ounce of oil or fat on them.

The main meal menu caterers for every need that you can think of. T

Then there's the array of Flame-grilled to perfection Chicken Dishes: Hickory Smoked Barbeque Chicken, The Original Combo, The Original Spitroast and Simply chicken for the healthy ones. Not to mention the dishes where they manage add their spices to each dish to make them truly special in their own way including the Kickin Garlic Chicken and Chicken Maryland.

For the fish lover you can get your taste buds round their probably most re-vamped section of the menu with deliciously interesting flame-grilled fish dishes that change regularly throughout the year to offer you a wide choice of great tasting, freshly prepared meals. These include Smokey-Joe Tuna, Swordfish Steak and Salmon Skewers.

Or try the Deep South Chicken Platter of Southern fried chicken fillets, Key West chicken skewers and Hickory smoked BBQ-glazed chicken breasts, served with Cajun rice, corn on the cob and Jambalaya fritters - with sour cream & chives, and Hickory smoked BBQ dips. Both are recommend and neither will disappoint. This would be a good point to mention anything off the main menu can be eaten in the bar area if you prefer as can the salad cart, providing you have ordered a main. A platter is a big meal for 2, or perhaps a great snack for 4-6 friends, drinking cocktails, remising of old times in the comfy atmosphere of the bar area.

The desserts range from the simple Toffee Sponge Pudding and Apple Bramble Pie to the Lemon Meringue and the Profitroles which were truly Float light choux pastry buns dripping with Devonshire toffee and Belgian chocolate sauces. Served on a mound of vanilla ice cream. There is always the Fruit Skewers, which comprised of four mouth-watering skewers of tasty watermelon, fresh pineapple and juicy strawberries served with a pomegranate coulis and ice cream for the healthy option. But if you are really brave and calories are no problem then you might want to try your best at the Rocky Horror or Honeycomb Exploration. If you fancy a dessert but can't eat a whole one go for the Harvester Knickerblocker Glory (my dads favourite) that comes in a large sundae glass crammed with layers of fruit, black cherry sauce and ice cream, topped in traditional style with a cherry. Delicious.

Overall its truly happy eating experience. The rooms are light and airy too, never feeling stuffy or like the radiators have been whacked up, just so you have to buy more drinks. Plenty of space, both while eating and in the car park. Each waitress has his/her dedicated section of no more than 6-8 tables, easily managed without people having to wait an hour in between courses. The service is good, too, great in fact, with plates cleared promptly, tables wiped, glasses collected. The food is great and the salad bar unique, tasty and most of all free.