Sandra Carter begins her month-long tour of eateries populated by the culturally famous.

IT'S not just the lure of the fair Chiltern hills that makes this area home to the great and the good. They like the inns and pubs too.

So many artists, writers and poets have produced their best work here; aided and abetted by a drop and a bite at their local.

The Pink & Lily near Lacey Green is a mecca for fans of the poet Rupert Brooke (1887;1915), whose poignant portrayal of the horrors of World War I still has the power to make one weep.

The pub was his regular haunt when he came walking in the area with friends in the run-up to the 1914 call to carnage. And he wrote two poems dedicated to the Pink & Lily.

Brooke wouldn't recognise it now. The original tiny snug and bar have been added to several times, and the large bar, several dining areas and smart conservatory style extension were filled with diners when we visited. Few Bucks peasants to be seen.

But the cosy snug where Brooke drank with his friends is still here, all blazing fire and brown stained walls and rustic bench around the wall. It's still a place to down a pint (lots of guest ales here) and play dominoes or crib. There's even a Ring the Ball device hooked to the wall for this old pub game. And the poet's photo takes pride of place above the fireplace, along with a couple of poems.

But most clients were here to dine. There would be few surprises if Rupert Brooke stepped forward in time; no trendy avocados or tortillas or smoked duck. Instead, it's the kind of good British food that's stood the test of time.

In general diners come in two flavours: those who want the food mother used to make, and those who look for something quite different from what they eat at home. The former are catered for here. I'm one of the others so for me the choice was a little disappointing. But there were plenty of grills, vegetarian dishes, ham carved from the bone, and an interesting sandwich called Tom's Special "named after the intelligent chap who ordered them every day; a toasted sandwich with ham and mushrooms inside and a fried egg sunny side up on top". Now there's an idea for a Saturday lunch.

We chose from the specials board; pheasant in wine and herb sauce for him, supreme of chicken in wine and wild mushroom sauce for me. They came with fresh vegetables and new potatoes or chips.

My husband thought the pheasant could have been a little more tender and needed more sauce. My chicken was okay, with nothing to complain about. Nuff said.

We met up with two old friends who joined our table. Another chicken eater who thought the meal was, well, okay. And a very satisfied customer for curried mince pie.

It was now turning into a dinner party so we each chose a dessert. And here Brooke and his mates might find some surprises. Pavlova with toffee sauce: wonderful for our sweet-toothed friend. Profiteroles: sauce rather cocoa-y but none the less rich and delicious. Luscious berries on an interesting flan base. I chose the short straw with apple pie. I think it had been warmed in the microwave with the predictable unappealing result.

We loved the atmosphere of the place, and the roaring fires which provided such a welcome after driving through country lanes in the dark.

Did it inspire us to verse? Alas no. But we nodded in agreement with the homage paid by a certain M E N Muir in 1949, which hangs on the snug wall:

The Pink and Lily

Yes, Rupert Brooke! she said; his photo's there

And a poem he wrote and I looked

And time slid backwards, and your voice

Came gaily singing again where once you walked,

And where now I in this war-shadowed age

Make humble pilgrimage...

MENU

Pheasant in red wine sauce £7.80

Supreme of chicken in white wine and wild mushroom sauce £7.50

Apple tart and custard £3

Mixed berry flan £3

RESTAURANT RATING

Echoes of Rupert Brooke: You get a nostalgic sense of pre-World War I life in the snug, and a glimpse of old-style laddish humour in his poem on the wall

Atmosphere: Modern comforts in the new bits, olde worlde in the old bits

Food: Unpretentious and pretty good; the place was packed so many love it

Did the muse move for you? Didn't get inspired a poem to pen, but to the Pink & Lily, we'll go again

Pink & Lily, near Lacey Green, Princes Risborough (01844 488308)

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.