The Island's (and possibly the world's) only capital punishment theme pub, the Hare and Hounds nestles picturesquely in the shadow of a nearby gallows hill. In the pub it is hard to avoid the gruesome story of child-killer Michal Morey - his reputed skull grins cheekily at you as you enter the bar, and writing on the pub's walls tells the tale of his crime, capture and execution.

Appetites remaining steadfastly in place despite the gory folklore, Matt and Cat wound their way through the pub's many rooms and alcoves to table 13, not quite next to the electronic fly killer but a bit too close to a speaker for comfort. Perusing the extensive menu to the lilt of ubiquitous aural wallpaper artist Phil Collins, Matt and Cat were pleased to see a comprehensive range of food. Apart from the Sunday roast for which this rambling family pub is hugely popular, a daily roast is on offer (pork, on the day your reviewers visited) and, for those who do not want a full cooked meal, some more modest items such as sandwiches, baguettes and salads. The prices were not the cheapest, and the drinks in particular were a little more than expected.

Cat, predictably, chose Cajun chicken, described in the menu as "spicy butterfly chicken gently pan fried and served with salad garnish and chipped potatoes". Matt, too, selected chicken - Hawaiian chicken stack, which proved to be a pile of chicken, bacon and cheese which also came with salad garnish and chips.

M and C had been advised by friends that the service at the Hare and Hounds is a bit on the slow side and, with this in mind, they entertained themselves by reading about the further adventures of Michal Morey. They also were obliged to eavesdrop on the cat-obsessed lady at the next table who chuntered endlessly to her companion about the micro-management of her pet's feeding patterns - with a little more detail than was strictly necessary at dinnertime. She sounded like a very elderly lady and Cat was amazed to hear her say at one point "I can't believe I'm going to be thirty next month". Turning round for a quick glance, Cat was faced with a pretty young woman - doubtless her cat loves her!

After about half an hour, the meals arrived. Cat stared agog at her "gently pan fried chicken" which looked as though it had been cremated.

Cajun chicken

On further examination, what seemed like a crust of charcoal was in fact the Cajun sauce. The 'garnish' turned out to be a pretty good salad with two types of fruit, plenty of foliage, fresh tomatoes and crunchy strips of red and orange pepper. Matt's Hawaiian stack had a very nice lean piece of bacon, moist chicken, cheese and pineapple which added a pleasing contrast to the meat. Both meals came with a generous portion of chips.

The application of salad dressing, mayonnaise, ketchup and vinegar helped the plentiful dinners go down. Matt and Cat guzzled away and smacked their satisfied chops at the end of the meal.

Expecting to be disappointed in this machine of Sunday lunches and Mothering Sunday capacity crowds, M and C were pleasantly surprised. The wait was a bit long, but not finger-tappingly long, and the food was good; well-presented and fresh. No wonder the skull is smiling.

Visit the website: http://www.hareandhounds-newport.com/default.htm