Annette Cunningham packs an appetite and heads for a meat-feast extraordinaire

From the moment our plates arrived you could tell our very special guest was jealous (still, what can you do, it was her own fault for declining to order a starter).

Luckily for her however, not only was it her 16th birthday but the portions were generous enough to let my – and my other half’s – kindly natures shine through and insist she share. And those barbecue flamed chicken wings (£3.89) and ultimate nachos (£3.69) we ordered not only looked and smelled tasty, they were. Big time.

It was a Friday evening, at 8pm, and the restaurant was truly alive; the universal appeal of a Harvester in full evidence. Every generation was represented via an eclectic mix of dating couples, family gatherings and numerous friends all out to celebrate the end of the week.

Nigel, our personable waiter who – together with manager Rebecca – looked after us and everyone else with jaw-drawing ease, and kept our glasses nicely filled while we waited for our mains.

Wading through the vast choice of chicken, steaks, burgers, ribs, lamb and fish, and the possible combinations of them all that are available, can prove something of a dilemma (especially if you’re a vegetarian).

Not the case for the Birthday Girl though, something of a Harvester veteran, who confidently put in her request for a full rack of barbecue ribs (£11.29) without so much as a glance at the menu. In spite of the immense calorific content (the menu scarily includes the calorie count for every item) I plumped for the combo of rump and ribs (£12.99) and made a pilgrimage to the salad bar. And it’s a trip worth making, especially with unlimited visits included with all main meals. It's fresh, attractive, well stocked and, in truth, I could happily have pulled up a stool and spent the entire evening just dining from here alone – useful for vegetarians too, as the Harvester is definitely geared more towards carnivores. However, those mains are something of a feast.

I was almost overwhelmed by the size of my meal; my rump and ribs coming complete with fries, grilled corn and onion rings, all delicious and cooked to perfection. The ribs and the peppered steak for our table were also devoured enthusiastically – anything we left was due only to lack of room.

We waited a while before ordering a single sundae to share from an impressive range of nine and literally fought over every last spoonful – our generosity to Birthday Girl wearing thin. We couldn’t fault a thing but a word of warning here... do remember to pack a large appetite because you'll need it.