IN 2007 our esteemed restaurant critic sampled the fare at a village pub that had been transformed into what she described as Thai food heaven.

Five years on seemed like a good excuse for a return visit to the White Horse in Forest Hill, where locals have been poring over the menus ever since.

Our party of four dropped in on Sunday lunchtime, finding many families had also opted to give the roast beef a miss and spice things up a bit.

We were served by the friendly and helpful Ali who runs the restaurant with husband and chef Anwar, both well-known members of the community.

Instead of a daunting menu of phonebook proportions we were handed the Thai Special Lunch menu – two sides of A4 with half a dozen starters, a good selection of main courses and a set lunch for the more adventurous... or indecisive.

To start we ordered the crispy wonton, which was indeed crispy and lightly fried to perfection with a lovely chilli dip, and the flavoursome Tom Yum chicken soup. Our dining companions wanted to try the set menu but were also keen on the soup – Ali cheerfully agreed to a substitution and everyone was happy.

With crispy spring rolls, succulent chicken wings, chicken satay and prawns tempura on the set menu we were all in danger of filling up before the main course but we ploughed on, our table groaning under the weight of colourful dishes that continued to materialise.

I ordered the Thai green curry with chicken, requesting a particulary mild version, and was delighted with the tangy but not too spicy coconut-infused sauce, a testament to the fact that each dish is cooked to order.

The chicken with ginger was also delicious and the array of set dishes included beef garlic, stir-fried mixed vegetables, Thai jasmine rice and chicken massaman, an amazing dish with coconut, potatoes and ground peanuts that almost had us fighting over the last spoonful.

Each dish was garnished with achingly fresh salad and included a carved beetroot flower that looked too good to eat. Ali proudly explained that many of the vegetables they use come from their own allotment in the village... you don’t get much fresher than that.

The prices are still unbelievably low with main courses from £6.95 and £15 for the set menu. The only slight disappointment came with the desserts, which although nice are the bought-in variety and maybe a little steeply priced at around £4.50 each when compared with the rest of the menu.

It’s a small gripe though and we all finished the meal with a sigh of satisfaction.

The residents of Forest Hill have been pinching themselves over their good fortune for five years now... get down there and find out why.

The White Horse, Wheatley Road, Forest Hill.

01865 873927, whitehorse foresthill.co.uk