An excellent precept when arriving at a restaurant is never to accept a table tucked away in a room remote from the command centre. I had my doubts in this respect when we arrived for our Sunday lunch booked at The Lamb, Crawley, and found we were to be accommodated in the rear of the restaurant extension. To reach this you must leave the bustling bar and pass through an ante-room-cum-one-table-dining-room. Out of sight, out of mind, I thought, noting not only our remoteness but also the fact that we were tucked in behind a wall that hid all but one of us. And this, I am afraid, is exactly how it turned out.

The timings speak for themselves. We were seated with menus and wine lists by 1.12pm. By 1.27pm, no one had arrived for our orders. I went in search of the lad who had shown us to our seats. He came; we ordered: mineral water, wine, nibbly bits (olives, garlic bread) to get us started and the rest of the food you are going to learn about presently.

Another ten minutes passed before any of this was placed before us. Then arrived the bottle of sparkling mineral water and three glasses. All right for me, but my companions were gagging for a glass of wine. Could that please be delivered? I asked firmly. “It’s rather busy,” the waiter replied patronisingly — and I dislike being patronised by one so young. After a further five minutes we had a first taste of the Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc a herby delight from New Zealand, and then of the mixed green black olives and the not-especially-garlicky garlic bread.

After a further ten minutes, we were beginning to wonder what could have happened to the starters — my basil and tomato soup and Rosemarie’s scallops with Parma ham. Olive had passed on starters — a decision she came later to regret. The gap was especially telling since the trio seated next to us, who arrived some time after we did, were almost ready for their pudding (they had skipped starters too). After a further trip in search of service, we were again told of the busyness — a state of affairs not especially apparent down our end of the premises where we and our neighbours were the sole customers.

Finally, a full hour after our arrival, the starters were placed before us. And they were very good. My soup had a slightly curryish tang to it which I much enjoyed. It was, however, extremely creamy which the bald title “tomato and basil” had not suggested. I had chosen it, in fact, as being the most cholesterol-friendly dish on the menu. Others had included devilled lamb’s kidneys, chilli king prawns, moules marinieres and seared fresh scallops with Parma ham and watercress salad (which Rosemarie ordered and very much enjoyed).

By this time, our discontent had been noted by more senior members of the staff including, I think, the landlady. With tact due in the circumstances, we were told the cost of the wine, £18.50, would be deducted from the bill in acknowledgement of our long wait. This was a proper response, made in utter ignorance, I might say, of my identity. It could be assumed, perhaps, that The Oxford Times’s restaurant critic, had he been recognised as such, would not have stood in need of such compensation.

Our pleasure increased with the arrival of our main courses. Olive made her belated entrance into the meal with a giant example of “Mat’s slow roasted half shoulder of Welsh lamb”. Mat is Mat Tucker, the chef and licensee of The Lamb, which he runs with his wife Lynne. The melt-in-the-mouth meat, with mushroom and rosemary sauce, was accompanied by buttered leeks and dauphinoise potaotes.

My main course was a good-sized baked sea bass, served in its entirety (though I was offered the option of having it headless) with beurre blanc and mussels (almost all of them unopened and therefore inedible) with French beans and new potatoes. Rosemarie had a splendid individual steak and kidney pudding – loads of meat in a rich sauce and excellent pastry. This was selected from the lunch menu but she was allowed to have it with the buttered cabbage that featured with the steak and ale pie on the main menu. Other main course dishes included king prawn thermidor, chicken saltimbocca, confit of duck and calves’ liver with bacon.

The lemon tart and sticky toffee pudding were both highly praised by my companions. I enjoyed cheese: Harlech cheddar, Snowdonia Bouncing Berry, and Shropshire Blue (though I was given none of the advertised Oxford Blue, or any celery).

If front-of-house matters can be sorted, this would be a first-class place to eat.