NOWHERE in the rules does it say that excellent food has to be posh.

Certainly, it is good to keep an open mind about different tastes and the way food is presented but not everyone wants a meal set before them that looks as if it is meant to be admired rather than eaten – and to pay a small fortune for the privilege.

Isn't it so much better to find a restaurant where the ambience is suitable for whatever you require of your night out and where the menu is made up of dishes that are simply cooked very, very nicely?

This is the glory of Graze.

It is now around two-and-a-half years since the restaurant first opened on Friar Gate in Derby and just over two years since Secret Service paid a first visit.

The economic climate may not be as optimistic as it was in 2007 but, happily, the only thing dark and moody about Graze is the decor.

With a reduced price on offer to early grazers (from 6-7pm, Tuesday to Saturday), business still appears to be brisk and it is not hard to see why. The selection of starters is as good as you could hope for and your spy suspects I am not the first to make my particular choice partly out of curiosity.

How could anyone resist trying "confit duck and caramelised onion lollipop"?

It did arrive with a stick in it and was round, like a lollipop, but good sense suggested it was perhaps best eaten in a more conventional way and, served with slow-cooked plums and a spiced duck jus, the flavour was to be savoured. My companion chose breaded balls of brie infused with warm cranberry, which were as delicious as they sounded.

The options for main course were worthy of careful thought but were finally narrowed down to a classic – steak and Pedigree pie.

Served in a shallow dish with a crisp, short-crust pastry lid, this was no attempt to put a new twist on an old favourite. The pastry was perfect, the steak crumbled on the tongue and you could go a long way before you find better.

It was accompanied by champ potato, which is mash mixed with spring onion, and a small pot of gravy, to add according to taste. A side dish of seasonal vegetables was part of the meal.

The option taken by my companion was wild mushroom pappardelle, a pasta dish that was declared particularly tasty. Happily, neither main meal was so overwhelmingly large as to rule out dessert and that was very good news because they all looked very good.

My companion chose pineapple tart tatin, which was good but definitely for those with a sweet tooth. Partly influenced by a recurring theme through the Graze menu – a preference for locally-sourced produce – your spy opted for Bakewell tart.

Had it arrived looking a bit Mr Kipling, it would have been a disappointment but this was decidedly close to the proper Bakewell pudding recipe, topped with almonds and enhanced by raspberry coulis and raspberry ripple ice cream – a fitting end.

Graze operates on set-meal prices, which vary according to which day and the time of day you eat. There are additional supplements for some main courses but, either way, the prices represent good value.

As a venue, it has personality with its dusky colour scheme and wall-mounted false fireplace, while the food is proof that a meal can be cooked and presented with imagination without losing touch with tradition.

That is why Graze is unquestionably a jewel in the Derby restaurant crown.

GRAZE

WHERE: 11-12 Friar Gate, Derby.

MEAL FOR TWO: Confit duck and caramelised onion lollipop, breaded warm cranberry-infused brie de meaux, steak and pedigree pie, wild mushroom pappardelle (weekend set meal 2 x £14.95), traditional Bakewell tart £4.95, pineapple tart tatin £4.95, Americano coffee £1.90, cappuccino £2.20, bottle of Pedigree beer £4.95, glass of white wine 2 x £2.95, soda waters 2 x £1.30.

TOTAL: £57.35.

CALL: 01332 208262.