Think of a holiday park restaurant and you don’t automatically picture fine dining.

Gwel an Mor at Portreath is no ordinary holiday park, however, and neither is its bistro restaurant The Terrace, where there isn’t a microwave pizza in sight and instead baked aubergine and pan-fried calves’ liver are order of the day.

Nestled amidst what seems like hundreds of luxurious looking wooden holiday chalets, the restaurant reminded me a little of a Swiss ski lodge inside – think lots of pale wood and twinkly lights, minus the open fire which is replaced instead by a sea view on the horizon.

Portraits of the various animals and birds that live at the on-site Feadon Farm – and are available to meet in person should you fancy getting up close with nature – adorn the walls, which is a nice touch.

We were welcomed with a warm smile and a friendly buzz of chatter around. Early evening is family time, so if you’re looking for a grown-up night out then be sure to book after 8pm.

The menu has a good mix of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, including some tempting sounding tapas dishes.

We were there for the full three-course experience though, so I plumped for the confit of duck with gem lettuce and roasted hazelnut dressing (£6.95), followed by the slow-cooked belly pork (£12.95), largely because it came with hogs pudding, bubble and squeak, crushed Bramley apples and crackling – what’s not to love?

Meanwhile the husband ordered chicken liver parfait, accompanied by homemade chutney and toasted olive bread (£4.95), and beef stroganoff with pappardelle (£14.95).

I was particularly impressed that our waitress emphasised there were nuts with the duck, by including it when reading back the order, which reiterated the point for anyone with allergies without being patronising.

The duck was huge and beautifully crispy, but it was the chicken parfait that was the star of this course – creamy meat, with a tangy chutney and skilfully chragrilled ciabatta that gave a delightful smokiness without drying it out.

The belly pork was similarly generously proportioned and I’m ashamed to say I only managed half before letting the husband start picking at it. The long arc of crackling I eyed gleefully and it did not disappoint. I would say the bubble and squeak was more like colcannon (to me B&S is fried and contains more than cabbage) but was nevertheless tasty, while the apples were more chopped than crushed, but the pork itself was tender and the sauce an excellent accompaniment.

The husband was effusive over his stroganoff, raving about its smoky flavour and declared it one of the best he had tasted.

We ordered a side of vegetables to share, as none of the mains come with any extras, but despite being well cooked they weren’t needed.

Halfway through the meal the husband announced: “I’d like to come back – it’s reasonably priced and of high quality.” (I know, it sounds like a cut and paste sound bite, but I swear it’s word for word.) There were plenty of crowd pleaser puddings to finish, with crème brulee, treacle tart and panna cotta all making an appearance.

Despite being stuffed to the gills already, it seemed rude to turn down the offer so we opted to share one – and boy am I glad we did.

It was always going to be the chocolate fondant (it’s rare that I turn down an opportunity to sample a new chef’s version) but I was sorely tempted by the chocolate marquise when I discovered it had a layer of mint running through it – one of my favourite combinations.

I have to say though (and I consider myself something of a connoisseur in such matters by now) that the fondant was one of the best I have ever had – plenty of runny sauce and a lovely depth of chocolate, without being sickly. Even the husband, who normally opts for something fruity when he has a choice, admitted he enjoyed it.

Would I go back? In a heartbeat. Would I starve myself for the preceding day? Without a doubt!
For more information see www.gwelanmor.com