TINHAY Mill Restaurant at Lifton is not in the good food guides — but I predict it won't be long before it is.

Those who are ahead of the game and have already sampled Margaret Wilson's menu know she can conjure up something very special indeed.

The Cornish-born chef and her husband Paul realised their life-long ambition when they opened up the restaurant in their home two-and-a-half years ago — on their 30th wedding anniversary!

Margaret trained at the well-known Arundell Arms just up the road from Tinhay Mill and ran a catering business before setting up her own establishment.

West Country produce features strongly in all her recipes as she tries to buy locally when she can.

As she says in her first cookery book 'Devonshire Cookbook': 'Devon is a feast of wonderful produce, with its beef farming and fishing, clotted cream and cider, Plymouth gin and lesser known Garland cheese.

'I've chosen recipes to reflect the variety of our local fresh ingredients.'

Naturally, in an area where fishing is popular, there is an excellent selection of mouthwatering fish and shellfish dishes on the menu — and these my husband and I targeted when we visited the restaurant recently.

We started with crevettes pan-fried in their shells in garlic butter with garlic mayonnaise and a salmon terrine served with a fresh sorrel sauce, accompanied by home-baked brown rolls flavoured with sun-dried tomato, basil and olives.

This was followed by a complimentary lime and cider sorbet. Forget bought sorbets — there is simply no comparison with the real thing. Margaret's was sharp and refreshing with no cloying after-taste.

My main course was a choux bun case filled with monkfish, scallops, mussels and prawns in a Pernod and cream sauce and my husband chose a salmon and brill weave with a beurre blanc sauce flavoured with ginger and honey. We could not fault any of these dishes. Individual portions of perfectly cooked vegetables accompanied the meal.

We managed to squeeze in one of Margaret's irresistible puddings, picking a lime cheesecake with a citrus sauce and a meringue nest filled with a subtle home-made banana ice-cream and caramel sauce.

Margaret pays attention to detail and prides herself on the presentation of the food — the plates were, indeed, pretty as a picture.

In an area of outstanding restaurants, Tinhay Mill can certainly hold up its head with the best.

The Lifton chef has just published her second cookery book in which she shares some of her delicious vegetarian dishes with amateur cooks.

Over 26 years of cooking has resulted in 'Vegetarian Recipes from Devon and Cornwall'.

Originally created to tempt the sophisticated palates of her many loyal customers, many have been tried and tested at Tinhay Mill Restaurant.

She says the basic fundamentals remain the same as for her first book — use only the best, fresh, local produce and ingredients with flair and imagination.

There is certainly something for everyone and even the most dedicated carnivore will be pleasantly surprised.

It includes many of her own favourites — mushroom tortilla, savoury summer pudding, Cornish yarg and plum pie and lemon brulee tart.

Margaret believes that there is a place in our cuisine for traditional recipes which will appeal to the growing number of people who have chosen to avoid meat.

'At Tinhay Mill Restaurant, where all the recipes in the book have been developed, tried and tested, we think it's important to get away from the prejudice that vegetarian food is unappetising and difficult to make,' she said.

'All of the 40 recipes in the book are simple and created from the finest, freshest, local ingredients.

'I like cooking with the very best and here we cook with seasonal ingredients which we source locally from within Devon and Cornwall.'

The couple grow their own herbs and only fresh herbs are used in cooking.

The Mill house, which dates from the 15th century, has a very interesting history — Tinhay is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

Since it opened, the restaurant has gained a reputation for outstanding cuisine. It has a warm, friendly atmosphere and the menu changes weekly according to what food is in season.

The restaurant has a number of letting rooms, which have been recently refurbished to a very high standard, for guests who wish to stay overnight.

l Vegetarian Recipes from Devon and Cornwall is published from Bossiney Books and is available from all good bookshops, price £2.50.