The charming village pub named after a teetotaller and serving hearty traditional food

The Valentine is a pub in the heart of Llanddulas. It shares the name with one of the village's most famous sons, the pacifist – and teetotaller – Reverend Lewis Valentine who joined an infamous mission to torch buildings at an RAF Bombing School in Penyberth on the Llyn Peninsula in 1936 before handing himself in.

It is also a cosy retreat with a reputation for good food. I decided to check it out on Thursday lunchtime. However on arriving at 1.30pm I saw the sign on the door said food was served only after 3pm.

Fortunately I had another task which filled the gap and returned a few minutes after 3pm to order a meal. It was fairly traditional and wholesome fare.

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I opted for a chicken, ham, and leek pie with chips, carrots, and peas. It was a hot day – June felt like it had finally arrived – but I was ravenous by then and keen to have a filling meal.

It was exactly what I needed. The chunks of chicken were tender, the ham pieces were tasty, and the chopped leeks were fine in a creamy sauce. I particularly liked the shortcrust pastry and the chips were okay.

Overall it was a highly satisfactory dish. On another day I might have gone for the chilli con carne or even the beef and vegetable madras curry.

Dessert had to be blackberry and apple crumble with custard. It was still sweltering outside and a meal fit for December might seem odd but if you're famished you need something substantial. I also had a pint of icy, orange squash to cool me down.

The crumble was delicious – crispy and packed with fruit. It was all very pleasant in a pub, probably on an old trading route, which is surprisingly labyrinthine. I twice heard other customers say it was "like a maze".

Indeed the barmaid said people often struggle to find their way through and offered to give me directions to the toilets. I passed a piano under a ceiling bizarrely adorned with other musical instruments including a banjo and drum.

Prints of black and white photos lined the walls – a local church here, a tanker being hauled upright by Buckley's crane hire there. And crimson-coloured upholstery and comfortable cushions give punters a home-from-home feel.

It's even got a secluded beer garden in the back with parasols, decking, and wooden booths. Throughout my meal, Greatest Hits Radio played the hits on loudspeakers so this late lunch had a soundtrack of Queen, Fleetwood Mac and A-ha.

I'd recommend a trip here sometime. It's just what you might need if you're travelling through north Wales on the A55.

The facts

Location: The Valentine Inn, Mill Street, Llanddulas, LL22 8ES

Food: Hearty and wholesome

Service: Friendly and polite

Atmosphere: Compact and comfortable

The bill: Chicken, ham, and leek pie with chips and veg (£15.50), blackberry and apple crumble with custard (£7.50)

Verdict: A popular, traditional pub serving great food. Long may it continue.