Education act

Sweet pepper roasted with anchovies, garlic and olive oil served in its own juices on mixed leaves, £4.25

Penne pasta, cherry tomatoes, olives and fresh basil dressed with a mustard and garlic vinaigrette topped with freshly grated parmesan, £3.95

A salad of avocado, tomato, walnuts and croñtons dressed with a blue cheese vinaigrette, £3.95

Chargrilled pork butterfly steak with a sweet pepper and coriander relish, £8.75

Thai salmon parcel on a bed of stir-fried vegetables - fresh salmon marinated in ginger, lime, garlic and coriander and wrapped in filo pastry, £8.95

Roasted Mediterranean vegetable lasagne served with a side salad, £6.95

Mincemeat and almond Bakewell tart, £3

Chestnut meringue roulade, £3

Baileys-flavoured cheesecake, £3

Educating customers' palates is a priority at Somerset's Fountain Inn, a one-AA rosette pub in Wells, Somerset. Head chef Julie Pearce and her second-in-command Keiran McMillan make it their business to encourage diners to try out more than just pub grub.

Much of the food on offer on their Chef's Specials menu, which changes every two months, is peppered with Mediterranean undertones: garlic, tomato, olive oil, basil and fennel are used frequently. The present choice is spread over seven starters, 11 main courses and seven desserts, the latter augmented by a wide selection of locally made ice-creams.

Customers, who tend to be middle-aged professionals and families spending about £15 a head excluding drink, opt for twice-baked goats' cheese soufflé on a puff pastry base served with a chargrilled pepper and walnut salad (£4.25) or king prawns wrapped in filo pastry, deep-fried and served with garlic mayonnaise (£4.50). "Seafood is very popular at the moment as people tend to see it as a healthy option," says McMillan.

Another typically Mediterranean-style seafood dish - baked escalope of salmon with a saffron couscous crust on a pool of tomato and olive vinaigrette (£8.95) - also heads the best-sellers list.

The salmon is brushed with egg wash and coated in couscous, which has been pre-soaked in white wine and saffron, before being oven-baked and served with tomato and olive oil. The vinaigrette is included to sharpen the taste of the fish.

Moving away from fish, pan-fried calves' liver topped with onions sautéd in marsala (£9.25) is also popular and, like most main courses on offer, is served with vegetables or salad, and fries or new potatoes.

For customers less willing to move away from tradition, Pearce, McMillan and a three-strong brigade cook dishes from a twice-yearly changing à la carte menu featuring beef, Founders ale and mushroom pie with puff pastry (£6.25) and escalope of pork fillet "Somerset" flamed in apple brandy, served with a sauce of cream stock, cider, apples and pink peppercorns (£9.25). Guests have a choice of six starters and 13 main dishes.

Desserts, all £3, are common to both menus and include old favourites such as sherry trifle and fruit syllabub. The 11 choices of locally produced ice-cream and sorbet, supplied by Lovington's in nearby Castle Cary, include coconut Malibu and Beaulieu blackberry (£2.72 for two scoops).

Diners are served by a front of house team of five in either the pub's 45-seat bar or its 26-seat restaurant, Boxers.Between them, they serve an average of 30 lunchtime and 50 evening covers. n

The Fountain Inn, 1 St Thomas Street, Wells, Somerset BA5 2UU. Tel: 01749 672317