Looking for a good meal in town, the Watford Observer's reporter Alex Alley found himself a little gem in the New Watford Market.

Pete’s Beanery is a small restaurant based in the New Watford Market - Pete owns and runs his restaurant with a menu heavily based on his home country’s cuisine.

Peter Janik is from a town only a few miles from Krakow in Poland and is more than happy to talk to his customers about his origins and his food.

I travelled to the market to get my lunch and found Pete’s Beans open and welcoming – I have a wheat intolerance and so finding food can be frustrating.

However, Peter was more than accommodating, willing to throw something together if needs be – I was lucky enough to be treated to something hearty and tasty off the menu.

Peter gave me a potato pancake folded over a beef goulash smeared in cream, salad and coleslaw.

It looks as great as it sounds.

For a drink, I figured I would treat myself to a hot chocolate, but Peter never deals in small measures and so I was given a drink with a mountain of marshmallows – it was like being child again.

The meal was glorious, I was warned by Peter that it would be hard to finish, he was right, alas I couldn’t finish my plate – the potato pancake had defeated me.

If you want good hearty meals and for reasonable prices, then I can only recommend Pete’s Beanery.

It’s got that charming touch of something different and holds its own against other places along the high street.