DAD and I wait for our food to arrive. Overhead, the sky is blue. Through heavily laden vines, I can see the odd wisp of cloud.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is laid back, yet lively and every new arrival receives a warm personal welcome from Akiss and Jane, the effusive hosts. Diners sip aperitifs upstairs, in a separate room with a view, swapping small talk about Greece with Dimitris, the chilled-out barman.

Don't worry, the editor hasn't blown the budget on a trip to Corsica. It's a wet Wednesday in Skipton, and the view is across Morrisons car park, up to the hills above Carleton.

But Aeolos, on Cavendish Street, has a very real Mediterranean flavour. And it's not just the excellent lamb.

The owners seem genuinely pleased to see you, going out of their way to ensure the evening is enjoyable. The dcor and music are the right side of kitsch, just like your average taverna.

Lots of pictures of Greece - mainly Patras, Akiss' home town - and Greek mythology (Aeolos is the Greek god of the winds). The fake vines and painted heavens are great. Memories of warm holiday evenings come flooding back.

This meal is a "thank you" to Dad for many hours of child-minding and baby-sitting so I want it to be good.

We take a traditional approach to ordering: I start with Greek salad (£4.75), and Dad opts for dolmades (£5.25). My salad is fresh and plentiful, although a bit more feta wouldn't have gone amiss. Dad tucks into the stuffed vine leaves, and polishes off the lot with relish. "Very good," he observes.

Between courses the waiter appears with the wine we ordered.

Unfortunately, it's not to our taste and we fret about sending it back. We wait until the main course is served, then decide to be bold and explain the situation. Our hosts couldn't be nicer. The offending bottle is immediately whisked away with an apology and replaced with our second choice. A minor incident, but significant.

Most restauranteurs are friendly enough when you're smiling, but it's the way they respond to problems that separates the wheat from the chaff. Aeolos gets it right.

My main dish is the classic kleftiko (£13.50). The lamb is succulent, falling off the bone, and flavoured beautifully with rosemary. Dad has moriatiko (£13.95), which is new to me. Lamb again, but this time cooked in a softly spicey tomato sauce. It's delicious.

The vegetables are a fine match for the meat: creamy mashed potatoes and a colourful medley of sugar snap peas, baby sweetcorn and peppers.

By the time we've worked our way through the generous portions, there's barely room for dessert. I can't leave a Greek meal without a taste of baklava though, so we agree to share one between us (£3.20). The intense sweetness of honey-drenched pastry is perfect. Two Greek coffees later (£1.50 each) and we're ready to pay the very reasonable £43.65 bill, and head home.

Our departure is typical of the evening: we leave amid smiles, handshakes and an offer to call us a taxi. Aeolos is a great local restaurant, the kind of place where strangers arrive and friends leave.

Reviewed by Mary Arber