STEAK Frites is an Anglo-French comedy of manners written by an English journalist with an exotic Flemish surname.

Martin Vander Weyer, former director of Helmsley Arts Centre and founder member of the resident 1812 Theatre Company, has whisked up a one-hour culinary slice of café theatre set in a French village café for a sold-out four-night run in the café bar.

He loves Dordogne and its village bars and is equally fond of café theatre from his 1812 productions of An Inspector Calls and Barefoot In The Park, and his intimate knowledge of the former combines well with the intimacy of the latter.

You could be eavesdropping on conversations at the next table as you nibble on bread, cheese and paté served by Chez Henri’s irascible chef, Henri (Charlie Grumbley) or his long-suffering but courteous wife Claudine (Kate Oakley).

She in turn is keen to practise the English idioms on a food and drink theme that she is being taught by an ex-pat English writer, the relaxed, convivial but mischievous Paul (Vander Weyer, who cast himself after his first choice for the role was not available). Enter the stereotypical English holidaying couple. Clive (John Lister) is big in office furnishings but at odds with his satnav, frustrated by his mobile going missing just when there is trouble back home.

Amanda (Liz Cox), three months into an already flaky relationship of internet origins, is doing her best to stay perky despite plainly being with a narrow-minded prat.

Vander Weyer’s journalistic skills of observation and his turn of phrase are allied to his equally natural theatricality. Add fun and games with Scrabble, digs at French and English characteristics alike, a cast on Michelin star form and a glass of red, and Steak Frites goes down very well.

Just be thankful that the fight at the finale is behind the bar: Grumbley suffered a cut nose in the contretemps on Wednesday.

Theatre verité indeed!