Nestled among the historic winding streets of one of Kent's oldest market towns, our review destination this week brings us a taste of France.

We started our visit to Sandwich with a bracing but relaxing stroll around on a crisp weekend afternoon around the medieval walls, buttresses and nature reserve and perusing through the pretty streets.

It is a place steeped with character and instantly feels like somewhere the pace of life is that bit slower.

Housed inside a quirky old building in the heart of the town, the No Name Shop and Bistro is a delightful trove of French produce, preserves and most importantly, cheese.

From giant tins of confit duck, jars of pickles, sauces and condiments, fresh baguettes, a charcuterie counter, cheese fridge and a patisserie and bakery stand, shoppers could certainly bag a nice basket to take home.

But we’re here for a leisurely Saturday lunch so up the narrow stairs we head to try to get ourselves a table.

However, we’re immediately thwarted as we’re greeted by a vintage-looking sign reading: “Ferme”.

My limited French vocabulary knew this meant closed - but clearly it is a popular spot so we felt it would bode well to hold out.

After a pottering look around the shop, we noticed a few people leaving down the steps so we grabbed our chance.

The polite server said we could have a table but the kitchen had got backed up during the earlier rush.

The white-walled and black-beamed dining area exudes the historic character of the building and several tables are dotted around the relatively small space.

And the nod to France continues with the Tricolour flag bunting hung up around the venue.

Couples and friends are chatting away on this busy Saturday in the winter sunshine bursting through the windows - it’s a very pleasant and relaxed atmosphere.

We’re lucky to be next to a window with views overlooking the picturesque market square and Guildhall, which dates back to 1579.

Visiting what they call a bistro, I was anticipating a menu with some classic French dishes typical of the bistro-style restaurants traditionally found across the Channel - I’m thinking maybe boeuf bourguignon, moules marinières, coq au vin or tartiflette.

But the menu wasn’t quite what I was expecting as we were presented with choices such as croques, baguettes (with a wide selection of fillings I might add) and quiches, tarts and a soupe du jour option.

Of course, this is no bad thing and I soon realised the bistro is simply an extension of the shop below with the food presented at tables rather than in takeaway form from the counter downstairs.

And given how busy it is, it’s clearly working for them and I’m still looking forward to my lunch.

The Croque Americain sounds like the ticket - a toasted cheese sandwich filled with bechamel sauce, pastrami, mustard and gherkins, or given this is French I should say cornichons.

Every flavour punches through and with the cheese topping nicely grilled and melted, it’s a lovely sarnie.

Meanwhile, the camembert and chilli jam baguette is lovely with fresh crusty bread stuffed with delicious cheese and a hit in the background of sweetened chilli heat.

They’re both beautiful sandwiches to eat in Sandwich in a warm and welcoming environment.

Incidentally, the food’s name has nothing to do with the town itself, it was not invented here as some urban myths may suggest.

It is understood to have derived from the 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, who despite holding the peerage associated with the town’s name, other than that he had very little connection with the place.

The Earl reportedly asked his servants to bring him meat between bread so often during card games - being a heavy gambler - as he did not want to break from the table to have a meal.

Thus, as the story goes, fellow players ordered the “same as Sandwich” and the name stuck.

Returning to the review, and as if we hadn’t ordered enough bread and cheese, we did fancy a few samples we’d spotted earlier in the deli.

So a cheese platter (£11.95) seemed like a solid selection and it absolutely hits the nail on the head.

The platter came with a classic brie, a punchy creamy blue cheese, manchego and the star, surprise fromage of the day - a beautifully smooth yet slightly tangy goat’s cheese.

I’m not normally a big fan of goat’s cheeses but this one was a real treat and might even start my conversion to start exploring them a bit more.

It was a feast of bread and cheese, which while absolutely banging, also turned out to be the biggest mistake…

By now, and feeling too full, the long list of cakes and pastries on the board was an incredibly enticing and tempting prospect.

Alas, today is not the day for cake but it is a lesson learned for next time!

Food: Deliciously satisfying lunchtime fare, good quality ingredients and amazing looking pastry section but I would have loved to have seen some French bistro classics ****

Drink: Everything you would expect from soft drinks, a few beers and wines, teas and coffees ****

Décor: Simple black and white colour scheme with wooden floors add to historic feel ***

Staff: Very friendly and polite staff ****

Price: Freshly made sandwiches, drinks and a good-sized cheese platter for £35 seems to be on the mark ****