WE WERE lucky enough to be blessed with fine weather as my husband and I set off for The White Horse in Duns Tew after a long days work earlier this month.

Neither of us had heard of Duns Tew before, but a consultation with a road map showed it to be a short distance south of Banbury.

With the SatNav loaded, we set off confidently on what turned out to be a beautiful drive, hardly more than an hour door to door from our home in Stroud, through some of the most picturesque countryside the area has to offer.

As we drew closer to our destination we discovered there were in fact multiple Tews to choose from. Pursuing our own Tew took us through a setting that was so picture perfect it was hard to believe the evidence of our own eyes. From grass verges to hedges, everything was so well groomed and cared for, I half expected to come across a film crew around every corner.

The White Horse was after all easy to find, and we parked with ease and approached the inn. A simple and authentic looking building, there was ample seating outside the clean white frontage.

On entering we were met with a quintessential scene of flagstones and beams in the convincingly renovated bar. We were warmly greeted by Josh, whose height meant that he was painfully aware of the low beams surrounding his current position behind the bar and Michael whose Canadian accent added a refreshing note to the otherwise rustic feel of the pub.

Escorted outside past a terrace of guest rooms with the appearance of converted stables, we were shown to our own which was one of a handful housed above the main building. The room was delightfully simple and immensely comfortable with an attractive en-suite. Two things elevated it to the next level, the first was the wooden first floor terrace furnished with tables and seating just outside our door and the second was the stunning view from our low level window. It looked out on the charming village, evoking the sounds of cricket matches, clip clopping horses and lawn mowers.

On returning to the bar we were offered drinks from their extensive selection and taken to the restaurant area where we were seated at a table for two and provided with menus which were simply a list of a dozen or so options printed on a sheet of A4 paper.

Michael and Josh are both classically trained chefs. They met during their training and after working at various impressive establishments, they took the bold step two years ago of starting out on their own at The White Horse. Their ethos is that the excellent local food that they source dictates the menu rather than the other way round, so don’t assume you can have the same dish on a return visit! In an establishment like this, it really doesn’t really matter if you don’t have a huge choice, because you can be confident that whatever you decide on will be delicious.

We chose the olives and bread and the chicken liver pate to start, finding them delicious we were optimistic about the mains.

Pearl barley, beetroot and red onion risotto and rump steak with frites and salad followed and we were not disappointed. From the first mouthful it really was apparent we were in the hands of a skilled chef.

A well stocked cheese board and a very memorable chocolate truffle with salted caramel (I admit defeat) finished the meal.

The service throughout was attentive but never intrusive and it was notable that there were many satisfied comments to be heard around the room to complement our own.

The atmosphere throughout our stay was relaxed and welcoming, the range of guests eclectic and the prices so reasonable that after a very comfortable night’s sleep and a filling breakfast we left for a day out in Oxford, a short 20 minute drive away, confident that there would be a return visit (and perhaps a second stab at the chocolate truffle…).