AS A lover of Mediterranean cuisine, I immediately took to TripAdvisor in search of the best Italian brasserie in the Stroud Valleys.

Situated in the heart of Stonehouse on the High Street, La Campagna has a serene sense of calm.

We were kindly invited into the dining area by Italian waiters and I noticed racks of fantastic red wine decorating the walls.

You could say the restaurant is a unique combination of a traditional English pub and an Italian brasserie, albeit leaning towards the Italian side.

Anyway, enough of the atmosphere an onwards to our meal.

For the main, I was served some beautifully fresh pan fried salmon which was simply seasoned with rosemary, salt, pepper and of course olive oil.

I caught up with head chef Flamur Doku at the authentic and very Italian restaurant to learn more of the incredible food I was consuming.

Largely, I was interested in how he created the sauce that I recall describing as ‘insanely nice’ and supplemented the salmon perfectly.

“To create the sauce, we find a combination of saffron, double cream and spinach creates a flavour to supplement our salmon,” explained the head chef.

This was all topped off with a bottle of rich and fruity Primitivo Salento from Southern Italy, further enhancing the Mediterranean feel.

Of course, as an avid red wine drinker this really jazzed up my meal – I think my family were rather impressed too.

After a brief interval between eating, I perused the restaurant, expressing my interest in the vibrant and warm dining experience.

It was at this point I decided that La Campagna would be the subject of my prospective review.

Moving onwards, I sat down at our alfresco table which was placed by open doors that allowed us to look out onto the streets of Stonehouse whilst deliberating over desert.

Testament to the diverse menu on offer at La Campagna, I decided to go with the slightly less Italian apple and raspberry crumble.

“The fruits are cooked in cinnamon, star anise and sugar, we find this really improves the flavour of the crumble,” added Mr Doku.

“Customers can choose our double cream or go with the ice cream to finalise their desert.”

They also offer an extensive á la carte selection and so diners can really pick and choose the foods they desire.

All I can say is I would recommend La Campagna to any lover of the Mediterranean food.

Have you been to La Campagna? Let us know what you thought in the comments.

If you have a favourite restaurant that the paper should review then let us know by emailing sarah.watson@newsquest.co.uk