For anyone looking for somewhere new to dine in the Cotswolds, take a trip to Milton-under-Wychwood – a quintessential Cotswold village just north of Burford – and discover the delicious delights of The Hare, one of the Potted Goose collection of properties and a veritable culinary destination.

Once inside, The Hare is surprisingly spacious with large open tables for family gatherings; cosy, covert corners for clandestine couples; and bright seating areas to lunch or dine with friends or business partners.

A restaurant is only as good as its chef and The Hare is blessed to have as its Head Chef Matt Dare, who originates from nearby Bourton-on-the-Water and uses his local ties to Cornwall to offer a range of responsibly sourced seafood and fish that lands fresh from small Cornish day boats and arrives from the boat to your plate in under 48 hours.

For starters, my lunch guest and I were both tempted by the St Austell Bay Mussels with White Wine & Garlic Cream, but our preferred choice was the Seared Scottish Scallops, Smoked Bacon and Caesar Salad. My guest rates himself as a scallop-connoisseur and confirmed that these Scottish beauties were cooked to perfection!

To tempt the meat eaters and veggie lovers, the pub is also home to an appetising menu of seasonal local produce including Local Venison, Red Wine & Onion Pie, Mash, Thyme Jus; or Wild Garlic, Burrata & Asparagus Ravioli.

I much prefer meat so, for my mains, I opted for the Herefordshire 28-Dry Aged Ribeye Steak, Rocket & Parmesan; Fries, Bearnaise Sauce and my companion had shellfish: the Whole Dressed Perron Sands Crab, Gem, Aioli and Fries.

Beautifully presented, both dishes were also exquisitely prepared. My steak was perfectly medium rare and as tender as a child’s kiss, and the chips were by far the very best I’ve ever had! My fellow foodie agreed about the fries whilst cracking into the crab’s shell to enjoy the duo of crab meat that would please any shellfish afficionado.

Then the serious part of our meal – the dessert! Throughout the first two courses, I’d been drooling about the dessert! I’m not a ‘stodgy pud’ lover and prefer ice cream or the more light and fruity desserts, so I was pleased to see on the menu: Affogato, Biscotti; Iced Passion Fruit Parfait, Mango & Passion Fruit Compote, Pistachio Nuts; or a choice of gelati and sorbets.

But alas! The starter and main courses proved too much for us both, and I could not manage the Affogato that had been winking at my taste buds throughout lunch, and my guest couldn’t manage any of the mouth-watering Dark Chocolate Tart, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Dried Raspberries.

Without doubt, this Cotswold gastro pub deserves full marks in every category – the ambience, the menu, the service, the execution of the dishes and the pace of their arrival to our table.

In short, The Hare is a classy gastro-pub and a delightful discovery in an area where gourmet heaven can be found in many Cotswolds restaurants. Prices are reasonable and won’t make you gasp when you get the bill.