When I discovered an old photo of The Lamb, Buckland, taken in 1915 by Oxfordshire photographer Frederick Ault, I was reminded of the many meals I have enjoyed in this delightful old pub. That was enough to persuade me it would be fun to return for lunch and take a similar photo while I was there.

Obviously my shot could never rival his superb black and white study with a dray cart ambling down Lamb Lane, but I knew it would be a fun thing to try now I have a super new camera. Naturally, I was disappointed to discover a road hump sign sitting stubbornly alongside the stone wall, which is now covered with ivy. That and the telephone pole places my attempt at this shot firmly in the 21st century. Buckland is a small, unspoilt and beautiful little village that can be reached by taking the right hand turn off the A420, when travelling towards Faringdon.

Now that ivy obliterates the pub sign, The Lamb looks rather like any of the other houses in the village at first glance, so look for Lamb Lane and stop when you turn the corner. There's a large car park and well-tended garden and patio at the rear.

This pub boasts a rather grand dining area at the rear, with damask table clothes and sparkling glasses, but naturally my colleague and I chose to eat in the cosy bar area with its many lamb ornaments, pictures and artefacts - there are even lambs woven into the carpet!

Marshmellow, brewed by Oxfordshire Ale, came as a surprise to me. This brewery was new to me, however, my half pint of this deep amber brew proved such a refreshing experience, it's one I hope to repeat if I find Marshmellow ale on sale elsewhere.

As The Lamb is listed in all major food guides, I'd expected the menu prices to be high, though admit to being slightly alarmed when I noted just how high they had crept since my last visit when I enjoyed a set lunch at a reasonable all-in price.

Perhaps, I would have been happier about the price structure if we'd been offered an assortment of bread, and a generous amount of butter. A small dipping dish of olive oil would not have gone amiss - this is something that is served frequently these days as part of the meal experience. Sometimes olives are offered too. I mention the bread, because we were given just one half slice each and such a small portion of butter we asked for more. On paying my bill, I discovered we had been charged 55p each for the extra bread.

As our total bill came to £35, despite the fact we chose two of the cheapest items on the menu, this petty addition tarnished our opinion of the place.

I had the smoked haddock and prawn kedgeree at £10.95 and Chris chose cold poached salmon salad and new potatoes (£12.95), which turned out to be the biggest piece of salmon either of us had ever seen. Indeed, it was so large Chris couldn't finish it all and we ended up asking if the remains could be wrapped amd taken home for my cat who chomped them down with great enthusiasm later that day. My kedgeree was OK, as kedgeree goes, but it failed to tantalise my taste buds, nor was the size of the portion particularly generous. Chris certainly got the best deal this time.

Other items on the blackboard menu included: Dover sole served grilled or pan fried in butter (£22), rack of spring lamb with roasted garlic and basil ratatouille (£19.20) and fillet of brill, prawns and asparagus at £16.95.

Unfortunately, espresso coffee was not available so we settled for a cafetiere which came served with petit fours at £2.90 each, which we enjoyed on the patio. Dogs are not allowed at The Lamb and, unfortunately, the steps down to the toilets would make wheelchair access difficult.