A smart and stylish bistro restaurant taking its name from an Agatha Christie novel sits in the heart of Wallingford town centre offering top-end food in a relaxed setting.

Fresh off the back of its Good Food Guide inclusion last summer, Five Little Pigs was added to the Michelin Guide toward the end of the year.

This was an achievement that left Rob McGregor, Sam Smith, and Aimee Collins, the trio behind the restaurant, “overwhelmed”.

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Herald Series: Five Little Pigs in Wallingford

The restaurant, named after the nursery rhyme and the novel by Agatha Christie, who lived at the nearby Winterbrook House, was opened by the three locals in 2021, following a crowdfunding campaign.

This was not the first time I had eaten at one of the executive chef Ms Collin’s restaurants having been a big fan of the tapas place in my hometown of High Wycombe.

After big success in running a local coffee shop, she headed up Lata Lata, which was also another crowdfunding success story.

It was a true hidden gem in the town which quickly turned into a favourite among locals.

The tapas restaurant earned raved reviews and it is clear to see how some of the inspiration for Five Little Pigs came from there.

Now Five Little Pigs is not a tapas place but with its menu offering smaller plates, it’s something that has been brought to the restaurant.

Herald Series: Aimee Collins in the kitchen

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We were told the smaller plates are mainly opted for as starters but there is no reason why you couldn’t share a handful of these instead if you wanted to.

However, we couldn’t miss the chance to order from the larger plates list, so we ordered three small plates to get us started.

Between the two of us, we ordered the potato bread, a scotch egg and the Ox cheek croquette.

The potato bread was served with crispy leeks, whipped ricotta and some to-die-for bacon jam.

This was a real treat. I’d never heard of potato bread before so I was hesitant at first.

However, it didn’t taste like potatoes at all with the moisture from the spuds giving the bread an amazing texture.

It was topped with a moreish creamy ricotta and a sweet sticky jam packed with delicious bacon bits.

Herald Series: Potato bread starter at Five Little Pigs

A scotch egg, a traditional dish originating from Yorkshire, has the potential to be a real staple dish.

The eggs have to be cooked perfectly, which they were, and the meat needs to be flavourful, with a good balance of seasoning and provided a nice contrast to the outer coating of breadcrumbs.

It seemed to get tastier and tastier with every bite and something I would order again despite its simplicity, as if it’s not done right it’s a real downer.

The Ox cheek croquette came with pear mostarda which added a fresh kick to the crunch of the French-inspired treat.

Herald Series: Scotch eggs starter at Five Little Pigs

Its larger plates provide much more heartier offers. My choice was the venison haunch with parsnips, local grapes and celeriac mash.

Simply put, a really fancy roast that combined strong flavours through an amazing cut of locally sourced venison which was left rare in the middle. Perfect with a glass of red wine.

The venison was brought in from the Cotswold and it is one of many ingredients produced in South Oxfordshire, a real strong point of the restaurant.

My partner went for the curried parsnip pancake and it looked great.

Crispy onion bhajis were placed on top of a perfectly rolled pancake which was filled full of Indian flavours.

Herald Series: Venison main at Five Little Pigs

A simple list of five desserts, all sounding as good as each other, was swiftly presented to us after our plates went back empty.

We went for the blood orange marmalade tart with chai ice cream and almond cream and the dark chocolate mousse coming alongside pear and blood orange and an almond Florentine.

The tart was sweet and tangy and served up with a refreshingly cool chai ice cream.

Herald Series: Dessert at Five Little Pigs

Next was the mouse which was rich in flavour. The bitterness of dark chocolate worked incredibly well alongside the sweetness of the blood orange.

A creamy texture was met with the crunch from the Florentine, an indulgent end to the night.

Five Little Pigs is more than worthy of its Michelin Guide mention and a place to definitely add to your list of must-tries.

We will be keeping a keen eye on where the restaurant's bold flavours and impressive outlook will take it.