TUCKED away in the south Oxfordshire countryside and surrounded by trees The Flowing Well in Sunningwell is the perfect pub for this time of year.

With plenty of outdoor tables split over two levels it boasts a beer garden more spread out and secluded than most.

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Sadly my visit was a little too late and overcast to take full advantage, though it has already been filed away for future sunny summer days, so I opted to sit inside.

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Rustic and warm, the pub was pleasantly full on the Sunday evening I visited, filled with the comforting chatter of people enjoying the last moments of the weekend.

The menu had a little bit of something for everyone, from a tapas selection, to vegetarian-friendly options like a 'quinoa super food salad'.

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There was also a tempting roast of topside beef, homemade Yorkshire pudding, and all the trimmings for £14.95 which I may have chosen if the weather was colder.

Instead I went with another British classic, Posh Fish and Chips (£14.50), made up of tempura battered monkfish tails, garlic king prawn skewer, skinny fries, tartar sauce, sweet chilli dip, and petit pois.

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By 'posh' the Flowing Well clearly meant 'let's chuck on a few more random ingredients' but I was willing to go with it.

While the skewer of prawns was a welcome addition, the sweet chilli sauce was less successful.

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Tartar sauce and sweet chilli sauce have no business being on the same plate. This is a hill I am prepared to die on. The creaminess belongs nowhere near the texture of the spicy dip and if you're not supposed to eat them together then they shouldn't be part of the same meal.

It was easy to ignore the sweet chilli interloper however when the rest of the meal was an enjoyable take on fish and chips, the monkfish nicely cooked and in a batter that wasn't overly greasy.

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Sweet tooth pleased by the wide variety of desserts, I was unable to resist the warm Bakewell tartlet (£7).

Not only was the portion generous – probably a little too big – but it also came with an indulgent dollop of clotted cream.

Sharp raspberry, both fresh and in the jam, with sweet almond is one of my favourite combinations.

This version did not disappoint, though the pastry was slightly overdone and an extra raspberry sauce was smeared across the plate in a way that was more aesthetically pleasing than practical.