THE Old Plow in Speen is a jewel in the Chiltern Hills crown, with beautiful, French cooking served in a relaxed yet professional atmosphere.

As I arrived at the 17th century building the Great British Bake Off star, Mary Berry, had arrived just moments before.

I was told a local pop star had been in the same day for lunch. But besides the regular influx of celebrities The Old Plow has a very loyal customer base.

And I can completely understand why.

The emphasis is on the quality of the food and being a chef for Malcolm Cowan is a vocation- not a job.

As his wife, Olivia, who runs the establishment with him said, it is the love of his life.

He is classically French trained- there isn't a sauce he doesn't know- and he has used Larousse and Modern French Culinary Art as his reference cook books.

The couple moved to The Old Plow in 1988, to bring up their two children, Louisa, now 30 and Giles, now 27.

All of the family are involved in the business and they live, eat and breathe every aspect of it.

The views surrounding The Old Plow are spectacular and it is also a popular venue for small weddings, anniversary parties as well as corporate functions.

The fish is delivered daily from the day boats which come into Brixham, Devon. It is on your plate within 24 hours of being caught.

Nick Franklin served us throughout the night who has been there for more than a year. He was professional yet friendly and clearly passionate about the food on offer.

For starters there was a selection of specials: new season English asparagus from the Wye Valley with Serrano ham with a Gribiche Sauce; Seared Carpaccio of Beef; and an old fashioned crab and prawn mayonnaise cocktail with anchovies and a hard boiled egg.

The menu was extensive and my boyfriend, Tom and I found it really difficult to choose because there was so much choice.

Malcolm recommended the prawn and crab cocktail to me. I loved the presentation, which made me think of some of my mum's classic cook books.

There were fresh leaves in the bottom of the bowl, topped with beautiful dark and white crab meat. On top of this were juicy prawns with a home made mayonnaise and two anchovies. Then there were slices of hard boiled eggs around the side.

The crab was divine- so fresh and sweet, as were the prawns. I loved the home made mayonnaise which was rich and wonderfully thick. There was so many different flavours, which worked so well together.

Tom went for the Salt and pepper chilli tiger prawns and Devon scallops with French bean, mango and caviar salad (£12.95).

It was so lovingly presented. There were three large prawns, with shells still on, and two large scallops, presented on top of the salad.

Again he complimented the freshness of the seafood, which was beautifully cooked.

Then onto the mains. Malcolm is trying out beef which is reared up the road in the valley. The beef is from a breed of Hereford cattle.

His emphasis is on sourcing the best beef, whether it be from the area or as far afield as America.

Tom went for the Sirloin steak (£21.95), which is from prime horn black Angus beef from Creekstone Farms, Arkansas City, Kansas.

Being a Hereford girl myself I was a little offended he didn't go for the Hereford cattle steak from up the road, but once I tried the steak it didn't seem too much of a loss.

Again perfectly cooked rare, with beautiful melt in the mouth meat. It was served with crushed new potatoes cooked with herbs and olive oil and a selection of mixed vegetables.

As well as this there was a gentleman's relish butter, a crispy Yorkshire pudding, onion preserve and a horseradish cream, with just the right amount of kick.

I panicked a bit when it came to my choice of main- I just couldn't decide- and as I went for fish for starter I somehow felt I should have a meat course.

So I went for the Grilled split French baby chicken with scallops, Goanese curry sauce, steamed rice, onion sambal and satay dip (£16.95). And I wasn't disappointed.

The chicken skin was crisp and seasoned and the meat itself was tender and actually tasted like chicken- which was a real treat. The Goanese curry sauce alone has 28 ingredients and it was delicious. The satay dip has 10 ingredients and was nutty and yet creamy- I loved it. The onion sambal was also an unexpected treat.

Then onto the desserts which are priced at £7.95 and this is where I fell a little bit in love.

I had the white and dark chocolate truffle cake with black cherry and kirsch coulis, which is an absolute must for chocolate lovers. I savoured every single mouthful of the mousse style cake which was layered white and dark, and had on top a rich chocolate sauce, and fresh strawberries, raspberry and blueberry.

Not only this but the chocolate swirls and rich yet fruity coulis topped it off a treat.

And as for Tom he went for the Vanilla Creme Brulee with blueberry sorbet.

I nabbed a taste and it was honestly the best creme brulee I have ever tried. When I said this to Nick he said they are told this often.

The inside was so silky and slid down your throat. The crisp topping was perfect. This is a dessert not to be missed.

The whole evening was a wonderful experience- from the delightful staff who made you feel at home to the lovingly prepared, beautiful dishes where the quality of the food takes top priority. If you haven't been yet - go now.

Go to www.yeoldplough.co.uk for more details.