A PUB in Thame was recently named runner-up in three national food awards- and after visiting on a busy Saturday night I can absolutely see why.

The Thatch in the High Street was brimming with people when my friend and I arrived.

There was a great atmosphere in the bar and dining area and the staff were both friendly and efficient. It is still celebrating after being named runner-up in Best Restaurant, Best Sunday Lunch and Best Place to Drink in the south in the Observer Food Monthly Awards.

The pub is part of a small company called Peach who focus on sourcing the best ingredients from the area for their varied menu.

As I sat down I admired the homely décor, with low beamed ceilings and soft colours adorning the walls and furniture. Candles were burning on all the tables making it seem very cosy and welcoming.

There are a selection of different food boards you can order to share and also a great selection of starters from pigeon kiev to terrine to soup of the day (which was pumpkin).

While we were choosing we both had a glass of the Rosé Royal, Vino Spumante from Montresor Winery in Italy (£6). It was a lovely sparkling light rose and very quaffable.

For the first course I had the Haddock smokey with brown bread and butter (£7.25).

The haddock was served in a small frying pan with small cubes of tomato and onion in a creamy sauce, with melted cheese on top. It was served with a really fresh and flavoursome salad and chunky brown bread with butter.

It was just the right size and a well structured dish- I used the bread to soak up the beautiful cream sauce.

My friend, Daisy, went for the Herb pancakes with squash and sage stuffing, goats’ cheese sauce, and free-range chicken (£7.25), which you can have without the chicken.

Daisy said the sauce was not too cheesy but had a creamy taste. The pancakes were fluffy and thick and filled with the soft squash.

The chicken was full of flavour and the texture of the meat complemented the squash. It was a great starter. For the main I had one of the specials of Venison haunch, chestnut purée, braised red cabbage, potato cake and blackberry jus (£19.50).

The venison was delicious- it was served beautifully pink (although you can have it well done). It was moist, slightly gamey and served in slices with a garlic undertone. Just this alone would have made me happy but all the other parts of the dish were also divine. The cabbage had a nice bite to it and the chestnut purée had a mild yet satisfying flavour. The potato cake of crushed new potatoes was well seasoned, and had an extra punch of tarragon and Dijon mustard. The blackberry jus finished off the dish perfectly as it had a nice sour taste to it.

Daisy also loved her main- another special- of Clams, tiger prawn, monkfish, squid, shallot and garlic cream with new potatoes (£17). She opted for chips instead of potatoes.

The monkfish was meaty and tender and the squid was the perfect texture.

The sauce, which had leeks throughout, was creamy but not too rich. And the fluffy chips satisfied her craving for the chipped potatoes.

The regular mains include free range gammon, chicken, lamb, fish pie, pork tenderloin and sea bass, as well as a vegetarian option. There are also steaks on offer.

Then it was the hard decision of what to have for dessert- I went for the Sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce and Baileys cream, £5.75. I loved every mouthful of this decadent dessert. The sponge was quite dense yet light enough not to be too much. The toffee sauce was nothing short of perfect- sweet, thick and rich.

The Baileys cream actually made it a bit too much for me and I would have been just as happy with normal cream.

Daisy had Orange panacotta with blood orange sorbet (£6). The panacotta was just the right consistency and had a disc of orange jelly at the bottom (a bit like the inside of a jaffa cake).

The refreshing sorbet and biscuit crumbled around the edge made it a light and tasty end to the meal.

We were both so impressed with the quality of the food on offer at The Thatch that we were still talking about it on the Monday after. Everything about it makes it the perfect dining venue.

For more details go to www.thethatchthame.co.uk/