Life is all about expectations - it's pretty dull when there is nothing to look forward to. So a bright spot on the horizon of this particular winter day was a trip into the countryside to enjoy lunch at a place that came highly recommended.

In fact, we had heard about the Lord Nelson from as far away as the North East which, considering it's buried away in the tiny village of Brightwell Baldwin, near Watlington, is remarkable.

The satellite navigation system guided us to the south of the county and to an implausibly small country lane, down which I thought - not for the first time - that the electronic gizmo had got its wires crossed.

But sure enough, we then pulled up in front of a charming 17th century building, the epitome of a country pub, opposite the 14th-century St Bartholomew's church.

At one time, this establishment would have simply served the village and passing travellers with local ales and it was refreshing to see that Brakspear (albeit brewed in Witney) was behind the bar.

But now most of the pub is dedicated to dining. We were warmly greeted and whisked to our table in a second room, as the dining room was full.

We sat down in front of linen tablecloths and napkins which wrapped silver cutlery and were presented with properly bound menus.

All quite old fashioned but nevertheless refreshing.

To drink, we selected a bottle of the house white wine, a Vine de Pays de Cotes de Gascogne, which was a real eye-opener.

Rather than tasting like the usual house plonk, this was crisp, dry and fresh, perhaps the best wine I have tasted at an establishment of this type. A great start.

Both of us opted for the lunch menu, which retailed at a very reasonable £11.95, but, sadly, this proved to be a false economy.

I ordered asparagus soup to start, expecting a creamy concoction with large pieces of asparagus.

But this was a dark green offering that did not look appetising and had little flavour, apart from too much salt.

If I hadn't been assured this was made on the premises, I would have said it had come from a packet. I have certainly tasted better from the supermarket.

Things were looking better across the table and I started to wonder why I always choose the wrong dish.

The melon and crayfish salad was fresh and tasty, with the cool honeydew complementing the succulent fish nicely, with the only complaint being that it could have done with more dressing.

I had more hope for the main course which, I thought would be a piece of gammon served with chips and a fried egg.

In fact, I had misread the menu and what arrived was actually rashers of gammon ham with that egg perched on top.

I felt deflated, partly because of my own stupidity, but also that such a basic dish should be served up in an establishment that is clearly aiming at the higher end of the market. Enough said.

Meanwhile, my companion had opted for the chicken supreme, which came with buttered Savoy cabbage and tarragon potatoes.

This was a mixed bag. The chicken was reasonable but the sauce was very watery and there were only about four potatoes.

The main comment was that she had ordered the same dish at another establishment recently and enjoyed it far better.

Gloom was descending rapidly, so to cheer ourselves up, we veered off the lunch menu and picked a couple of desserts from the main list. I opted for the Kentish bramley apple pie with double cream which was delicious and not too sweet. It really did taste homemade.

Meanwhile, the sticky toffee pudding and ice cream was also disappearing quickly opposite me. The light sponge and layer of toffee sauce was excellent.

There is a very obvious conclusion to all of this this - do not go for the cheaper menu in the Lord Nelson. Clearly, most of the time and effort is dedicated to the main dishes which are pricey, but no doubt worth it. It is just a shame that anyone wanting lunch of a similar quality at a reasonable price is not catered for.