I admit, I had to refer to Wikipedia to confirm what an Allium was. I thought it was a kind of lily (I was getting confused with Arum) - in fact Allium is the onion genus and there are no less than 1,250 species covering everything from onions, shallots and leeks to garlic and chives.

But it is drawings of the decorative purple Allium flowerheads that embellish the menus and literature at Allium restaurant, in Fairford, just over Oxfordshire's border with Gloucestershire.

I was quite excited about finally getting to dine at a restaurant I heard good things about for several years. Friends highly recommended it, and then the next I saw it was one of the restaurants given over to competitors in last year's hit TV programme The Restaurant.

I have since queried the advisability of turning over your livelihood for this kind of show. Obviously, the financial lure is great, but it does give the impression that the restaurant in question isn't doing very well or, as many people I know commented, had shut down completely.

But in the case of Allium, the TV show was a lifesaver. Owners, husband-and-wife team Erica and James Graham - James is head chef - and their partner Nick Bartimote, gave the go-ahead for the cameras to move in last spring. Erica was expecting a baby, and the financial rewards of taking part in The Restaurant allowed her to wind down for a while.

It was a wise decision financially because, shortly after filming completed, the rains came, and Allium was flooded. While Erica nursed her new baby, the restaurant had to shut down for several months while major mopping up, drying out and refurbishment took place. It reopened earlier this year, and is rebuilding its trade using some innovative ideas.

"I don't know if we could have survived without the TV programme," said Erica, as she greeted my friend and I on a chilly Thursday evening early in March.

We were happy to warm ourselves in front of the log fire in the comfortable bar - which, along with the kitchen, has been completely refurbished since the floods of last July - and were soon shown through to the restaurant, an oasis of calm and crisp white linen. The neutral walls and panelling are brightened by bright splashes of blue and purple from the funky artwork.

It was a quiet evening - just two other tables were occupied - but Erica assured us that business was good, mainly because they realise the value of promoting themselves.

This is, we discovered, a fine dining establishment par excellence, but it is not above offering food at affordable prices in the mission to attract and delight diners.

The crowd-pullers include the two-course set lunch for £10, offered from Wednesday to Saturday, and extremely popular. This allows chef James to create specials using whatever is good, fresh and affordable that day, and the locals ring up religiously to find out what's on the menu and book their table. The other initiative is the three-course table d'hote menu for £19.50, offered lunchtimes from Wednesday to Saturday, and at dinner Wednesday to Friday. This, I can vouch, is incredibly good value for a gourmet experience in a delightful setting.

On offer the day we visited was, for starters, a choice of chicken liver and foie gras parfait with toasted brioche and onion marmalade or twice-baked goats cheese souffle; for mains, braised hare with chervil root and red wine sauce or fillet of sea bass with ravioli of lobster; for dessert, warm chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream or the award-winning cheeseboard, including many from Gloucestershire.

Allium is right in the middle of the Cotswold town of Fairford, with plenty of free parking in the Market Square.

Seated and armed with a glass of dry white wine from a carafe (house wines are served in various sizes of carafe - another good idea - and there are loads available by the glass), we made our choices from the a la carte menu, £38.50 for three courses.

The winter menu, which we chose from, endorsed Allium's vow to use and serve the best of what the English countryside has to offer each season, sourced from the many local producers within the vicinity of the restaurant. Starters included linguini of rabbit with toasted breadcrumbs and sage or poached wood pigeon with foie gras and mushroom, the mains offered fillet of poached halibut with purple sprouting and pinenut foam or loin of english rose veal with onion saupiquet and madeira jus, while the tempting desserts included lemongrass creme caramel with coconut sorbet or chocolate and praline layer mousse.

In fact, we both rather fancied the starters on the table d'hote menu - the goats cheese souffle for her and the foie gras parfait for me. They were excellent, enjoyed with delicious home-made bread, and preceded by an amusé boûche of a tiny goats cheese and chilli jam cornet (pictured above).

My main course with a perfectly cooked tranche of pollock served with artichokes and potatoes, and an olive oil sauce. My companion chose the roasted loin of venison, a tender and flavourful chunk of meat served with a red wine pear, parsnips and game jus.

As the courses weren't too large, we were both up for pudding, which was preceded by a pre-dessert of an unusual cappucino jelly, prettily served in a shot glass.

My choice was the prune and armagnac souffle with vanilla ice cream, which was truly yummy, and my friend had the assiette of blood orange, featuring several small, interesting orange-themed puds.

We finished off with very good Ethical Addictions Fairtrade gourmet coffee and James's gorgeous home-made chocolates and petit fours displayed on a pretty cake stand.

It had been a hugely satisfying and interesting meal, in pleasant, relaxing surroundings, with courteous and friendly service. As spring has sprung, it is definitely worth a trip out to Fairford to sample the delights of Allium.

Allium, 1 London Street, Fairford, Gloucestershire GL7 4AH, closed Monday and Tuesday, tel: 01285 712200,