It has been a long winter with a considerable amount of economic discontent but when the sun shines it is good to forget our collective woes, for an hour or two at least.

After the latest battering of statistics and number crunching from the Budget, I decided the best antidote to Alistair Darling and Co was a trip into the Oxfordshire countryside in a bid to lose myself.

Acting on recommendation, I chose the Nut Tree at Murcott, near Kidlington, which, it turns out, is the only pub in the county with a Michelin star. Clearly this was a well-beaten path by those who know, and I was about to join the list of enthusiasts.

With the April sunshine beating down, I pointed the car towards Islip and then kept driving and driving until I eventually found the Nut Tree. It’s not one for passing trade, I thought to myself as we twisted through the lanes, but the Nut Tree does not need it.

After arriving, I made a quick sprint for the only free table in the garden and we sat down with our faces in the sun beneath large umbrellas.

Our waitress quickly took our drinks order and I was soon sipping a smooth pint of Hooky Bitter, fresh from the Hook Norton Brewery, while my abstemious companion opted for a lime and soda which, to her frustration, arrived in a pint glass.

That little annoyance was soon forgotten, however, with the arrival of a basket of home-baked bread. The brown was particularly delicious, packed with walnuts and raisins and superb smothered with the creamy French butter presented in a little pat which was impossible to turn down.

Just as I was contemplating how good the bread tasted with beer, my starter arrived. I had chosen the special set lunch menu which, at £15 for two courses, promised excellent value, although no choice.

And if I had seen cold fennel, apple and cucumber soup on a regular menu I would have ignored it. But this was delicious, bursting with fresh flavour and the perfect appetiser.

Beside me a plate of scallops with fennel salad and lemon curd and olive dressing had appeared. Again highly unusual, this looked wonderful.

My companion complained that the scallops were a little chewy for her taste but, digressing from the soup just long enough for a couple of forkfuls, I decided they were the best I had ever tasted, packed with delicate flavour while the sauce complemented them perfectly.

With the plates cleared there was time to admire our surroundings. The Nut Tree is an idyllic old pub with its thatched roof and low celings inside the bar/dining area.

In the garden you can hear the birds singing and the occasional cock crowing in the Otmoor countryside, a combination difficult to beat.

The Nut Tree is run by Michael and Imogen North. Mr North became one of the youngest chefs to receive a Michelin star when he worked at the Goose, in Britwell Salome, near Watlington, before he transferred his talents further north where he has repeated his achievement.

Meanwhile, Mrs North runs the sevice as efficiently as he operates the kitchen, with polite informality and great attention to detail.

The pub also has an acre-and-a-half set aside for a vegetable patch and a smokehouse, where Mr North smokes the salmon and pork belly he serves in the pub. Fresh lamb and pork come from the Nut Tree’s own livestock, so they don’t come fresher.

My main course of beef pie served with a potato salad and rocket was a simple affair but this did not detract from its quality. Every mouthful was a delight and I was disappointed when I finished all too soon. It was the same result across the table with the crown roasted breast of chicken which was served with potatoes (requested in place of the potato puree) and chicken jus.

Again, a simple dish which could have tasted very bland but, in the hands of an expert, was superb. Highly recommended.

Having arrived later than anticipated, there was no time for dessert or coffee, which was a shame, as I could quite happily have idled away the rest of the afternoon, perhaps over another pint of Hooky.

All good things must come to an end, but if you are looking for a blissful break far from the madding crowd, then the Nut Tree has the answer.

Fennel, apple and cucumber soup (from set £15 menu); scallops with fennel salad and lemon curd and olive dressing, £10; beef pie and potato salad (set £15 menu); crown roasted breast of chicken with potatoes, £16; pint of Hook Norton bitter, £2.80; pint of lime and soda, 80p

Total: £44.60

Contact: 01865 331253 Web: www.nuttreeinn.co.uk