Enjoying a rare moment of sunshine the other day and finding myself in Woodstock, I was determined to take advantage with an al fresco lunch. It seemed others had the same idea and had filled up the outside eating areas of the limited number of establishments in the town.

But there was still room at La Galleria which has plenty of outdoor tables, perhaps in homage to its Italian roots.

Neatly slotted into an area at the side of the building in the Market Place, the sun beamed on us invitingly but little did we know there was a sting in the tail.

We had just settled with our first course when some unwelcome guests in the form of wasps joined us at the table.

This caused my companion consternation as she was not willing to share her pasta with the insects and we made a beeline for the interior, grabbing wine, plates, bread and anything we could handle.

This frenetic move was greeted with wry amusement by owner Lucio Montanino, who commented that this was the first time he had seen wasps this year.

Suitably unperturbed, I managed to return to my fish soup which was nonetheless unharmed by its rapid change of environment.

A deep breath, a quick slurp of house white, and I continued to enjoy the tasty salmon-coloured concoction, without further interruption, other than the opening of packets of bread sticks.

Across the table with its neat pink tablecloth, consumption of the penne alla vodka — pasta tubes with smoked salmon, vodka and cream sauce — had also resumed and was being greeted very positively.

The scrap that was thrown my way was very tasty, with the pasta perfectly al dente, complemented well by the tangy sauce.

We had both opted for the set lunch menu which offered very good value at £12.95 for three courses.

And we did not have long to wait before the main dishes arrived.

I had chosen loin of pork with asparagus and fresh ginger. And I was able to fill my plate with vegetables including battered courgettes, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes and broccoli.

While the meat was a little tough, the sauce was very good, and it was refreshing to be able to have my fill of vegetables at no extra cost — so unusual these days.

My companion was also having similar problems with her grilled chicken joints in a red wine and red onion sauce. The problem appeared to be the meat had been grilled in advance with the sauce added later.

While we waited for our desserts, a quick chat with Mr Montanino revealed he had been in Woodstock for 16 years and was originally from Sardinia.

And the establishment was clearly popular with the locals, as a group of older inhabitants were loudly commenting on the quality of the lemon sorbet and other sweet treats.

Clearly they liked it so much they ate it all, as there wasn’t any left when we requested it. But this was rapidly substituted with ginger cheesecake which was sweet, creamy and extremely moreish.

The chocolate mousse cake was also suitably well received, which left us to gaze out of the window at the majority of diners outside ducking and flapping at the wasps as they ate.

La Galleria is a pleasant, unpretentious restaurant with a welcome old-fashioned approach to its food which is difficult to find these days.

And if you can avoid the wasps, it would be even better.

Lunch menu — £12.95 for three courses:

Fish soup; pasta alla vodka; loin of pork with asparagus and fresh ginger; grilled chicken joints in a red wine and red onion sauce; ginger cheesecake; chocolate mousse cake

Wine: Half-litre house white, £11.95 Coffees: £3.60

TOTAL: £41.45

Contact: 01993 813381