It has always seemed amazing that there are so few restaurants with a view out over our premier river in Great Britain - the River Thames - and the River Room Restaurant at the Oxford Thames Four Pillars Hotel is one of the few outside London.

As well as the 'a la carte' the River Room restaurant has set menus, presenting excellent value, at both lunch and dinner, and on Sundays there is a carvery at lunchtime, with jazz to keep their patrons happy. Starters could run from smoked trout terrine or warm red onion and crabmeat tartlet to crispy prawn dim sum.

Whilst mains include simple dishes like fillet steak or pan-fried tuna topped garlic and fresh herb butter, to the more complicated monkfish wrapped in pancetta or noisettes of pork tenderloin with a cider, apple and tarragon sauce. Leave room for puddings though, with choices like lemon torte with balsamic roasted fig compote or chocolate and kumquat truffle.

For more informal eating, lighter meals are available in the Crusader Bar and Lounge situated in one of the medieval barns, while in the summer the beautiful sandstone courtyards and the river view terrace come into their own.