Villa D'Este in Lake Como is an epitome of peace and tranquillity with acres of parkland, fountains and landscaped gardens; closer to home its namesake restaurant on Chapel Street in Marlow may not exactly match its Italian counterpart, but it's still a sought after place with an elegant and mellow interior of closely packed tables, neutral tones on the walls and interesting water features.

Then there's the food that is reliably authentic starting with endive and chicory salad with mature goats' cheese and walnuts with an Italian dressing and wild boar ham dressed with melon. Next to arrive could be plates of slow roasted shank of lamb in red wine, sweet balsamic glaze and rosemary sauce, and salmon fillet in sweet chilli marinade with roasted mixed peppers. The simplicity of a pasta dish is undeniable with the organic wrinkled pasta with smoked chicken, belly pork, sun-dried tomatoes and peas.

The concise wine menu at Villa D'Este draws from both the Old and New World with three non-vintage white, red and rosé on the house list.