GILL HARRIS enjoys a flawless meal at a pub which boasts a Michelin star and five AA stars, no less Red Lion East Chisenbury, Pewsey SN9 6AQ Tel: 01980 671124 www.redlionfreehouse.com

Perfection: The condition, state, or quality of being free from defect; flawlessness.

That’s what the Oxford English Dictionary says. And it could, by way of example, add: see Red Lion, East Chisenbury.

My dining companion and I had enjoyed a lovely, sunny 45-minute drive through the beautiful Wiltshire countryside to East Chisenbury, a pretty spot just the other side of Upavon, where, well, perfection greeted us.

The pretty, thatched pub is the epitome of quaint English rural charm, and in the dappled early evening sunshine, one of the chefs was foraging for ingredients in the nearby hedgerow. This must bode well, I thought, for genuine, high-class fare made from fine, local ingredients.

Once inside, the bar sparkles with glassware and even the flagstone flooring gleams sumptuously. It feels cosy yet classy, and they really have nailed modern meets traditional, taking rustic charm to the next level – rustic chic.

The staff were courteous and helpful and, with a couple of drinks in hand, we were shown to our table. It was pretty quiet when we arrived (we’d booked to dine at 7pm and were actually a little bit early) but a steady trickle of people meant the place soon started to fill up.

It is hardly suprising the Red Lion is so popular. This team of around 20 has been built up over four years. They boast a Michelin star to their name and five AA stars, and have received rave reviews and a string of accolades. Just this week it was named the number one country pub garden by The Times. They use top class, local produce, grow their own veg and harvest fruits and plants from around the village.

The website says: “Not trying too hard to be different, just trying to do everything the best we can. If we can make it in house, we do – from the lime cordial to the ketchup.”

So it was inveitable that the menu would be a tricky one to choose from, packed with delight after delight.

A colleague of mine is well known for his insistence, when dining out, on trying something you don’t get at home, and it was this sage advice that sprang to mind as I perused dishes such as salad of compressed melons with feta, black olive, pickled red onion and Chisenbury watercress (£7.50) and roast Creedy Carver duck breast with sarladaise potatoes, cherries, baby fennel and duck sauce (£20).

By this point I must have been frowning with indecision as a member of staff popped up out of nowhere and asked if I’d like some help with the menu, helpfully explaining a couple of the more obscure items.

For starters, I went for Marleycombe Farm veal ‘tonnato’ with fennel salad, capers and aged Parmesan (£8.50) while my dining companion chose the pate chicken liver pate with Madeira jelly and toasted brioche (£7.50). Both were delightful, perfectly judged dishes and the pate (I nicked some, for research purposes) was the lightest I’ve ever tasted.

The portion sizes were perfectly generous but the lightness of touch in the dishes meant they did not run the risk of ruining our appetites for our mains, as can so often be the case.

Our mains arrived – roast salmon with English samphire, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, brown shrimp and Riesling veloute (£20) for sir and roast wreckfish (a cousin of the sea bass – no, I’d never heard of it before either) with crushed Jersey Royals, broad beans, chanterelles and chicken sauce (£22).

This was high class cooking at its most heavenly, every flavour perfectly balanced to create delicious dishes. The fish flaked perfectly, the veg added vibrancy and the sauces scooped it all together in a great big wow of yumminess.

I rarely manage a dessert (I had a bit of a thought experiment with the cheeseboard but common sense won over: I was too full to do it justice) but my foody cohort is a man of dedication when it comes to food so he soldiered on with a strawberry salad with frangipane, black pepper shortbread, white balsamic and basil ice cream (£8.50). Again, the flavours were in absolute harmony, each mouthful bringing a different combination. Never have strawberries been so exciting.

As well as the food being faultless, the service was professional, helpful and above the league you would normally expect in a country pub. This was like fine dining in London transported to a Wiltshire village inn.

Our bill came to £93.93, including two glasses of wine and a coffee. If you’re looking after the pennies, don’t fret, you can always try the prix fixe lunch offer: three courses for £20 or two for £16, lunchtimes Monday to Friday.

Either way, it’s worth every penny, for the Red Lion is slick, stunning, professional and so good my dining partner has already been back for a second visit.

Did it live up to standards on a repeat trip? Of course it did – it’s perfection.