My enthusiasm for Cumnor’s Bear and Ragged Staff is such as to overcome an aversion – oh, the tedium of it! – to eating twice within a week at the same place (my home apart).

So it was that a Saturday evening dinner, perfect in every detail, was followed eight days later by a Sunday lunch of mighty munificence at which was celebrated, once more, my delight in the traditional roast.

OK, that’s not a week, I know, except in the sense of the eight-day one invented by The Beatles. Please forgive, then, both my poetic licence and the archness of my opening sentence.

The week-long framework claimed might be forgiven as well when I state that the Saturday dinner had been followed by a visit the very next day for a tasting of excellent gins from various suppliers.

Was there ‘eating’, though? In a Jesuit sense, yes, since there were crisps taken along with the products of, among others, The Oxford Artisan Distillery, Brighton Gin, The Chalgrove Artisan Distillery and Collagin.

The aim was to help manager Owain Llwyd Jones find a new gin to add to the pub’s extensive range. Delicious pink Collagin, which had bought my vote with a gift of a miniature, was the one chosen.

Owain, star landlord of the area whom owners Peach Pubs are lucky indeed to have in their employ, was his usual affable self, as he had been the previous evening.

Our dinner then was to mark Rosemarie’s birthday, with mother Olive also in attendance. Our intention had been to eat in the bar, always a jolly business here.

Rather too jolly tonight, judged Owain (correctly). He told us on arrival that he had reserved a table in pole position in the restaurant, with new recruit Will waiting to dance attendance on us.

His first steps involved the delivery of wine, which was Chenonceaux, La Voute, a full flavoured sauvignon blanc whose golden tone owes a lot to the presence of the grape skins during fermentation.

It proved a suitable accompaniment to our starters, mine a generous portion of seaweed cured salmon with warm potato salad and dressed rocket.

Rosemarie and Olive both enjoyed twice-baked cheese soufflé with pickled apples and balsamic ‘pearls’.

For main course in May it has to be lamb. But should this be the rump with herb and mustard crust of the main menu, or the rack of Cornish lamb among the specials?

I went for the rack, along with Olive, and was delivered a perfect pink quintet of cutlets, with Jersey royals, thick spears of Wye Valley asparagus and a rich mint jus. To make a good thing even better, I asked for and was given a pot of the broad beans – peeled, such grandeur! – offered with the rump.

A Chilean merlot (Ladera Verde), was just the ticket wine-wise and also with the ‘smidgen’ of Beauvale cheese (like a smoother Gorganzola) that finished my meal.

Having polished off a hefty portion of braised beef and ale pie, with hispi cabbage and mash, Rosemarie passed on pudding, perhaps wisely. Of sterner stuff, Olive dug into the night’s special , apricot frangipane tart, with cherry coulis and chantilly cream.

Our lunch return was instigated – though we didn’t need asking twice! – by our pals Joe and Martin, whose lovely Labrador Bella likes to be seen socially on a Sunday.

Again we had planned a table in the bar but shifted elsewhere, on this occasion – it was a lovely day – to the great outdoors.

On the terrace beneath a parasol, we were amused (and impressed) to find the table equipped with a large, centrally placed, sunken ice bucket. Home from home for Joe and Martin, who have just gone in for a garden pond. No Koi carp though.

South African chenin blanc/viognier (Percheron) was soon nestling therein as we caned into asparagus with poached egg and hollandaise, chicken terrine (star starter), and smoked trout mousse with beetroot slaw.

The lamb exhausted by now (2pm) all but one of us had thick pink slices of rump of beef (from top butcher Aubrey Allen) with lovely vegetables and big Yorkshire puddings. The dissenter had trout niçoise. Choice cheeses, chocolate mousse – meal done. All happy.