When Clare Hargreaves booked Orwells for her next Feast With A Chef she knew she was onto a good thing, because within months, having committed to host one of her famous pop-up dinners at Kirtlington Village Hall, head chefs and owners Ryan Simpson and Liam Trotman upgraded to 4 AA Rosettes, were named Restaurant of the Year in the Good Food Guide and placed in the UK's top 50, awarded three gold sustainability stars and taking part in new BBC TV show 'Yes Chef' which is airing on weekdays on BBC One. In short Clare's hunch had paid off.

Feast With A Chef brings great food cooked by Britain’s top chefs to the simple and friendly surroundings of a village hall. The last memorable Oxfordshire voyage saw Ottolenghi’s head chef Ramael Scully launch the NOPI cookbook at Hertford College

So there we were, expectant, hungry and excited, packed into Kirtlington Village hall's finest trestle tables, mainly locals, some fans who go to all Clare's pop ups, some of Orwells regulars, ready for our five courses.

All of us were well aware that while getting a table at Orwell's in Shiplake is like getting tickets to Glastonbury, being able to sample this award winning cuisine so close to home was little short of a miracle.

It was a sold out crowd and Ryan and Liam had shut Orwells for the night in order to be there, a massive commitment. They also had the village hall kitchens to contend with, although there was a large Orwells van filled with gadgets that they had brought along too. Still, a challenge all round.

An amuse bouche of ice cream cones filled with smoked Oxfordshire trout (Bibury) served in little ice cream cones set the scene, the soft filling contrasting with the the crunch of the cone and the pop of caviare, then delicious homemade bread and butter, then Sleightlett cannelloni with framed organic beetroot, fermented garlic and watercress which came like a rolled wafer biscuit, again a lovely contrast of bite, crunch, the soft cheese framed by the sweet sharpness of the beetroot.

The courses then came in thick and fast, crayfish and pork with sweetcorn, apple and celeriac, then the beautifully cooked Wiltshire lamb with Riverford Farm brassica, squash, pearl barley and salsify, a perfect autumnal dish and pretty as a picture. For those of us with a sweet tooth, the Mill Lane honey sponge with salted caramel and honeycomb was the perfect sage and had us in raptures., followed neatly by coffee and some homemade petit fours, all swiftly by the efficient staff. Wine was bought by the bootle from an extensive wine list.

Then Ryan and Liam were introduced talking us through their menu and sourcing, discussing the challenge, and when gently questioned by Clare revealed how delighted they were with all their recent accolades and tried to analyse their recent successes.

Clare then announced their engagement, which really was the icing on the cake of a superb evening of celebration, food and love as it turned out. So good luck to the boys.

And for those of you who missed it, watch out for the next one, because they really are too good to miss.

www.clarehargreaves.co.uk/feast-with-a-chef

orwellsatshiplake.co.uk