A PUB that impressed the food critics but not a council's environmental health officers has achieved a five star rating to match its glowing reviews.

Mr Hanbury's Mason Arms in South Leigh has been featured in the Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide and awarded two rosettes for 'culinary excellence' by AA inspectors.

But until an inspection last week, the gastropub was dogged by the one star food hygiene rating awarded shortly after it opened during the summer.

Inspectors from West Oxfordshire District Council found the restaurant had 'poor' food hygiene and safety and they had 'little' confidence in management when they visited in August.

A new inspection on December 14 heralded a turnaround and the pub now has a rating of five stars signalling 'very good' hygiene practices.

Ben Xavier, the executive group chef for the Artist Residence Group, a boutique hotel chain which runs the hotel and pub, blamed the initial poor rating on building work that was still going on at the time of the inspection.

He also said there was also a 'small, inaccurate usage of the sous-vide machine.'

These machines, favoured by gourmet chefs worldwide, involves cooking food in pouches whilst they are submerged in a water bath which is held at a precisely controlled temperature.

It involves cooking foods such as steaks, fish and seafood at lower temperatures than traditional methods.

Mr Xavier added: "Subsequently, we rectified the issues immediately and were thrilled when the environmental health officers returned and awarded us our deserved rating of 5 stars."

The 16th century Mason Arms had been empty since March 2014 before husband and wife team Justin and Charlotte Salisbury opened it up as a boutique hotel along with a pub and restaurant that specialises in traditional British food and drink

The head chef is Leon Smith who uses foraged ingredients including picking samphire, sea fennel, sea lettuce and purslane from the coasts of Britain.

Proprietor Charlotte Salisbury praised Mr Smith's 'outstanding' cookery for achieving the two rosettes.

She said he had an ability to 'rummage through nature's larder' and use ingredients from the pub's garden to produce quality food.

The restaurant's quality has been rated more highly than renowned Oxfordshire restaurants, Gee's, Malmaison and the Old Swan and Minster Mill in Minster Lovell.