New restaurants come and go - some stick around, many disappear without trace and others transform into something else. Oxford has had its fair share of upheaval recently with the announcement that the Lemon Tree is closing, while Smollensky's in the city centre has shut its doors and Caffe Uno is turning into a French brasserie.

Rather than opt for something attempting to break new ground, this month I decided to go somewhere with a good reputation that has been around for years.

The Feathers in Woodstock has been recommended to me by several people over a long period and last year was voted Best Gastro Pub by Food and Travel magazine. It was high time to see what all the fuss was about.

So I took a quick whizz around the ring road to the delightful surroundings and convivial atmosphere of Woodstock.

The Feathers is right at the heart of the town and the beautiful building forms part of its fabric. As it is a hotel, we were not quite sure what to expect, but a quick inquiry saw us quickly dispatched into the bistro.

I found the surroundings slightly odd, with the room bending in a U-shape with most tables situated beyond a screen.

We sat by the wall on what appeared to be occasional lounge chairs set behind a round table. But it was comfortable enough once we got used to it and we took a glance at the menu.

It is broken down into a series of sections which start with "Graze," which were effectively nibbles.

For £2.50 we thought this was too good to miss and opted for a bowl of salt roasted almonds, although we could have easily selcted some marinated queen olives, or oddly, pickled quails eggs.

With our choice of wine - a Chilean Sauvignon which was cool and crisp - we were very happy munching and chatting as the almonds had a lovely smoky flavour which was irresistible to a habitual snacker like me.

But we had made little impact on the bowl before the starters arrived.

I had opted for the pressed terrine of chicken, pancetta and confit garlic served with salsa verde.

The meat was packed with flavour, as you would expect, and the saltiness was offset by the green cornichons.

My companion, meanwhile, was delving into the king prawn cocktail which came served with bread, roquette and dipping sauce on the side. There were six very good sized prawns, although she claimed there was not enough seasoning.

While we waited for our main courses to arrive, I noted how busy the restaurant was.

It seemed to be populated by older clientelle, who, I suspected, were Woodstock residents who had been coming to this establishment for years.

This was not necessarily a good sign, as it could have mean no new clients were coming in, although I'm sure the hotel trade keeps the place ticking along.

Back to the menu and we had both chosen from the "Retro Classics" section.

I had gone for the Bouillabaisse, which I had not tried before and, on this evidence, won't bother with again. It consisted of a thin and greasy concoction of mussels, fish and potatoes served with aoli and toast. I found it unappetising and didn't enjoy it.

But I was glad to have avoided the chicken Maryland across the table.

This was a grey, bony chicken thigh served with the same sweet chilli and mayonnaise sauce that had accompanied the prawns, and a deep fried banana on the side. It was pronounced "weird" which adequately described its look and taste.

After this we looked at each other and decided we did not want to venture into the "Sticky Moments" section of the menu, despite the promise of elderflower and strawberry jelly, or floating islands.

Instead we returned to the almonds and the wine, deciding that they, sadly, had been the best part of a meal which had promised much but failed to deliver.

One point in The Feathers' favour was the service, which was prompt and efficient, but it will not be enough to entice us back in a hurry.

Portion roasted almonds: £2.50 King prawn cocktail: £6 Chicken & pancetta terrine: £6 Bouillabaisse: £14 Chicken Maryland: £14 Wine: £17.95 Two coffees: £5 TOTAL: £65.45