Food snob? Me? God yes.

I hate fast food, can’t bear anything unauthentic, fail to see how people pay good money for cheap burgers, chicken and pizza with the nutritional value of a 10p piece, misunderstand why people choose chain rubbish over local, delicious food served in Oxford’s endless independent restaurants, cafes and sandwich bars, and want to weep when I go down George Street and see the most bog-standard eateries churning out sub-standard predictable food to the masses who refuse to try something slightly more adventurous, however hard I shout. Got it?

So yes, stepping into Copa last week did make my insides clench in alarm, like an oncoming bout of the trots.

Because let’s face it, this is one of Oxford’s biggest drinking holes, packed out on Friday and Saturday nights, a renowned centre of ‘townie’ culture, and not somewhere I would have considered eating.

So yes, I hold my hand and nose up – a self-confessed and blatant food snob.

But, as this is the Oxfringe edition, and as Copa is hosting many of the acts in its upstairs room for free, we agreed to sample its wares. And lunch seemed the safest option.

Wandering into the vast wooden floored arena of a pub, with a bar that stretches into the distance, it’s fair to say that we weren’t expecting much.

We found a table at the window, although there were some nice snugs at the back, and stared at the menu in gloom. Then slowly it dawned on us that the food seemed quite nice, and a bit different, and that actually, there were some good choices on offer. And we sat up and began to take notice.

You order at the bar, never a favourite pastime because it breaks up the ‘dining experience’ with all that to-ing and fro-ing, and waited to see if Copa could actually deliver and convert me.

First up was the roasted red pepper & three-bean houmous with arctic flatbread for £4.25, and a hefty portion of classic nachos with Tickler Devon cheddar, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole and jalapenos for £7.45. They were delicious.

Nachos is a great test because so often it’s a pathetic imitation of the real thing, the cheese, guacamole and sour cream barely squeezed out of their packets on to the crispy tortilla shells. But this dish was juicy, fresh, delicious and highly recommended.

The three-bean houmous went down a treat, too, far removed from the metallic versions featured on tapas platters all over the country, which are as authentic as Jordan’s fake tan.

Next up was the West Country crab cakes in coriander breadcrumbs served on dressed mixed leaves with cucumber, spring onion, new potatoes and cherry tomatoes with red pepper & chilli sauce for £8.25.

We also tried the hand-battered halloumi with skin-on chips, dressed salad and red pepper & chilli dipping sauce £8.45, not the most healthy option admittedly, but it was different and a great alternative to the usual fish and chips/burger style pub menu.

The crab salad was another success and by then we were stuffed to the brim, so couldn’t manage dessert.

But all-in-all, it was a really pleasant meal.

The manager then gave us a tour of the place, taking us up to a fabulous function room complete with kitchen, bar and toilets, where many of the Oxfringe acts will be entertaining you over the next two-and-a-half weeks.

As I came back downstairs, I promised myself I would never judge a book by its cover again – just by its food.