I have just eaten the quickest meal I have ever ordered.

And it was a wham, bam, thank-you Ma’am culinary triumph, which proves once again that fast-food doesn’t necessarily have to come with fries and a side order of coleslaw.

Yes the staff wore uniforms but not the type that come complete with boxed shaped hats worn gangster style at a 45 degree angle. Instead they wore crisp white shirts, black ties and tailored suits.

The table boasted a beautiful cloth, fine porcelain crockery and the kind of cutlery you always pick up to admire as if studying art.

As for the food itself, well more on that in a moment...

It was a Friday lunchtime, a fortnight ago, and I was in The Randolph, the grand old lady of Oxfordshire hotels, on the corner of Magdalen and Beaumont streets. Not my usual lunchtime venue (that’s either the sandwich aisle in M&S or our canteen at work), but then how often does a hotel of this repute offer a two-course meal for £15?

I know that’s still not cheap but for this kind of hotel it’s practically a give-away.

However, what makes this offer truly worth thinking about are the following: 1. if the meal isn’t served within 45 minutes, you get to EAT FOR FREE, and 2. the dishes themselves are...superb.

As for the small print, you can either choose a starter and main course or a main course and dessert (so just to be pernickety, my guest ordered a starter and dessert, but then there’s no pleasing some people).

A conventionalist, I ordered beer battered wild cod with heritage potato chips and tartare sauce for my main and a lemon and mascarpone cheesecake with raspberry compote for dessert.

My ‘challenging’ guest plumped for the halibut and prawn timbale with cucumber salad for her starter/main, and the dark chocolate truffle with pistachio cream for dessert.

So far, so good, yet the best was yet to come.

The dishes themselves were bang-on; delicious, perfectly portioned (not too much, not too little) and exquisitely presented.

My cod for instance was light and flaky, the batter good enough to strip off and doggy bag for later in the evening, while the fish timbale was, I’m told, bursting with flavour.

Incidentally, the time taken from placing our order to digging in was just nine minutes. Our desserts followed just as swiftly.

Both the truffle and cheesecake were moist, rich and, as you do when you know you’ve ordered discerningly, worth grinning about.

I was knocked out. The Randolph really has raised the bar when it comes to delivering a reasonably priced lunchtime menu, and especially so since the quality, style and service that are the hotel’s hallmarks have suffered not a jot.

In fact – and the chef will doubtless hate me for saying it – I think this lunchtime ‘teaser’ is more fun, better value, and more imaginative than the Randolph’s evening ‘feature’.

It really is the best lunch in town.

Friday lunch at The Randolph is surprisingly, served only on a Friday between noon and 2.30pm.

If you choose, incidentally, to order a third dish from the three-course menu, it costs an extra £5.50.

For further information, call the restaurant direct on 01865 256410. And remember, if your meal isn’t served within 45 minutes, you eat for free.