It was a gamble on a cold miserable January weekday, but the kids were still on school holidays and as a parents I had run out of options.

A trip to Witney then, a visit to the cinema and a quick bite to eat first. But where to go? The Plough, The Hollybush, The Fleece or The Three Horseshoes are all excellent.

We wanted quick, easy and affordable so instead opted for The Blue Boar right on Market Street. It has an extensive restaurant at the back, and a bar at the front with an entirely separate menu.

I hadn’t visited since it first opened in 2011 when it was considered ‘the place to be’ and rammed to the rafters with beautiful, young things.

These days it is more accessible, and welcomed our motley crew of harassed mothers, children and even a dog, with alacrity.

Owned by Oakman Inns who also boast The Old Post Office in Wallingford and The Crown and Thistle in Abingdon, the group has an excellent reputation, especially in terms of looking after its staff.

Settling in the blue tiled bar area, we perused the bar menu which offers a selection of the usual suspects: sandwiches, platters, salads and soups, but it was the wood fired pizzas we were after, ordering the £6 margherita with fresh basil, tomato sauce, mozzarella, the marinara DOC (garlic, basil marinated tomatoes, oregano, garlic oil and tomato sauce) £8.50 and the quattro stagioni (smoked pancetta, artichokes, mixed mushrooms, olives, fresh basil, tomato sauce and mozzarella) £10.50, while we enjoyed the affable barman James’’ beautiful coffees.

The pizzas took a while but were well worth the wait: generous, fresh and juicy toppings with puffy, ashy crusts, we devoured them in one sitting, the left-over pizza boxes entirely unnecessary.

One to bear in mind then if you are in a rush and in need of some Italian sustenance. blueboarwitney.co.uk