For a county with so much water flowing through, round and over it, Oxfordshire seems remarkably lacking in good pub gardens. So I am launching the 2013 quest for perfection in terms of riverside dining and drinking.

Perhaps it’s because having lodged myself by roaring fires while eating out in some of the most splendid inns in the county for about the past 18 months I am desperate, and I mean desperate, to sit outside, even if it means wearing an anorak and taking my own umbrella.

I am so sick of waking up every morning and turning despondently away from the rack of summer clothes waiting hopefully in my wardrobe and reverting once again to something warm instead. Our household remains crippled by this UK weather rut, unable to book a holiday because we can’t face sitting in the pouring rain in Devon, Cornwall or Wales again, unable to commit to cycle rides, fairs, festivals, anything that needs the great outdoors because yet again they will inevitably turn into a muddy quagmire. And yes, we could do all of the above with a Blitz mentality, but isn’t anyone else tired of putting on a brave face as another raindrop drips down your back and your sandwiches go soggy?

So instead, I am going to shame the sun into coming out by accumulating a list of the best outdoor pub gardens in Oxfordshire – and I need your help. While I’ve compiled my own list already, the winning spot is still wide open. And while all the obvious names have come up I have already placed a cross against many of them, the aforementioned being either too touristy, suffering from bad service, terrible food or a far from relaxed atmosphere. But I know my perfect pub garden must be out there somewhere, where the locals are happy in the knowledge that they have an idyllic location in their own backyards.

So share, share your secret hideaway destinations and let me know your findings and opinions. Because by the end of the summer there will be a winner.

Riverside favourites already unwittingly rubbing shoulders with each other, are: The Punter on Osney Island in Oxford – an obvious place to watch the world go by; The Trout at Tadpole Bridge although it’s blooming miles away; Folly Bridge is another firm contender which I recently enjoyed; The Cherwell Boathouse boasts one of the loveliest settings around; The Swan at Minster Lovell is quite beautiful; Jane’s nutty pop-up summer Tea Gardens in Kirtlington; The Victoria Arms in Marston which needs no introduction; and finally The Fishes at Binsey, although now they’ve removed the playground what are we supposed to do with our little blighters? A sunny pub garden with something for the kids to do is about as good as it gets.

So what I need is your help: send in your favourite pub/cafe garden ideas, even if lodged firmly in the countryside without a whisper of water to be seen or heard.

Whether it’s Rectory Farm, The Star at Stanton or Kizzies in Lower Heyford, if you know of somewhere family- friendly that serves great food in a lovely setting, email or tweet me. It shouldn’t be that difficult should it?

With so few days of sunshine we need to be pre-warned and pre-armed. I’m ready, are you?