Sometimes you don’t want anything fancy. You just want to get out of the house. Not cook and grab some good, solid pub grub.

Which is where The White Hart Inn comes in. For us, on the edge of Cheltenham, that 10 minute drive over Cleeve Hill takes you a world away, to a vision of classic Cotswold beauty in pretty Winchcombe.

Sat squarely in the heart of the town, The White Hart Inn is the sort of pub that’s unpretentious and totally down to earth. It serves great beers and wines, as well as an appealing range of classic pub dishes that actually made it harder than we imagined to choose our supper.

We had a lovely corner table, seated next to a big window looking out on the courtyard at the back that was full of walkers and locals on picnic benches, chatting and enjoying a pint under Aspall umbrellas in the sunshine.

We were there on a Tuesday evening and with the Eat Out To Help Out Scheme going strong, it was busy. But the face-mask clad waitress was whizzing around ensuring everyone was taken good care of.

I sipped a refreshing pint of Sharp’s Offshore Pilsner (£5.50) that you don’t often find in the Cotswolds and somehow reminds me of the coast, especially holidays in Cornwall. Once awarded World’s Best Lager in the World Beer Awards, the crisp, clean citrus flavour was most welcome on a hot summer’s evening.

With no less than 10 mains to choose from, my usually decisive partner reeled off a list of five options he was torn between. Whereas I was immediately sold on the braised lamb, dauphinoise potato and red wine jus (£15). After far too much tired umming and ahhhing, he went for an unusual choice for him of the spicy bean burger and triple cooked chips (£12).

We didn’t have too long to wait before our dishes arrived, piping hot and absolutely delicious.

My jus glazed mounds of braised meat were heavenly - rich in flavour and superbly tender. Combined with the potato, served neatly in a rectangular stack, it had a good bite to it and the restraint of not too much creamy sauce. I was in heaven.

It’s not the sort of thing you can just whizz up quickly at home and I felt a glow of delight at being served up such great quality, hearty and flavoursome food so speedily.

Matt’s burger was huge, and served on a bed of lettuce leaves and big slices of tomato. It was almost spilling out of the bun, so a gherkin topped skewer held it all in place. The chunky golden chips came with a small bowl of chutney that he cheerfully dipped them into, describing them as ‘cracking’.

The lightly spiced burger was crispy on the outside and moreishly soft in the centre. The bun was also nicely soft and held its own. It earned a satisfied thumbs up from him.

When it came to choosing a pud, there were six to choose from and decisions came much more speedily.

Matt’s double chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream (£5) was demolished within minutes and declared utterly lovely. The rich chocolate dish was wonderfully gooey and his only minor complaint was that it could have been bigger.

My almond semifreddo and tuile biscuit (£5) took a little longer to enjoy, owing to just how dense and cold it was. I had to grip the bowl to stop the semifreddo flicking across the room. Perhaps my poor coordination skills were to blame, but it was bizarrely tricky - yet indulgently tasty. Working for your food is no bad thing!

We left happy and full after a really hearty and solidly good meal out. The White Hart Inn is a fabulous spot for no-frills, no-nonsense, proper pub food and comes at a decent price too.

For more information visit: www.whitehartwinchcombe.co.uk