One of the great pleasures of living in Oxford is that it is remarkably easy to escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre, thanks to the villages that surround it. A particular standout of these is the frankly lovely Stanton St John, home to The Star Inn. When I think of a village pub my first thought is, regrettably, The Slaughtered Lamb from An American Werewolf in London. Thankfully The Star is as far removed from this as possible, and the closest thing to a beast on the moors is GiGi, a rather gorgeous pug and the pub's resident dog. This establishment is incredibly welcoming and serves heaps of moreish food to fill up anyone who stumbles across it.

We visited The Star on a Sunday and were treated to their outstanding roast. Before this was our starters of garlic prawns and grilled halloumi on flatbread. The prawns were appetising, with a flavoursome sauce, with the only downside being that I ended up sharing this dish with my daughter, thus limiting the prawny goodness I could have. My partner loved the grilled halloumi, cooked to just the right amount of crispness without losing the cheese's flavour, with the accompanying flatbread being a crunchily satisfying treat. Our starters were light, leaving plenty of room for our mains.

It was in the mains that The Star came into its own. I chose the pork roast, while my partner went for the chicken option. We were given plenty of time between courses to enjoy our surroundings and for our daughter to look out at the passing dog walkers. When our roasts arrived they were worth the wait. Alongside a generous amount of meat there was a hefty amount of accompanying vegetables including roast and boiled potatoes, carrot, swede mash, a giant parsnip, and cauliflower cheese. Each element was outstanding, with nary an overcooked vegetable on the plate. This might be the finest roast I've had in Oxford and the crackling with the pork was some of the best of its kind I've ever had.

I'm not ashamed to say our huge roasts defeated us and so puddings were out of the question. There's always the next visit. I have to commend the service in the pub, which was exceptional, and we felt incredibly welcomed. The Star is the kind of pub you could spend many evenings in, warmed by the fire and playing one of the board games stacked in a corner. Coupled with the outstanding food and the ample character the pub had and this is one establishment I will surely be returning to not before too long, if only to try a pint of Pug Ale, made to commemorate their awesome pub dog.