I went to the Mash Inn with high hopes for dinner. The recently reopened pub makes much of its prime position in foodie country, name-checking illustrious neighbours such as the Hand & Flowers in Marlow, the Fat Duck in Bray and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Great Milton. Clearly, owner Nick Mash and chef Jon Parry would love the Mash Inn to be part of such a starry brigade.

Anyone expecting the starched tablecloths and a stuffy atmosphere of an ambitious restaurant will be (pleasantly) surprised, though. The Mash Inn, formerly the Three Horseshoes, dates back to 1745 and is still a cosy, characterful pub. We arrived on a cold December night to the cheery sight of blazing fire pits. Inside, there is a tiny flagstone-floor front bar with wood panelling, a stained glass window and a stove, serving cider pressed in the village and ale from the nearby Rebellion brewery. Beyond the bar, it is all wooden floorboards, exposed brick and bold prints, such as Patrick Caulfield lampshades.

The relaxed 32-cover restaurant has simple wooden tables, including a communal 14-seater made from a single oak. There is an open kitchen with a huge wood-fired grill; Jon chats to diners about the food as he cooks, and brings over many of the dishes himself. The menu is chalked on a blackboard. We went for the nine-course tasting menu at £45pp (the tasting menu at the two Michelin-starred Le Manoir is £159pp, while the three-star Fat Duck costs at least £255pp).

It was incredible from start – bread and bone-marrow butter – to finish: chocolate cremosa and lovage granita. Vegetables, many of them grown in raised beds and polytunnels in the grounds, were a highlight. Fiery radishes came with unusual hay-flavoured mayonnaise and delicious pickled nasturtium roots, similar to sushi ginger; paper-thin slices of beetroot were pepped up with tart elderberries; a blob of earthy nettle sauce accompanied oysters. There was a whole mackerel, lightly smoked over the fire, served simply with grated horseradish. Meat included lamb bolognese croquettes, and pink, tender pigeon with pearl barley and truffles.

My partner pronounced the ragstone, an unpasteurised goat’s cheese served with haw jelly, the best plate of cheese he had ever eaten. Speaking of plates, they are so beautiful I asked where they are from – turns out they are made by a local potter in her garden shed.

It is uncomplicated food in one sense – no Heston-style snail porridge – but brilliant in its simplicity, and imaginative in its use of foraged and British ingredients. It is also delicious: the kind of food I want to eat again and again, and can just about afford to.

This simple approach continues in the five guest rooms. Ours was no-frills, with plain walls and stripped-back wooden furniture, but had luxury where it counts: a king-sized bed; the deepest free-standing bath I’ve ever sunk into; gorgeous toiletries from Swedish brand L:A Bruket. There were terrariums containing cacti on the windowsill and a lovely view over the Chiltern Hills. Nick wants to retain the feel of a traditional inn, rather than a fancy hotel, and it shows.

Breakfast is served in bed, rather than down in the restaurant, which I liked – it felt like a naughty treat – but fry-up fans will be disappointed: it is a continental affair, with homemade granola packed with pecans and cashews, croissants and damson jam, buttermilk yoghurt, and turmeric and ginger beer. The latter, while delicious, was more like something you’d take on a picnic than a breakfast juice. In fact, the surrounding hills are the perfect place for a picnic (albeit not in December). We looked around the village church, St Mary’s, which was built around 1200, then walked to Princes Risborough for a warming mulled wine.

By south-east England prices, the Mash Inn is a refreshingly affordable place to eat excellent food. However, a month after our visit, the tasting menu went up to £55 and it’s booked way in advance, so reserve a table, and bed, as soon as possible before it goes up again.

• Accommodation was provided by the Mash Inn (01494 482440, themashinn.com), doubles from £100 B&B, nine-course tasting menu £55pp, à la carte mains around £19, three-course set lunch £19 (Wednesdays and Thursdays only)

Ask a local: Holly Morgan, Daws Hill vineyard

• Food
Chiltern Brewery has an amazing range of beers and ciders as well as beautiful mead. It also does tours of the brewery. The Deli at No 5 in Thame has a great choice of locally sourced cheese and charcuteries. Pick up tasty treats at Orchard View Farm, and have a look at their rare breeds, including a herd of white fallow deer.

• Drink
The newly renovated Crown at Radnage is the locals’ favourite. I also like Duke’s Wine Bar in Princes Risborough.

• Walk
The National Trust’s West Wycombe Park has a bluebell walk and the famous Hell-Fire caves. There’s a beautiful Chiltern ridgeway walk from the Crown in Radnage to The Boot in Bledlow Ridge, via St Marys church and through the local Wildlife Trust area, which is home to rare flowers and butterflies. Look out for the soaring red kites that were successfully reintroduced into this area to preserve the species.