On a very mild Sunday afternoon, my boyfriend Stephen and I passed by The Tree at Cadmore End for a bite to eat, before heading off on an afternoon stroll through the woods.

The Tree, a charming restaurant and hotel just outside of Stokenchurch, hosts a carvery lunch and an international buffet every Sunday from 12pm to 3pm for a price of £12.95 each, so we decided to check it out.

Before we set upon the buffet tables, our waitress Louise took our drink orders – They have a huge array of cocktails and non-alcoholic versions on offer – I chose a Key West Cooler (vodka, archers, midori, orange juice and cranberry juice) which was very tasty, very alcoholic and surprisingly cheap at £5.95. Stephen went for a non-alcoholic mojito, called a ‘nojito’ (£3.25) which was very cool and refreshing.

While waiting for our drinks, I couldn’t help but notice the table Stephen and I were seated at was very spacious – not quite big enough for four people, but could easily seat three – perfect for plenty of plates of buffet treats.

On to the food. I'm usually a bit sceptical when it comes to buffets – when producing food in high quantities, the quality can suffer a bit, but I was very impressed at how tasty the food was at The Tree.

The buffet provided an interesting range of cuisines and changes every week, so no two meals are the same and you can sample some tender pork or beef with vegetables and gravy, before moving onto the rest of the buffet.

The potatoes were soft and crispy all in the right places and the steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots were moist and full of flavour.

I was tempted to go back for more, but I decided to try the rest of the buffet - there was a selection including chicken biryani, lamb dhansak, potato gnocchi and vegetable noodles on the menu, as well as chicken drumsticks and a fish curry, to name a few.

The chicken drumsticks were so tender, it practically fell off the bone and the potato dumplings, seasoned with garlic and herbs, were by far my favourite.

The vegetable noodles had a lovely spicy kick and the biryani was full of flavour.

The dhansak was very mild and rich and went perfectly with a side of pilau rice. There were also plenty of vegetarian options, so everyone is covered.

I personally love chicken curries, so I think I would have liked to have seen more of that on the menu, but I wasn't disappointed in the selection that was there. 

There is everything you could possibly want on offer – salads or chicken and liver pate with bread rolls provided a perfect break from the hot meals. Fresh naan breads could even be cooked to order for you, while papadums were stacked high alongside an assortment of sauces and dips.

After two plates of food, we decided to try some dessert. The dessert menu had Eton Mess, chocolate and raspberry ganache, apple tart tatin and lemon tart, as well as ice cream of a selection of local cheese.  

Some of the dishes on the list were not available that day – there was no lemon tart or chocolate and raspberry ganache, but they were only too happy to provide an alternative that wasn’t on the menu. We went for a hot chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

It was the perfect size – not too big that you couldn’t finish it, but just enough to leave you comfortably full.

Louise, our waitress, was very friendly and made everyone feel welcome, right down to the babies and toddlers – in fact, all the staff we encountered were more than happy to accommodate our needs.

Overall, The Tree provides the perfect place to fuel up before or after a walk, or just for a relaxing Sunday meal.

The staff were incredibly friendly, the quality of the food was very good and the restaurant was buzzing with a very family-orientated atmosphere.

And its ideal location, just minutes away from woodland walks but very accessible from the village of Stokenchurch, meant that after stuffing ourselves with food, we could walk it all off again and get some fresh air – the perfect Sunday afternoon. 

Visit www.cadmore.treehotel.co.uk to view the menu.