Our return to the wonderful Brasserie Blanc in Beaconsfield was a welcome one.

It was a Friday night and the atmosphere greets you the second you walk through the door. Four of us enjoyed a central table and enjoyed a thoroughly convivial evening.

The menu at Michelin-starred Raymond Blanc’s successful restaurant chain is always seasonal; it also has a wealth of vegetarian and vegan options to offer the whole family a taste from the Mediterranean.

For my starter, however, I put my faith in Raymond’s fusion hands and had the delectable Mussels with Red Thai Curry Sauce (£6.95). If you are a fan of mussels then you will be treated well here – these are huge portions and are brilliant to share.

My sister and I cleverly covered all bases with her ordering the Mussels Mariniere (in white wine sauce, also £6.95), and shared both with each other and the rest of the table. The sauces on both were so incredibly delicious that I can recommend getting this as main.

For many, France winning the FIFA World cup was not a shock. We however were in for one as my meat loving husband opted for the Mediterranean Fish Soup (£7.75).

This authentic dish is served with Gruyere cheese, croutons and a saffron rouille – a ‘classic Raymond recipe, My brother-in-law went for the Chicken Liver Parfait, served with truffle butter, red onion marmalade and toasted brioche (£6.95). I will use his words to convey his enthusiasm of the dish – it was the best recipe of parfait or pate that he has ever tasted.

For main course, two of us went for the Fillet Steak (£23.90), which are served with all the trimmings and your choice of sauce. I was particularly decadent and chose the Roquefort sauce, and my brother-in-law went for the Pepper sauce.

My husband had the Duck Leg Cassoulet (£18.50), a confit duck leg with the smoky spice of pan fried chorizo, saltiness of lardons with the buttery, earthiness of haricot beans, garlic and provencal herbs.

For my sister, who we playfully nickname Fish-face as she could eat seafood all day long, nothing would dissuade her from the carnival of her favourite food.

The Grilled Cod with Preserved Lemon Marinade and Chilli Squid, served on Squid Ink Risotto (£16.75), gives you layer after layer of the exceptional way that French cuisine celebrates fish and seafood.

To finish we had the Pear Amandine Tart – an almond sponge with poached pear, chocolate sauce and Normandy crème fraiche (£6.30). This is a real crowd pleaser, as is the Pistachio Souffle (£7.50) which disappeared very quickly off my husband’s plate. I went for the Chocolate Delice (£7.50).

This was gorgeously bitter and the crispy Feuillantine base had an amazing almost chewy, sticky texture.

Well there you have it, book yourself in for a taste of France and arguably the best cuisine in the world.