Eating out | Leisure | Homepage - Herald Series

The Plough, Long Wittenham

9:00am Thursday 21st August 2008

One cold February morning in 2002, I set out in my faithful little Mini to review my first pub for The Herald newspaper. I chose one really close to the office, The Greyhound, at Besselsleigh, where I chomped my way through a tasty steak and ale pie served with chips.

The Clanfield Tavern, Clanfield

9:00am Thursday 14th August 2008

When I last stepped into The Clanfield Tavern, Clanfield, on the Tuesday after a Monday Bank Holiday a couple of years ago, to ask if I could have lunch, I was told in no uncertain terms that they didn't serve lunch on Mondays.

The Black Horse, Checkendon

9:00am Thursday 24th July 2008

WE passed fields of opium poppies in full bloom as we made our way through gloriously lush country lanes in our quest to find a pub which had eluded us for months.

The White Hart, Wytham

9:00am Thursday 17th July 2008

IT was my colleague Chris who suggested I ought to re-visit the White Hart, Wytham, right, if I wanted an example of how some pub patios and gardens are completely smoke-free.

The Crown, Marcham

9:00am Thursday 17th July 2008

Readers who follow my pub write-ups regularly will know I frequently wax lyrical about standing in the middle of unspoiled countryside enjoying the silence, broken only by intermittent bird song. In this busy, noisy world, such moments are memorable.

The Flowing Well, Sunningwell

7:57am Thursday 29th May 2008

When the English weather gets it right, there's nowhere in the world I want to be except here in my home county. And when a pub provides a lovely garden in which to eat on a warm sunny day, my cup really does overflow.

The Bat and Ball, Cuddesdon

8:16am Thursday 15th May 2008

Was it the sun's sudden appearance which transformed the day or the friendly greeting we received when visiting the Bat and Ball Inn, Cuddesdon?

The Lamb, Little Milton

7:43am Thursday 1st May 2008

Little Milton is a pretty village standing equidistance between Thame and Wallingford if you travel the A329.

The Six Bells, Warborough

2:27pm Friday 18th April 2008

"WHAT do you fancy for lunch?" asked my colleague as he eased the car on to the A4074 and headed towards Warborough. That was an easy question to answer - I was dreaming of a fillet of white fish, which was so fresh and well cooked that succulent chunky flakes separated as I dug the fork in. I knew nothing else would satisfy quite as much.

The Greyhound at Besselsleigh

2:48pm Friday 11th April 2008

I WALKED in purposefully, it had been a long morning, lunch was just what I needed. "On your own?" asked the seater and greeter. When I confessed I was, this young woman looked around the restaurant with concern, then allowed her eyes to fall on the tables and comfortable leather chairs tucked away, but close to the bar. "Perhaps, as you are on your own, you would be happier here," she whispered, pointing to a corner table. "But I'm a real person, you don't have to hide me. Can't I sit in the restaurant like everyone else," I said.

The Plough Inn, Garsington

8:37am Thursday 10th April 2008

The chef was ill when my colleague Chris and I called into The Plough Inn, Garsington, last summer, so although the blackboard menu listed all manner of interesting dishes, we ended up eating freshly cut ham sandwiches on the patio over looking the garden. On the recommendation of a reader, however, we called again. Our only mistake was to choose a cold day, for although there are fireplaces in both bars they were not lit and there appeared to be no other form of heating. Despite enjoying a jolly good lunch, I admit to feeling colder when we left than when I'd gone in.

The Apple Cart, Didcot

7:53am Thursday 3rd April 2008

MY lunch this week was not, strictly speaking, served in a pub, even though the bar that faces the customers as they enter suggests it is. I was visiting the Apple Cart restaurant, which stands besides the Premier Inn and petrol station on the A4130, near the A30 Milton interchange.

The Mole, Toot Baldon

2:43pm Sunday 23rd March 2008

MY colleague declared he would like to go somewhere really nice for lunch. No scampi or sausages, rather a delectable meal that would satisfy his appetite and imagination.

The Home Sweet Home Inn, Roke

9:00am Thursday 20th March 2008

WE were apprehensive about revisiting The Home Sweet Home Inn, Roke, as it had changed hands since our last visit 16 months ago, when we enjoyed a superb pre-Christmas lunch.

The Old Crown Inn, Faringdon

9:00am Thursday 13th March 2008

The last time I visited The Old Crown Inn, which stands in the centre of Faringdon, just off the Market Square, I had my dog for company. This time, my colleague Chris joined me on a jaunt to this delightful rural town which is a great place to visit, especially on a spring day when the daffodils have begun to bloom.