The Plough, Long Wittenham
	9:00am Thu 21 Aug 08
	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 Thu 14 Aug 08
	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.
	Reader comment (1)

	The Black Horse, Checkendon
	9:00am Thu 24 Jul 08
	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.
	User Rating: 10/10

	The White Hart, Wytham
	9:00am Thu 17 Jul 08
	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 Thu 10 Jul 08
	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.
	User Rating: 1/10

The Lamb, Buckland

7:35am Thursday 3rd July 2008

When I discovered an old photo of The Lamb, Buckland, taken in 1915 by Oxfordshire photographer Frederick Ault, I was reminded of the many meals I have enjoyed in this delightful old pub. That was enough to persuade me it would be fun to return for lunch and take a similar photo while I was there.

The Partridge, Wallingford

7:43am Thursday 19th June 2008

A SUDDEN deluge had caused such a build-up of water on the A4074 as I headed to Wallingford from Oxford that I almost turned back - there's only so much water a little Mini like mine can take without being swept off the road by the wash from an oncoming lorry. I'm so glad I didn't. By braving the flooding roads, I got to sample the food in Wallingford's new venue - The Partridge, in St Mary's Street, formerly the Royal Standard pub and later the Royal.

User Rating: 8/10

King William pub, Ipsden

8:09am Thursday 12th June 2008

How could I refuse a press trip to meet beekeeper Jim Chambers, organised by the Honey Association, particularly when it was to take place in a field just a mile from the King William pub, Ipsden, where we went on to enjoy a honey tasting followed by an excellent lunch. Ipsden is a rather secret little village with a population of just 300, which lies just outside Wallingford. It's so small you have to really search for it on the map as it's tucked away in an rural area off the A4074, or A4130 if travelling from Wallingford. As Ipsden is designated as an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it's certainly an ideal spot to keep beehives, as we soon discovered.

How oub had changed from my visit a decade ago

7:44am Thursday 5th June 2008

Remembering the warmth of the greeting I received on my last visit in 1999, and the fine plate of liver and bacon I devoured whilst sunning myself in its delightful little garden, I assured my colleague Chris I had chosen the perfect place to eat al fresco.

	The Flowing Well, Sunningwell
	7:57am Thu 29 May 08
	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 Goose, Britwell Salome

8:12am Thursday 22nd May 2008

AT the break in the Chiltern escarpment at the foot of Britwell Hill, the Ridgeway Path runs right by Red Lion Farm and 500 breeding sows and their piglets.

	The Bat and Ball, Cuddesdon
	8:16am Thu 15 May 08
	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 Thu 1 May 08
	Little Milton is a pretty village standing equidistance between Thame and Wallingford if you travel the A329.

	The Six Bells, Warborough
	2:27pm Fri 18 Apr 08
	"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.
	User Rating: 10/10

	The Greyhound at Besselsleigh
	2:48pm Fri 11 Apr 08
	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.
	User Rating: 10/10

	The Plough Inn, Garsington
	8:37am Thu 10 Apr 08
	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 Thu 3 Apr 08
	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.
	User Rating: 6.2/10
Reader comments (2)

	The Mole, Toot Baldon
	2:43pm Sun 23 Mar 08
	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.
	User Rating: 2/10
Reader comments (3)

	The Home Sweet Home Inn, Roke
	9:00am Thu 20 Mar 08
	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.
	User Rating: 3.5/10
Reader comment (1)

	The Old Crown Inn, Faringdon
	9:00am Thu 13 Mar 08
	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.
	User Rating: 5/10