Reviews
What the pundits say:
The Plough, West Hanney by Helen Peacocke, Oxford Herald
February 2010 (abridged)
Roger Protz Good Pub Guide
'Atmospheric, Grade II -listed thatched inn with a cosy beamed bar and
separate dining room serving locally renowned traditional British food.'
14th April 2010
Helen Peacocke Pubs and Walks in Oxfordshire & the Cotswolds
' The pub really is a special place which is professionally run and is one
of those friendly pubs that makes you feel good about yourself the moment
you walk through the door. We all ordered the roast of the day with real
crunchy roast potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables. It was so good that a
silence descended at our table until every scrap had been finished. The
standard menu offers loads of delicious home-cooked dishes created from
local produce to be washed down by a great choice of local ales.'
Monday 14th May 2007 (Abridged)
Well - the interior is everything you could wish for. Without making too many drastic changes, Trevor and Ann have managed to give it a modern look, whilst retaining enough informality to encourage locals to sit round the bar enjoying one of the four real ales available - White Horse's Village Idiot, Abbot Ale, Brakspear Bitter and Timothy Taylor's Landlord, a classic strong pale ale that's won more awards nationally than any other beer. Apparently, these brews change frequently as Trevor's a beer enthusiast who prides himself on offering a good variety of real ales.
The couple had spruced up the patio and walled garden area too. The day we called, it looked really lovely, with the blue blossom of a ceanothus shrub adding a vibrant splash of colour.
Advertisement as promised when I first visited this pub, the menu boasted a considerable number of locally-sourced ingredients, including a delicious black pudding made by Jane Bowler, of nearby Dews Meadow Farm Shop. This was topped with a fried egg as a simple starter at £3.95. Dews Meadow Cumberland pork and sage sausages set in a Yorkshire pudding provided a gourmet toad in the hole at £7.95.
I chose the lamb Hanney at £9.95, a shank of local lamb slow-roasted overnight in redcurrant and rosemary, and served on a bed of herb mash in a redcurrant gravy. It came with a dish of fresh local vegetables, including carrots and cauliflower, and white sauce. It was delicious.
The very professional manner in which we were served, and, indeed, how everyone around us was served, impressed us greatly. It was polite, yet friendly.
Sitting at the far end of the little dining area, we were able to watch the way other customers responded to Trevor's polished approach to their needs. A really happy buzz of animated conversation filled the air as the tables began to fill.
The Oxford Dictionary defines gastro pub as a pub that specialises in serving high-quality food. Well, that's exactly what we got at The Plough Inn.
The Times Gastropub Review (abridged) -
January 2007
Food and drink editor Tony Turn bull shows you how to distinguish the real thing from pale imitations
As a measure of now far the gastropub has come, Michelin awarded its first star to a pub in 2001 and now produces its own Eating Out in Pubs guide. Among its 559 entries In this year's edition, there are 48 entries in London alone, and 500 more failed to make the grade. So how do you spot the read deal?
The whole point about gastropubs is that they should be reasonably priced. Not chicken-flown-in-from-Thailand cheap but certainly below full-blown restaurant price.
Food Less is more. All a long menu tells you is that they've got a big freezer. It should also change regularly. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it should be done with enthusiasm and generosity of spirit, and ideally reflect the region: mutton in Wales, for example, or Cromer crab in Norfolk.
Drink Are you made welcome if a beer is all you want? A true gastropub will as happily serve you a pint of Adnams as a three-course dinner, and they won't mind where you sit.
Plough Inn Church Street
West Hanney,
Oxfordshire OX12 OLN
Phone (01235) 868674
Carefully sourced food and drinks are at the heart of the appeal of the Plough. The
landlord is a genuine beer enthusiast who keeps an ever-changing range of four real ales on draught from all kinds of good breweries of the calibre of Bateman's, Brakspear and Exmoor, to name a few. But he also takes pains to provide good, locally sourced food. Together with a setting in a fine 16th-century thatched pub and
family-friendly atmosphere, it’s a combination you can't ignore.
In at the start of a new reign at quintessential English Pub
By Helen Peacocke . Oxford Herald.
Extract:
I hadn't intended to stop at West Hanney, but the newly-thatched Plough Inn, with its whitewashed walls and ornamental redbrick trim, looked so inviting, the car automatically ground to a halt when we saw it. I found myself parking in the car park opposite without a second thought.
This certainly appeared to be the quintessential English pub, particularly as it stands opposite the parish church in one of the many attractive little villages in this area of south Oxfordshire just north of Wantage.
What I didn't realise on choosing to lunch at the Plough Inn was that it had changed hands just three days previously. The new tenants, Trevor and Ann Cooper, were still settling in.
I won't list all the lunch dishes we made our selection from as I was assured the menu was being redesigned to embrace some of the many things Ann enjoyed cooking, using local ingredients where possible. I went for battered cod and chips (£6.25) and my friend had home-made steak and ale pie at £7.25. Her dish turned out to be one of the few Ann had created herself to begin getting her ideas in place. It was delicious. I say this with authority, having tasted it too. It was simply stuffed with chunks of meat and the sauce was superb - you could really taste the ale. The assortment of vegetables served with it appeared fresh and well cooked too.
The real ale trade, which offered a choice of Abbot Ale,
Fuller's London Pride and Tetley's bitter the day I called, is important to Trevor, so are the local customers.
Because the couple have a young family themselves, their main aim is to create a happy environment at the Plough Inn, which aims to offer old-style hospitality to everyone who calls. I shall certainly remain among that number.
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A New Look at The Plough
by Stewart Garden
Extract:
You might want to sample the delights, for example, of the Plough. The pub at West Hanney gives a new definition of 'local'; most of the items used on their menu originate from local sources…....
Further reason, as if you need another one, to pay them a visit is that The Plough, a Grade II listed building, has only just re-opened after a major refurbishment, its first in 26 years. Comfort, and access to the bars has been improved but they've stayed faithful to the all important, authentic ambience. In addition, as part of the thorough upgrade, a new, large patio area with an all-weather awning, complete with lighting and patio heaters, has been built to enhance your experience of their beautiful garden. Fresh, local produce served in your new, improved local pub - what a great combination to sample this summer...
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www.beerintheevening.com
Web site dedicated to showing the best pubs: The Plough scored 8.8 out of 10 !
Great pub - great food & drink - landlord actually knows how to keep beer ! & proper locally sourced food with proper chef. Big improvement now after building works & walled garden, 14 Dec 2005 17:58
Lovely beer. Food home cooked and reasonably priced. Very accommodating to large party booked in advance - roasting chestnuts in front of the fire was a nice touch, 13 Dec 2005 16:22
Friendly pub, good food, some cask beers. Cockney lanlord good fun, 8 Apr 2005 15:32
Good food, good atmosphere, top beers. Beer garden and heated patio, 16 Sep 2004 19:56
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