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The Plough Inn, Finstock: Dogs are welcome
BOXING Day is the time to get out and walk off all the good food Christmas Day offers, which is why my friend Liz and I bundled the dog into the car and headed for the Windrush Valley and the 18th-century Plough Inn, Finstock.
Finstock and its immediate surroundings are defined as a conservation area within the local plan for West Oxfordshire, which means that any structural changes to buildings and any changes are in keeping with local traditions. It also means that the countryside, with its ancient hedgerows, stone walls, and undulating fields are particularly noteworthy.
The Plough Inn is a beautiful old thatch building, which used to be a farm cottage. This is apparent the moment you walk into the main door and discover that it comprises a series of small rooms, each of which has its own distinct character.
There's a small car park at the rear and an attractive garden area for those who dare to brave the elements.
We arrived early enough to tuck ourselves into the small area by the inglenook fireplace and enjoy the luxury of sitting back in comfortable leather settees in front of a blazing log fire, and admire the horse brasses.
Yes, my dog was allowed in. Apparently dogs are allowed anywhere that is not carpeted, provided they behave. Well-behaved children are welcome too.
We began our lunch with a couple of glasses of Mr Chubb's Lunchtime Bitter, which turned out to be an excellent choice, particularly as we both chose a bowl of beef stew with crusted onion dumplings (£11.25) to go with it, pictured. What a great combination that turned out to be, for although the stew, with its large chunks of local beef and succulent gravy sauce was as rich and tasty as any I have ever enjoyed, it was further enhanced by that amber glass of Mr Chubb's.
Adnam's Broadside was also on tap, so was Old Rose, a superb scrumpy cider by Weston's, which at 7.3 per cent ABV was just a little too strong for lunchtime. This pub also stocks Cotswold premium lager, which is brewed locally.
The menu is small, which is actually a very good sign, and suggests everything is cooked to order. Large complicated menus in small pubs usually signify the use of a microwave and deep freeze and - unfortunately - also suggest that many of the dishes are prepared commercially.
Here everything is cooked by the very talented chef Joe McCorry, who shares the tenancy with Mark Range.
Other dishes on the lunchtime menu the day we called included: onion and thyme leaf soup, which costs £4.50. Apparently 25 pence of this cost is donated to Finstock School, to support their healthy eating campaign.
We could have also chosen the autumn vegetable and Savignon Blanc risotto with Parmesan (£9.75), the three cheese ploughmans (£8.50), dry cure ham, three free-range eggs and chips or Adnam's beer-battered haddock and chips with tartare sauce, at £9.50. Sandwiches are listed too, priced from £5.
After our lunch, we reluctantly left the warm glow of the fire to begin our walk. On Joe's advice, we turned right and headed along the road towards Toppies Wood, turning left when we reached Hunts Copse, which took us on to a bridleway through the woods, and eventually the River Evenlode. One word of warning - this is pheasant country. Pheasants are likely to emerge abruptly from the undergrowth, which is why (unfortunately) dogs have to be kept on a lead for the first part of the walk. Horses show up in abundance too, which can prove a problem if your dog gets excited by them. It is, however, a very picturesque walk, offering woods, grasslands, river, and, if you take the circle we took, a walk down Dark Lane and back to the pub.
7:49am Wednesday 19th December 2007
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