The Crown, Buckingham

Official site of the Crown - www.thecrownatgawcott.co.uk

Although at first glance this appears to be a fairly typical, run of the mill village local, which in many ways it no doubt is, once you get inside you find that it has a somewhat more contemporary appearance than might be expected from looking at the outside. There are two bars, but the one to the left was closed off on a recent Tuesday evening visit. The bar to the right had a good mix of locals at the bar, and whilst this does not appear to be a food led pub, there were nonetheless a few tables reserved for diners. The fresh plasterwork on the walls follows a two tone colour scheme with the end wall being a darkish shade of red and the others a pale khaki green. A beige carpet was on the floor and there were several black beams on the ceiling, as well as a couple of black wooden support posts. A number of photos of the village, both old and modern were dotted around the walls. There was a brick fire-place at each end, one quite small that is probably not used and a larger one at the other end with a wood burning stove. A plasma was mounted above one of these, although this was not in use, and there was also a piano on the back wall. There is a good sized beer garden at the back, and this included both some children's swings and a barbeque. The menu looked to by a decent selection of "pub grub" with options such as Chilli Con Carne, Burger, Ham Egg & Chips, Sausage & Mash, etc., and these were mostly priced at around the £7 - £8 mark. My lasagne with garlic bread was a pleasant and tasty dish, and whilst it wouldn't win any culinary awards I was quite happy with it given the price point. There was also a carvery counter, although this was not in use when I visited. A sign outside advertised a carvery deal on Wednesdays. Beers on tap were Doom Bar and Hook Norton's Lion. The solitary cider was a very pleasant Thatcher's Gold.

Official site of the Crown - www.thecrownatgawcott.co.uk