The Royal Oak, Northampton

An attractive looking pub in the centre of this small village and close to the Grand Union canal, it would appear to have improved considerably since the previous reviewers visited, and overhearing a couple of punters at the bar it seems that there has been a change of ownership at some point and they were commenting on the much improved beer. It consists of a smallish central bar just inside the front door and further rooms off to each side. Flooring is a mixture of tiling and carpet whilst the paintwork is a mixture of cream and deep red. The cosiest area is off to the right and this had a low, wood panelled ceiling with a massive stone fire-place at one end and some further exposed stone walling. This contained a wood burning stove which the barman kept topped up. A number of copper pots and pans and such like were dotted around. Beyond this was a games room housing a pool table and darts board whilst at the other end of the pub was a further fire-place with a plasma screen mounted above it. The menu consisted of a number of pub grub dishes such as omelette, burger, sausage & mash, fish & chips, etc., and these were mostly priced around the £8 mark. In addition to this, a “light bites” section included snacks such as onion rings, chips and curry sauce or a fish finger sandwich! There were also a number of Indian dishes available which seemed to be something of a speciality and I opted for the Chicken Tikka Masala, which whilst it may not be authentically Indian, surely counts as a pub staple these days. It had some decent chunks of chicken in it and was tasty enough, but the sauce seemed a little artificial and I’m not convinced it was really worth £8.95. Beers on tap were Doom Bar, London Pride, Hobgoblin and Greene King IPA. The solitary cider was Strongbow, unfortunately.

This is an appealing building in a pleasant canal village. Regrettably, once inside you'll find a joyless, cold pub with a deeply miserable barmaid and surly staff. There are a number of nice features, Victorian fireplace with real fire, inglenook fireplace, beams and so on but it's all covered by the grime of years and the place feels unloved and uncared for. Only two beers on, GK IPA and Black Sheep. This prompted a request for a red wine. Which had apparently run out. It could be a very nice pub this, if run by people who want to do it. But as it is, it's ghastly and I'll be avoiding it like the plague.