White Horse, Oxford

Very small and full of character,with traditional wood paneling,fitted bench seating and stools with a raised snug area at the back,it gets busy very easily.Photos of Morse and Lewis stare down at you as you sup,but being close to so many colleges ,the place is firmly on the tourist map and the customer base can be very transient.If ordering food ,you have to secure a spot to pitch down first as it would be tricky to enjoy your meal whilst vertical.The menu looked good and there were several special fish dishes at £10-13 but I was in just for the beer. Six handpumps ,with five working on my trip drawing TT Landlord,Shotover Prospect,Doom Bar,Brakspear Oxford Gold and Skinners Betty Stogs,£3.60 and in decent shape.Some references to the White Horse brewery but none of their produce on offer. In the 2013 GBG and worth including on a crawl,maybe not the most exciting ale line up but the interior makes up for that.Might be worth timing your visit when the tourist trade has died down if you are after some Morse atmosphere.

As previously described a cosy traditional pub, not a lot of room on a Saturday lunchtime,probably not the best time to attend but well worth it any when, had a pint of Shotover Prospect which is a decent bitter without setting the world alight, there was also available Doom Bar ,TT Landlord, and another I now forget. not ground breaking stuff but a good honest boozer.

The White Horse official site - www.whitehorseoxford.co.uk

A delightful, characterful and cosy spot to take a small cerebral tome and read with a pint whilst soaking up Oxford's atmosphere. Already well reviewed so I'll stick to the list of ales available on my visit: Brakespeare Oxford Gold, TT Landlord, White Horse Bitter, Doom Bar. Not the most inspirational selection and if you're in Oxford for ale then there are better alternatives but my Oxford Gold was more than good enough to allow me to read the title of said learned tome. Then it was time to move on.

A small grade two listed building situated in the heart of the city on Broad Street, opposite the famous Sheldonian Theatre and sandwiched between the two entrances to Blackwells as mentioned. Well described by previous reviewers it doesn’t take much for this pub to get very busy, but the snug section at the end of the pub is an excellent spot to hide away if you can get it. Was used as a location in the Morse series in the 80’s but has more recently the front window section was used for the filming of Lewis, so some of these photo’s now adorn the walls. Didn’t try the well renowned food but the beer choice available was Doombar, Brakespear Oxford Gold, Old Hookey, White Horse Bitter and Shotover Brewery Prospect and the latter two were well kept pints. Would certainly visit again when next in Oxford.

The White Horse official site - www.whitehorseoxford.co.uk