The Kingham Plough, Chipping Norton

A pleasant looking pub just opposite the village green, it blends in to it’s surroundings with it’s typical Cotswold stone finish and looks fairly unprepossessing from the outside. An archway within the building leads through to the car park and rear entrance. Internally, the bar is an L-shape room with a homely sort of feel to it and has a wood strip floor, some exposed stone walling and cream plasterwork elsewhere as well as some pale green wood panelling on the lower part of the walls. A couple of old fire-places were at either end, each containing a wood burning stove which was a pleasant touch on a cold December evening. There were a couple of oak beams on the ceiling and chunky pine tables to sit at, as well as some old pictures on the wall and a piano in one corner. Food wise, the menu is a cut above your normal “pub grub” as might be expected with renowned chef Emily Watkins at the helm who has competed on the Great British Menu. Most of the main courses were £20+ and the choice was fairly succinct with only around five options per course. That said, we gave the menu a good workout with three courses apiece and thoroughly enjoyed everything that we had. Beers on tap were Adam Henson’s Rare Breed from Butcombe, Hook Norton’s Hooky and Cotswold Winter Solstice. The solitary cider was Ashton Press. All in all, whilst this didn’t perhaps have quite the same cosy charm as some country pubs, it is nonetheless a decent enough pit stop with friendly staff and top-notch food.

The 'pubbiest' of the three options in Kingham, even if the bar staff wore the obligatory black shirts and aprons. The interior is L-shaped and modernised, but not overly so. Two ales comprised Hooky Bitter (a tad too cool) and Wye Valley HPA (£1.80 a half): a third handpump was unclipped. Quiet compared to the other two options in Kingham village, but it commands a decent spot on a bend overlooking a tree-heavy green. There were also plenty of Sunday newspapers on hand to occupy.

Official site of The Kingham Plough, includes menus - www.thekinghamplough.co.uk

Official site of The Kingham Plough, includes menus - www.thekinghamplough.co.uk