Robin Hood, Buckingham

A fairly unprepossessing, perhaps even slightly drab looking pub on a dark main road, it is quite a contrast once you get inside and looks as though it may have had some money spent on tidying it up, but nonetheless managing to retain many of it's original features. Outside is a garden with a kid's slider, a patio area and a smoking shed. It's divided in to several areas inside, although they all flow in to one another rather than being entirely separate rooms. The main bar area had a number of punters dining on a recent Thursday evening visit, although the tables are not laid up for this. There was a patterned green carpet on the floor, some exposed brickwork, a few wooden beams on the ceiling and several more on the walls. Interspersed with these were a number of old black and white photo's mostly depicting farming scenes, and to compliment these were a hoe and various horse brasses. Adjacent to this was a lounge that looked somewhat cosier with another bar counter that had an unusual sloping canopy above it, wooden flooring and wooden shelving at one end that housed a wide assortment of old bottles, jars and crates. A further area at the was more geared up for dining with all the tables being laid up, but this was attractively decorated with exposed brick walls, large flagstone like tiles on the floor and an impressive vaulted roof space. This looks as though it is probably a recent addition or renovation. The menu offered a good selection of "pub grub" dishes with options such as Curry of the day, lasagne, rack of ribs, Hunter's chicken, etc., as well as a number of burger and steak choices. These were mostly priced at around the £9 - £10 mark. My Baked salmon with prawns and a butter sauce was a decent enough dish and came with a good mix of vegetables. Perhaps the cost of £10.95 was slightly ambitious, but I've no real complaints and would happily return. Beers on tap were a slightly uninspiring Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale and Belhaven's Grand Slam. The solitary cider was Thatcher's Gold which makes a pleasant change from the ubiquitous Strongbow and Aspall's around these parts. Plus the fact that it was only £3 a pint was quite a result.

The Robin Hood official site with menu - www.therobinhoodbuckingham.co.uk

The Robin Hood official site with menu - www.therobinhoodbuckingham.co.uk