The Red House, Newbury

A beautifully set pub (including a thatched roof), with a lovely approach along a lit pathway on my evening visit. The interior is mainly geared towards the foody visitor but not in an overly formal manner, with the dining area off to the right. Décor was a nice dark red and white paint job (my notes say ‘akin to a nice seafront hotel?!). In a nod to the forthcoming Halloween period, there was a colourful flora and pumpkin display at the side of the bar. Talking of the bar there were three ales on, a good half of West Berks GOB plus WB Mr Chubbs and Arkells Challenger, served by a friendly young barmaid. The outside garden looked like it’d be a treat in the summer. A nice stop and one I’d be happy to sample again, if not exactly pubby.

I have dined here several times in 2009, and thoroughly enjoyed each visit. I would suggest everyone should try the specials, and take in the wonderfully presented meals.

This one is a bit off the beaten track, watch out for the brown "tourist" sign to pub on the A4 near Newbury on Hungerford / Newbury stretch A country gastro pub, 3 hand pulls when I visited, West Berkshire brewery, plus Lysander. Cask Marque pub according to signage Open bar area, very large U shaped, with plenty of space, tables around the walls, with secluded areas for a bit of quite dining, plus has function & "smarter" area, silver service sort of style, blue carpets, deluxe impress your future mother in law Large car park, but narrow entrance / exits between tall hedges, not a real problem as is on very quite country lane, nil traffic to speak of, some parking on road possible Main objective is food, food, food, as you can see by checking menu, varied and not pub grub style, can be a bit pretentious, fish & chips is "line caught haddock", mushy peas are pureed peas, but there you go, wholesome & ethical food, organic salmon etc All this comes at a price, Haddock & chips, 10.95, lamb shoulder & root veg 11.50 [does not include green veg or spuds], coffee, [judged as excellent by companion]£2, half pint of lemonade £1.30 Outside area for summer, I can imagine sitting here in the sunshine listening to bird song whilst perhaps sipping a Pimms So, if you fancy a nice change try this one, but do please make sure your wallet is bulging before you go, if eating you will be looking at around 20 to 30 pounds for three courses, then add the booze in PS, they have "light bites" at lunch time, £2. Avoid is my advice, from what I saw more like Amuse-bouche