The Chequers, Woburn

Official site of The Chequers - thechequerswestoning.co.uk

Official site of The Chequers - thechequerswestoning.co.uk

This village pub in Westoning had more of a restaurant feel to it. There were plenty of staff, some clearly being trained. But it did feel a little pretentious. On entering from the car park at the side, there was a sign ahead of us requesting that we wait to be seated to go into the room that was straight ahead of us (presumably the dining room). We swerved that and headed to the right, where there was another room, with a couple of smaller rooms off to the side of it, all with low beams and plenty of character. The pub's 2 handpulls were also in this room, clipped with the regular Otter Bitter and a guest, which was Adnams Ghost Ship. When my wife ordered a gin, I was a little concerned at how much the round would set me back. But in actual fact, the cost was very reasonable. Returning to explore the pub a little further, I proceeded beyond the sign requesting you to wait to be seated into a dining area where there is also a small bottle shop. Whilst the primary focus appears to be on wine, there were a couple of local beers on offer. The manager on duty did say that the selection was normally much wider, but they'd sold out much of it before Christmas. Despite my initial apprehension, this pub will tick a lot of boxes for people and features a little something for everyone.

A great descriptive review by Soupy below, on my Monday night visit this was heaving and I had to retire to the 'courtyard' out back to reflect and imbibe. A super pub ambience, even if there was a bit of a wait due to a coffee order ahead of me. Purity UBU, Exmoor Stag and Otter Bitter on the pumps (I went for a bottle of Adnam's Dry Hopped Lager - I await my Camra membership revoking). Although there's bar eating to be had, this also, cleverly, has a dining out back, which looks to be a late 19th / early 20th Century construct. In summary, a cracking pub which won't tick everyone's boxes but has a well-drilled and inclusive air. Good on them.

Once called the Griffen Inn, this is a fantastic double-gabled thatched Inn that does B&B and food. It looks like two cottages built into each other, one half the length and it seems to have a touch of the Georgian, but looks older with its timber frame around cream painted brick. It has a small front patio and a rear one. The interior has a couple of rooms, both of the L-shaped. The front room is the bar room, which is in white and sky blue, with a white and beam ceiling and stone flag floor. There are a couple of fireplaces here with stoves and a TV, with Sky Sports along with a pool table. A few sofas are present, sadly. The back room is larger and more for dining. There is a brick feature that divides the room and the L point. It is also in white and sky blue, with some undressed brick, with a white wood plank ceiling and a wood and carpet floor. The stable restaurant part has a beam and A-frame roof. There are a mix of old film pictures and landscapey stuff on the walls. There is a TV, with Sky Sports and there was no background music at my visit. The place had just been taken -over and the service was really friendly, as were the few locals that were in. We ate here and i had a great pizza on recommendation from a local - i wasn't disappointed. Beer; usual tap stuff with a decent Youngs Bitter and London Pride on handpull. We were on our way back from France when we stopped off here mainly just to eat - i really enjoyed it. Worth a visit, and a pizza!