The Plough, Tadley

Pub SignMan left this review about The Plough

This is a charming pub in a somewhat remote village, boasting an excellent traditional, rural-pub interior. The front door is signposted as leading into the 'Taproom', which it turns out is the main bar area. The room has a tiled floor, exposed brick and half panelled walls plus plenty of dark wooden beams across the ceiling. A large inglenook fireplace splits the room in two, with seating on either side, mainly in the form of pews and chairs serving a mix of table sizes. The servery is opposite the entrance and has a nice, rustic timber fronted counter with brick ends and a bar back dominated by some large cider casks, whilst blackboards list a wide selection of baguettes available at lunch times. A doorway to the right leads through to a tile floored side room with pews to the front and a fixed bench around the rear right corner, with chairs and low stools in support. There's a nice fireplace with an unlit stove to one side and the room has been decorated with various bits of equestrian/ploughing equipment, old paintings, a large clock, a rifle over the doorway and lots of horse brasses.
There were three cask ales available - Bowman Wallops Wood and Black Drop (£5.80 a pint) and Goffs Lancer - along with two ciders from the wood. I was greeted by a very friendly landlady, who warned me that the pub was cash only before pouring my pint, which turned out to be in excellent shape.
It was a bit of a trek to get out here from the Basingstoke-Tadley bus stop, but I thought it was well worth the effort, as this is a timeless rural pub that rewards with its fine interior and top quality ale. I could quite happily have spent much longer here and might have done so had I enough cash left for another pint - I imagine you could enjoy a good session here and the villagers are lucky to have such a good pub as their local.

Date of visit - 17th February 2024

On 30^th June 2024 - rating: 8
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