Lamb & Flag, Oxford

Looking for somewhere to enjoy a hearty Sunday roast whilst in Oxford, we made our way to the Lamb and Flag, a pub already on my radar thanks to it's links to the excellent Palmer's brewery of Bridport, and we were not let down by the combination of excellent food and beer. The pub has a traditional feel, with the front room (somewhat modernised but still in keeping with the rest of the building), decorated with oars, hinting at the link to the university and its rowing credentials. The rest of the pub has an older feel to it, including the back section, which boasts a lovely fireplace and a few horse brasses. The rear is somewhat darker than the front section, thanks to some large windows onto the open St Giles, compared to smaller windows at the back onto the narrow passageway which takes you towards the Pitt Rivers Museum. The beer selection was excellent with Palmer's Best and the house beer Lamb and Flag Gold (Palmer's Dorset Gold) complimented by regulars Skinner's Betty Stogs and Theakstons Old Peculiar and guests which included Shep's Spitfire, another Skinners beer (I forget which) and Keltic Kudos. Our Sunday roast was £8 and for that we got plenty of roast beef, plus 5 roast potatoes, a huge Yorkshire pud and 4 types of veg. Great value. There were some certificates on the wall which detailed a somewhat unique feature of the pub. They are run by St John's College and all of the profits from beer sales are put towards studentships for students from that particular college. My only real criticism would be that the pub has a large pull for tourists which meant that it was more suited to diners than drinkers, which was fine for my purpose of having a tasty Sunday lunch, but would otherwise be less appealing should you just want a quiet pint. All in all though, well worth seeking out, perhaps more so in the evening when the tourists have dispersed.

A regular outlet for Palmers Ales which is rare outside of Dorset. Also has a range of other good ales on. Good food also. Always visit this pub when in Oxford.

My husband, Chris was the landlord of the Lamb & Flag for this period. I was the other half! Anybody out there.