The Greyhound, Besselsleigh, Abingdon

I'm normally a fan of the Brunning & Price chain. But this one was far too food-dominated for my liking. Most tables were taken by diners and I was offered one of two seats in the entrance area next to the open door. This was ok, as I was only staying for a swift one. But it did make it feel as if drinkers are not treated as a priority here. Ales on were Phoenix Brunning & Price Traditional Bitter, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Loose Cannon Abingdon Bridge, St Austell Tribute, White Horse Village Idiot & Hanlon's Yellow Hammer. All of one bank of handpulls were clipped, whilst a second bank were all off. With no dark beers and no real cider, I was still a little disappointed and opted for the Yellow Hammer. Probably a decent place for dining, but not the best for the casual drinker.

An attractive, stone built pub with plenty of hanging baskets on the wall, it’s a good size establishment and also has a beer garden to one side. Whilst food is a major factor here, and it is, I’m sure, something of a destination dining venue, it’s not exclusively so, and none of the tables were laid up with either cutlery or menus, which is not the case in many establishments. On top of that there was a good range of beers on the bar and a number of locals were sat on stools chatting away. The staff all seemed quite young (or maybe I’m getting old!) but nonetheless they were all helpful, pleasant and friendly. It has clearly had a refurbishment at some point, so I’m not sure how much of the original building survives, but it has been sympathetically done and is a pleasant and attractive space, divided in to several areas. The flooring is a mixture of flagstones and wood strip, whilst the paintwork is cream. There are a few beams on the ceiling, although I suspect these are merely decorative. There were plenty of pictures on the walls, mostly either old black and white photos or generic country scenes. The two rooms at the front included some cream wood panelling on the lower part of the walls leading to something of a hotel drawing room feel, and the one on the left also had a large stone fire-place and several shelves of books. A conservatory at the rear was separated from the main pub by a dual-aspect, free standing fire-place with a wood burning stove. Food wise, the menu was a step or two up from your usual “pub grub” as previously mentioned, with most main courses being in the £10 - £15 price range, although it does still include a number of pub staples such as Steak & Ale Pie, Ham Egg & Chips, Sausage & Mash, Fish & Chips, etc. My Smoked Haddock & Salmon Fishcakes were very tasty and a generous portion, with a good dollop of homemade Tartare sauce on the side. These were good value at £10.95, although a fairly small side order of chips seemed expensive at £3.50. The Steak & Ale Pie was also well received and came with tasty gravy and creamy mash. Beers on tap were Hobgoblin, Brunning & Price’s Original Bitter, Jack Spaniels from Gun Dog Ales and White Horse Wayland Smithy. A further two pumps were for Hook Norton’s Lion and XT Brewing’s XT1, although these appeared to have run out. However, there were another six pumps on the bar all with “Coming soon” notes on. Whether this is typical of the quantity available, or whether there is a forthcoming beer festival, I’m not sure. These were Mucky Duck, Abingdon Bridge, Hot Dog, Bushy’s Start of India, Hooky and Sticky Wicket. Cider’s meanwhile were Aspall’s Suffolk and Thatcher’s Gold. All in all I thought this was a great pub, and well worth a visit.

Official pages of the Greyhound, contains menu and wine list - www.brunningandprice.co.uk

Official pages of the Greyhound, contains menu and wine list - www.brunningandprice.co.uk