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Picture of Cow & Plough
Image posted by Real Ale Ray
Submitted on Sunday, 9th February 2014
With picture contributions to 1138 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (11 more images)
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Cow & Plough, Leicester

Pub added by elizabeth mcgraw
Gartree Road
Oadby
Postal town: Leicester
LE2 2FB
Phone: 01162720852
Correct details

Served areas

Reviews of Cow & Plough (Average Rating: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about Cow & Plough

Seems bigger than I remembered from 10 years (argh!) ago. Seven ales on, 2x Steaming Billy, 2x Belvoir, Abbeydale Moonshine, GK Rockin Rudolf and London Pride. Tried three over the course of a mini-session and all were GBG quality. Lots of kids, most were well-behaved bar two ear-piercing squealers opposite which rather took the edge of things and the staff were too hopeless to have a quiet word, so I had to do it myself. So it’s still a good pub but I the staff need to manage the place better. The customer is not always right.

July 2007
A good range of beer in this recently converted farm outhouse, including the Steamin' Billy range and a number of brews from the Midlands, plus some real cider. A shame the farm (which was open to the public) has gone, blame DEFRA for that during foot and mouth, killing off the countryside. Still, at least we have this gem in its place. Lots of salvaged olde worlde pub décor inside (which makes you realise how many pubs have been raped by developers of the past few years) which gives it a good ambience, though it does incline to the cold side quite often - take a jumper. Lots of characters in residence, could easily lose a few hours in here chatting to folk. Food is available. Grab a bus (one of Leicester's strong points) and come out here for an afternoon, it really is worth it. Rated 9

On 26th December 2017 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about Cow & Plough

This pub on the fringes of Oadby, is the home of the Steaming Billy brewery and occupies a large old farm building on what now appears to be a small light industrial estate/retail park. The building is very long and split into two halves lengthways, with the first entrance taking you into the main bar area. This is a long, narrow room with a high gabled ceiling and a relatively short bar counter midway through the room. The bar has a pastel shaded counter and simple bar back flanked by two lovely old Ind Coope lamps. Bench and chair seating options are available opposite the bar under the front windows, with stained and etched glass partitioning screens bearing the brewery name and logo creating some semblance of privacy. Either side of the bar there are some deep padded chairs available, all offering good spots to admire the breweriana on display throughout the room including a huge Hoskins and Oldfield mirror next to some nice old Bass and Sam Smith's signs and a large picture of a cow. There is a nice old 'Vaults' window at one end of the room, clearly lifted from elsewhere, a satisfying collection of soda fountains and various bits of earthenware on show. It all adds up to a quirky feel, aided by the antler light shades and ceiling beams covered in more Ind Coope memorabilia, with only a single TV screen offering any sort of alternative visual distraction. To the left of the main entrance there is a long restaurant area with lots of tables pre-set and reserved for Sunday diners. It is a similar shape to the main bar and has some fantastic old pub signs for the likes of the Guido Inn and the Rose & Shamrock hung from the beams. A second bar can be found to the rear of the main servery, with it's own counter. The room has a lower ceiling and a lot more seating under additional breweriana including shelves full of bottles, barrels and the like. The room was also hosting a stag do group, so I gave it a wide berth and instead went to admire the fine collection of pub signs in the corridor leading to the toilets, including an old Tolly Cobbold sign and one for the Cow and Plough. Pop music played in the background throughout my stay but sanctuary was available for those unable to stomach it, thanks to a plentiful supply of outdoor seating options.
I was expecting the full range of Steaming Billy beers on the bar, but only Billy and Skydiver were on, supplemented by guests in the form of Brains Reverend James, Rudgate Ruby Mild, Windsor & Eton Guardsman and Belvoir Whipling. I tried the Billy, which took about ten minutes to pour thanks to a barrel change earlier in the day which had left it so lively that filling a glass appeared to be almost impossible. Thankfully it was in pretty good shape, but the barman was pretty gruff, vanishing without warning for a good five minutes midway through the fiasco and offering no apology for the long wait. Thankfully the beer was pretty good but had I not made such an effort to get here, I would've been tempted to give up and try somewhere else.
Putting that aside, I really liked this place and thought it was a well thought through venture offering something a little bit different from your average pub experience with the bonus of some decent beer brewed on site. I'm not sure how comfortable the high ceilings and stone floors would be on a cold winter's night, but on a hot summer's day it was a great place to stop off for a pint or two and I was very glad I made the effort to get out here.

On 3rd July 2017 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Real Ale Ray left this review about The Cow and Plough

We took Trainmans advice and got the no 22 bus outside Leicester Railway Station and arrived in Evington 20 mins later. It was only a 10 min walk from here to the Cow and Plough. It seemed to take longer to walk to the pub entrance door, as the pub is so long. Once through the doors you can see that it was well worth a visit. Steaming Billy Bitter and Skydiver featured on this visit. We were slightly disappointed not to see their Fisherman's Tipple on this visit, as this would be our favourite SB beer. We found the SB Bitter to be quite flavourless. There were also four guest beers and two ciders.

On 4th February 2014 - rating: 9
[User has posted 3378 recommendations about 3378 pubs]


View more reviews of Cow & Plough (5)
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Pub location see interactive map of local area
Map location corrected by Just a quick pint, then I'm off
Leicester, 3.04 miles, 58 min walk (show)
South Wigston, 4.45 miles, 1 hr 25 min walk (show)
Syston, 6.84 miles, 2 hr 12 min walk (show)
Latest updates View all updates for Cow & Plough, Oadby
9th Jun 2018, 21:08
Review submitted by Quinno _ amended by Quinno _
 
4th Feb 2018, 12:56
Picture submitted by Quinno _ approved

Pub Details

Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.

  • Accommodation : No last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Bar Billiards : No last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Beer Festivals : Yes last updated 03 July 2017 by Pub SignMan
  • Beer Garden : Yes last updated 03 July 2017 by Pub SignMan
  • CAMRA Discount : No last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Car Park : Yes last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Child Friendly : Yes last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Darts : No last updated 03 July 2017 by Pub SignMan
  • Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Function Room : Yes last updated 03 July 2017 by Pub SignMan
  • Hot Food : Yes last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Jukebox : No last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Karaoke : No last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Live TV Sports : No last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Micropub : No last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Pinball : No last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Pool Table : No last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Real Ale : Yes last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Real Cider : Yes last updated 09 June 2018 by Quinno _
  • Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 03 July 2017 by Pub SignMan
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