( great pubs )
The Royal Oak
A gastro pub in the Cotswolds with simple, locally sourced food. Sounds familiar? Sure. But this classic village pub exterior hides inventive, accomplished cooking that will have you battling through wind, rain or snow to try it, says LAURA ROWE
US ROWES ARE notoriously bad at timekeeping, and I should have thought this through
when trying to arrange a family lunch at The Royal Oak, for Father’s Day and the old man’s birthday, last month. It was a classic schoolgirl error. I should have given
family a false time – at least half an hour before the table was booked. And so I sat in my car as I waited, and waited. First came the frantic phone call at 1.28pm (our table was booked for 1.30). “We got stuck behind a tractor! We’ll be eight minutes,
max,” cried my mother. A valid excuse in this neck of the woods, you might think – but a bold-faced lie all the same. We both knew that they hadn’t even stepped out of the door at this stage. Twenty minutes later they arrived. Ten minutes after that and my younger brother and his
girlfriend turned up – “the sat nav took us to Love Lane in Ciren,” he mewed. This, against my better judgement, I believed. Leighterton, you see, is a village that you just don’t travel through, no matter how long you’ve lived in the Cotswolds. It’s only found by diving down narrow, winding lanes, flanked by wild flowers. The Royal Oak is one of those pubs we’d heard good
things about, but never tried. Given that its location means it doesn’t get much passing trade (except from the locals), it’s purely reputation that draws a crowd here. Luckily it’s built a good one for itself over the past two- and-a-half years, ever since new owners Paul and Antonia Whitbread took over. The pair, who gave up jobs in advertising and law to
run the pub, set about renovating this run-down boozer back in 2010, with the help of local firm Simon Jenkins Building and Conservation. And doesn’t it wear its new Cotswold uniform well? There are calming sage greens, creams, plenty of tweed, roaring open fires, exposed beams and honeyed Cotswold stone. They wanted to create a proper pub, one which served
“beautifully made classic dishes with an emphasis on simplicity,” and for that task they enlisted head chef Christian Wragg. And what a great job he’s done. First, he and his team coped happily with us sitting
down more than 30 minutes late in the middle of a rammed Father’s Day service. Secondly, he’s created a succinct but impressive menu that sings of seasonality. It changes monthly, with daily specials to complement, and has just the right balance of meat, fish, veggie and child-friendly options.
62 We started with a couple of ‘potted crabs’ (£8.50),
a Thai spinach soup (£5.50) and a mushroom tart tatin (£5.50) but, before anything came out, we were presented with still warm, sliced homemade bread, soft, salted butter and a green, grassy oil with a slick of the thickest, sweet and sour balsamic vinegar. Delicious start. The crab was a beautifully presented platter of picked,
delicate white meat, a quenelle of the smoothest, brown meat paté, an inspired pot of mango compote and the cutest mini loaf of an enriched toasted fennel-seed bread. Bro had seriously plate envy, as his soup didn’t quite
hit the spot. Murky in appearance, he ate it; it just didn’t set his world alight. My tart tatin, though, was one of the best veggie meals I have ever had. It boasted the perfect balance of texture, colours and flavours. A juicy Portobello mushroom sat atop a buttery puff pastry base; on top of that was a creamy, earthy mushroom duxelle and some pretty purple chive flowers. But what really made the dish was a light, buttery chive sauce, bringing everything together in savoury harmony. For mains, the roast
beef strip loin (£14.95) was tender and ruddy and served wi th an almighty Yorkie, crunchy roast potatoes, a pot of homemade horseradish
creamand rich red wine gravy. Even the side of veggies was delicious – with sticky celeriac and carrots. My main of aubergine cannelloni (£12.95) was surprisingly light – filled with wild rice, red pepper and pine nuts, in a tomato sauce with a mustardy, cheesy gratin top. The poached salmon (£16.50) flaked with only a
whisper of encouragement, cascading its peachy morsels into the tastiest langoustine bisque (you could really taste the roasted shells). That was served with a samphire risotto cake, yellow pepper aioli, roasted fennel and some crispy scampi. Proper inventive cooking at its best, this. Portions are mighty, and so only my pop and I could
manage a pud – he the chocolate and marmalade cheesecake (£5.50) and me a strawberry posset (£5.50) and a camomile shortbread. Chef Christian trained as a pastry chef – and it shows. You might never have had reason to pass through
Leighterton before, but make the effort; it’s worth it. Even if it doesmean a family row is almost inevitable…
crumbsmag.com
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