THE LOWDOWN

Tucked away in pretty West Hanney in South Oxfordshire, The Plough is a cosy, community pub in all senses of the word – it’s co-owned by about 180 villagers, after all – with a small-but-perfectly formed bar, dining room and larger sun trap garden. After a spate of rotating landlords, in spring 2022 The Plough was taken over by dream duo Owain Llwyd Jones – who has GM of The White Hart at Fyfield, Jacobs Inn and Artist Residence on his CV – and chef Luke Mayor, who previously headed up the kitchen at The White Hart, and has been charming the locals back through the doors ever since. It’s not just the villagers who sing The Plough’s praises – since last year it’s scooped a handful of awards, including CAMRA’s coveted Country Pub of the Year.

THE VIBE

Traditional but not stuffy; cosy but not quaint. This is your classic thatched countryside boozer – no overly quirky gastropub veneer here – but it’s far from boring, with comfy mismatched chairs, low ceilings with original beams (which Owain practically has to dodge on his travels from table to table) and a surprisingly roomy tree-lined garden packed with homemade tables. In the summer, the outdoor space is home to a pizza oven, a fiercely competitive Aunt Sally tournament and a yearly party with DJ, PloughFest.

We visited on a midweek lunchtime with the aim of trying out the set lunch menu, and both the pub and dining room were far from empty, with the bar propped up with locals and the restaurant nearly full of couples and families. The family next to us, a woman with both her parents and her teenage daughter, told us that they dine there practically every week – what an endorsement.

SCOTT & QUAFF

The innovative menu is clearly one of the big draws here, as it’s a great mix between pub classics that won’t frighten more traditional eaters and more adventurous dishes that you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see on a pub menu – think pan-fried lamb rump with Bombay aloo and pickled red cabbage, moules marinières with sourdough, and asparagus ‘cacio e pepe’ with Parmesan crisps alongside your classic fish and chips and ribeye steak. The thing the dishes all have in common though is providence – Head Chef Luke sources as much as he can locally, or from Owain’s family farm in Wales.

The drinks menu is also a delight, with a curated list of cocktails on offer; think raspberry and black pepper fizz, smoky Old Fashioned, picante margarita and a boozy cherryade – Abingdon cherry gin sloshed with homemade lemonade. If wine is more your thing, there’s a good selection of both old and new world drops, as well as ‘out of this world’ recommendations from the team, including an elderflower beer, a Romanian pinot noir and an ‘insultingly delicious’ Catalan white.

My dining companion and I went specifically to sniff out the set lunch menu, which is – spoiler – a steal at £18 for two courses, or £21 for three. There are two choices per course, although as I was eating vegetarian I could select from the larger food menu for more flexibility. Lucky my mother is an obligate carnivore so this review will remain balanced!

For starters we both selected from the set menu, with me choosing the roasted red pepper soup (perfect for the currently quite dreary summer weather) and my companion picking the hot smoked salmon niçoise. They were both incredibly hearty in size – so come hungry if you’re tackling three courses – with the salmon being pleasingly flaky and well-seasoned and the soup a surprising standout. I’ve never had raisin chutney before, let alone with a soup, and it added a sweet tang to the soup’s savouriness.

Roasted red pepper soup with raisin chutney

On to mains. Although the fish and chips on offer looked absolutely beautiful – it went sailing to another table with a golden slab of beer-battered fish the size of my head – my mother couldn’t pass up the eponymous Plough double bacon cheeseburger. I chose the grilled hispi cabbage with Thai pesto, miso rice cake, tahini and miso shallots from the main menu, usually £18, and was absolutely delighted with my choice. The rice cake was satisfyingly crunchy, the tahini sauce creamy and earthy and the grilled cabbage surprisingly filling – I struggled to clear my plate, especially after slurping down my soup.

The burger was clearly homemade rather than a store-bought freezer situation, with the meat tender and juicy and the bacon – cooked in hot sauce – just the right amount of spicy to lift the dish. The tangy burger sauce for dipping skinny fries was an excellent choice, and is apparently made to Luke’s secret recipe.

Unbuttoning our waistbands, we valiantly moved on to desserts. I chose the chocolate delice with strawberries from the set menu, while my dining companion, unable to face a sticky toffee pudding after the meat mountain that was her burger, chose Chantilly cream with marinated strawberries and shortbread from the main menu (£8.50).

Chantilly cream with marinated strawberries and shortbread

Both dishes came with squares of homemade strawberry jelly that burst on the tongue with summery flavour – you can tell that the menu is seasonal when fruit tastes this good – and my chocolate delice was rich and not too sweet. I just had room to sample the Chantilly cream and would order this again in a heartbeat, as it’s light and fresh while still satisfying the sweet tooth. All in all, a lunchtime feast that’s brilliant value for money – I can’t wait to go again.

OUT & ABOUT

National Trust Images/Mike Calnan/James Dobson

This is a good pit-stop if you’re out exploring the Ridgeway (20 mins away by car) or spotting the Uffington White Horse (above – also about 20 mins away). If you’re with the kids, family favourite Millets Farm Centre is just over a 10-minute drive down the road.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Couples, families and groups after a hearty meal. The service is friendly, the menu well-chosen to satisfy a variety of tastes and kids are welcome in the garden and dining room – there’s no children’s menu but there’s bound to be something they like. Summer is a particularly great time to visit The Plough thanks to the great outdoor space, but I’d happily pop in during winter to sip a glass by the bar’s fire.

Not for: If you’re after the rarefied, removed air of fine dining, this isn’t for you – the pub is so popular that you’ll be sitting elbow-to-elbow with the locals. The menu is also carefully curated but not hugely expansive, so if you’re juggling multiple complex dietary requirements you may struggle.

The damage: Small plates £4.50 – £9; starters £7.50 – £9; mains £15 – 26; desserts £8.50. Wines average £7.50 for a medium glass.

The Plough at Hanney, Church Street, West Hanney OX12 0LN. Tel: 01235 868987

Muddy reviews: The Plough at Hanney, Wantage

You may also like