Is it wise to go back?

Keith and I (well, me really) decided to go for a mooch in Oxfordshire today, as we were looking forward to doing something enjoyable on my Wednesday off work! Keith had initially suggested Whitby and fish and chips, but it was too far and we had to think about the cats.

Some time ago we visited The Wykham Arms in Sibford Gower, followed by a drink in a Hook Norton pub. I suggested going back, having a drink there, a couple in Hook Norton (the village has its own brewery so there was bound to be good beer), and then indulging in lunch at The Falkland Arms in the picturesque village of Great Tew.

I was able to have an uninterrupted lie-in this morning (bliss) and we set off at 11am. The weather was a bit grey and breezy... Storm Ciarán was on his way! It took us longer to get to Sibford Gower than we expected, probably because of the roadworks on the A43. 

Once off the A43, we drove through Banbury and then out into lovely countryside interspersed with gorgeous villages. We passed another promising pub, The Lampet Arms, but decided to press on to The Wykham Arms as we'd enjoyed a drink there before and it was a very pretty pub with a great atmosphere.

Just as we arrived, the heavens opened and we ran into the pub to be met by a barking dog. The place was deserted with just one other man sitting at the bar and the dog, a black labrador, growled at us! Not a brilliant start!

We ordered drinks - a half pint of Guinness for me, and a pint of Red Rose for Keith.

The woman behind the bar was friendly enough, but when I tried to talk to the dog again (who growled some more) she said he was just a bit nervous. Was it wise, then, to have him down in the pub where people come in to have a drink?

Today, the pub was totally different to what it had been like before, which was my fault, as it had been a sunny Sunday lunchtime when we'd called in previously and the pub was full of families enjoying roasts. Now, it was a dismal Wednesday afternoon in November!

We stayed for one drink and then left to drive the short distance to Hook Norton. I knew that The Sun Inn had changed its opening times so was closed, but there was another hostelry called The Pear Tree Inn. Hook Norton was far larger than we had expected (we'd only driven through a small part before) and we had to drive along some narrow, winding streets to find it!

This time, the ales were from the Hook Norton brewery and there were four available. I was hoping for a dark Autumn ale but they were mainly IPAs. Keith chose their Flagship beer at 5%, which I tasted and quite liked. Sadly, it was too early for their Twelve Days.

I wasn't keen on The Pear Tree Inn, unfortunately. There was a sour (bummy) smell hanging about and the bench seat we sat on was worn and scruffy. I know times are hard for pubs at the moment, but there was no warmth or welcoming atmosphere at all and the bar we were in was shabby and uncared for. I was very disappointed. I was hoping that The Falkland Arms would save the day! We had been introduced to this pub years ago by Paul and Sue (now no longer married) and at the time they only served pork pies and bar snacks. I remember sitting outside in the car waiting to go in because it was tiny then, and you couldn't book a table!

We had booked a table for 2pm so we drove over to Great Tew and arrived in the gorgeously picturesque village bang on time. There's no car park so we squeezed the car into a space by the centre green and walked down to the pub.

Inside, it was dark and atmospheric with pint pots of all shapes and sizes hanging from the wooden beams. 

Several tables were already occupied by people eating and drinking, and it was warm and cosy. The smell of woodsmoke from the open fire was heavenly!

We were shown to our table and we had a good look at the menu. We chose assorted breads, butter and olive oil along with mini chipolata sausages to start, followed by char-grilled chicken breast and mushroom risotto for me, with shoulder of lamb for Keith.

I had a half pint of Guinness and Keith chose the Wadworth 6X. Our starters were delicious, especially the sausages with their honey mustard glaze. Unfortunately, our main courses didn't live up to our expectations. Keith said his lamb (not on the bone) was tasteless, as was my chicken.  I'm not really a fan of risotto so I'm not sure why I chose the dish! The breast was supposed to have been chargrilled but there was no nice crispy skin and the risotto lacked seasoning and flavour.

The meals weren't cheap - £20 for Keith's lamb and £16 for my chicken, so we were disappointed. We skipped desserts, paid the bill and left, our departure coinciding with the school run, so the whole area was total bedlam!

Googly took us on a rural route back to the A43 and of course, we saw lots of lovely villages and pubs on the way. We decided to turn off the A43 at Towcester and head onto the A5 and then the A508, but we had a nightmare journey to get back to Northampton because of the numerous road closures.

Finally, we made it home at 5pm and I'm sure the cats were glad to see us! I had ordered a new toy from Amazon for them, and Keith put it together. They loved it!

We put the fire on in the living room and settled down to watch the last two episodes of the third series of Lupin. It had been a good day, but a little fraught at times!