The motto of the Lamb & Flag at Longworth is ‘it’s our pleasure,’ and it’s obvious as soon as you walk through the door that they take this very seriously. Proprietor James grew up in the pub, and now – after 12 years working on cruise ships – he’s back at the helm, clearly aiming to make every customer’s experience as memorable as can be.
Fittingly, in the 300-year-old section of the pub named Dirty Dudley’s Bar (named after the former landlord who oversaw the pub’s popularity with Oxford students and glitterati, including Princess Margaret), one can sink into a comfortable leather chair and enjoy a snack and a drink before heading into the restaurant for dinner. And here’s a revelation: not only does this country pub do a perfectly well-kept pint of Old Speckled Hen, but alongside the menu of classy versions of pub classics, there’s a full Thai restaurant menu to choose from. A mixed starter of prawns in pastry blankets, steamed pork and prawn dumplings, chicken satay skewers and finger-sized spring rolls and fish cakes was tasty and beautifully presented. To follow, the sliced ‘weeping tiger’ sirloin in Thai marinade was perfectly cooked and just pink in the middle. There’s also a selection of popular, easydrinking classic wines to go with your meal too.
If after all this you still have room for dessert, you can attempt a super-sweet lemon meringue roulade, a fruit or chocolate cheesecake, some superb banoffee pie or perhaps a pear, almond and blackcurrant tart – rounded off with a gutsy espresso served in the pub’s neat own-brand crockery. There’s also a great cheeseboard, served with apple and celery, should you be able to make it that far. To cap it all, if you’re too lazy to dine in company, you can order a Thai takeaway and receive a ten per cent discount. Every Wednesday and Thursday lunchtime, senior citizens are offered a 25 per cent discount, while Monday night is Ladies’ Night, when everything is half price for female customers (throughout the year except December). I for one will definitely be back again soon.
http://www.foodanddrinkguides.co.uk/
A FORMER Butlins Redcoat is returning to Oxfordshire to run the pub he lived in as a child.
James Lay has teamed up with his father, Paul, to reopen the Lamb & Flag at Longworth, near Abingdon, after it shut earlier this year.
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