It was sheer luck (and maybe quite a bit of determination) that led us to a proper country pub, last Sunday. We'd walked from Windsor Castle, through Windsor Great Park, and we'd witnessed many great things including the Queen herself (possibly), a big horse, a polo pitch, an Obelisk with a giant sea-anenome on it , and a totem pole, but we were hungry, having only had a 99 Flake to sustain us.
Having reached the outskirts of the park, we rejected the burger van and chain pub (with a beer garden made less appealing by being situated in the car park, and having vaguely menacing notices such as 'Cold Drinks Only in This Area'). We crossed a busy main road, in the hope that we'd find somewhere more appealing for lunch in the tranquil sounding village of Virginia Water.
But our weary feet and rumbling stomachs were instead confronted with what seemed like a never-ending succession of opulent country houses; recycling bins overflowing with wine bottles. We thought this didn't bode well - you'd only drink this much at home if there were no pubs to drink in! Onwards we walked, towards signs that looked promising in the distance, but then transpired to be churches, or schools. Our lowest point was when we came across a sign which turned out to be directing us to a nursing home. Surely we were never going to find a pub here! We took a turning towards Englefield Green, but it didn't look like we'd see anything other than country roads for the foreseeable future.
It seemed all hope was gone..but then we looked up. We saw a sign that looked different to everything else we had seen in the last 10 miles... a sign that simply said 'FOOD SERVED HERE'. Reluctant to get too excited in case this was a delirious product of our imagination, (or simply that they may not be serving at 3.30pm in the afternoon), we stepped into an old style country pub, that couldn't have looked more cosy or comfortable, and we were filled with glee at the extensive menu above the bar. Salivating already we were told they were still serving food - it was a moment of sheer joy!
But our weary feet and rumbling stomachs were instead confronted with what seemed like a never-ending succession of opulent country houses; recycling bins overflowing with wine bottles. We thought this didn't bode well - you'd only drink this much at home if there were no pubs to drink in! Onwards we walked, towards signs that looked promising in the distance, but then transpired to be churches, or schools. Our lowest point was when we came across a sign which turned out to be directing us to a nursing home. Surely we were never going to find a pub here! We took a turning towards Englefield Green, but it didn't look like we'd see anything other than country roads for the foreseeable future.
It seemed all hope was gone..but then we looked up. We saw a sign that looked different to everything else we had seen in the last 10 miles... a sign that simply said 'FOOD SERVED HERE'. Reluctant to get too excited in case this was a delirious product of our imagination, (or simply that they may not be serving at 3.30pm in the afternoon), we stepped into an old style country pub, that couldn't have looked more cosy or comfortable, and we were filled with glee at the extensive menu above the bar. Salivating already we were told they were still serving food - it was a moment of sheer joy!
At first glance, the menu at The Rose and Olive Branch looked like generic pub food, with ubiquitous dishes such as chicken tikka masala, chilli con carne and a couple of sunday roast options, but it turned out that this pub is best known for their range of pies, homecooked with locally sourced ingredients. Graham opted for a rabbit pie (which was potentially very locally-sourced considering how many we saw on our walk!) with mushroom and pancentta, whilst I went for the classic chicken and mushroom. Other more extravagant options included venison and chocolate, and game pie with walnuts and cranberries.
We settled down with our drinks (a large glass of Rose for me, and a pint of Abbot Ale for the boy - which he told me to mention was very much enjoyed), marvelling at our luck at finding exactly the type of pub we'd been hoping for, and contemplating how best to phrase our respective Twitter statuses to reflect our joy.
Too much anticipation can be a dangerous thing, but the generous portions that arrived at our table did not disappoint. The pies had light puff pastry lids, filled with (in my case) large succulent pieces of chicken and mushroom, in a dark flavoursome gravy. The pies were large and deep filled, but not stodgy as a cheesy, creamy pie with a pastry base might have been. I'd opted for chips, which were thick cut and crispy. Utterly delicious!
Overall:
Atmosphere: Indoors was welcoming and cosy with lovely old-man-country-pub atmosphere. It was pretty relaxed so being sweaty and laden with rucksacks wasn't an issue. There was a small beer garden. Nice toilets too.
Service: The staff were really friendly and chatty, but in a relaxed rather than overbearing way. I asked for a pint of tap water whilst we were waiting, and was bought a jug of water with ice and lemon instead. Which was appreciated when we'd been walking in the sun for hours.
Value for money: Portions were big, but prices were still high, which would be my only criticism.
Marks out of 10: going to have to split this into sections...
...for being exactly the type of pub we'd been hoping for 10/10
...for food, drink, atmosphere and service 9/10
...for value for money 6.5/10
Average score of 8.5/10
Service: The staff were really friendly and chatty, but in a relaxed rather than overbearing way. I asked for a pint of tap water whilst we were waiting, and was bought a jug of water with ice and lemon instead. Which was appreciated when we'd been walking in the sun for hours.
Value for money: Portions were big, but prices were still high, which would be my only criticism.
Marks out of 10: going to have to split this into sections...
...for being exactly the type of pub we'd been hoping for 10/10
...for food, drink, atmosphere and service 9/10
...for value for money 6.5/10
Average score of 8.5/10
(Thank you Graham for the pictures!)
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