Lovibonds Brewery, Henley on Thames

Doing something different than the usual Camra stuff. They've grown in the last few years. Best of luck, Jeff!

5 Apr 2014 16:28

The Plough, Lower Cadsden

I visited the Plough last Thursday with my girlfriend. I was a little apprehensive due to the previous couple of reviews.

Once we had found it (I'm not a local), we were amazed. Lovely pub in a beautiful setting. For me, this didn't last much longer than the warm welcome from the barmaid.

We were shown to our table and decided to browse the menu and specials. This was the first disappointment, as it was a sun bleached pamphlet which had lost its laminated sheen a long time ago.

The prices astounded me. £15 for all the mains (fair enough if it's something that jumps out at you). However, the food on offer was nothing particularly special - ham, egg and chips, scampi, pies and bangers + mash. No vegetarian options. I asked at the bar and was told that we had a choice of soup, vegetable and cheese loaf with all the trimmings or a few starters from the specials board. As my girlfriend is not a meat eater, she decided to go for the "Boston loaf". I chose sausages and mash.

In the meantime, I had a look around. Quite a few negatives struck me immediately. You have to order your food at the bar. I feel that, at £15 for a main course, you ought to be able to order your food via table service. The candles on all the tables were artificial, despite there being two log fires going in the pub and the restaurant being very well lit. The "tea lights" reminded me of something you would get in a distinctly average indian restaurant.

The mains came out fairly quickly (12 minutes) and I cannot say I was impressed. The plates were cold, the gravy was very thin and slightly see through (first impression was instant) and the mash was far from creamy as promised on the menu.

Nice choice of veg and a large portion of sauteed potatoes on my girlfriend's plate. Offered a dessert but declined and made our way out to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Can't say I'll return.

22 Apr 2013 12:00