Ale And Hearty

Panting like Maria Sharapova at a Wimbledon final, I burst into the Horse and Groom in Caulcott, ordered a pint of cold lager and downed it in one. Not very ladylike behaviour I would agree, but having cycled there during the heatwave and underestimated its location, it was thirsty work.

But then that’s what’s so amazing about the Horse and Groom. It’s in the middle of nowhere and yet on a Wednesday night the bar was full of chatting locals (local being relative) and the only spare table was our reserved one.

Having been an inn since the 17th century, its location doesn’t seem to have deterred anyone over the centuries, but I did expect to see ancient RIP crosses dotting our route: “Here rests the O’Reilly family who died of thirst and hunger en route to the Horse and Groom 1610-1630.”

And yet as I spurred myself on to cycle one last mile I reminded myself that this famous hostelry has won CAMRA’s North Oxfordshire Pub Of The Year award for a reason, and this was going to be worth the effort.

Pub Of The Year was the right accolade because if you want local, this is local. It’s not gastro, poncey, pretentious, a restaurant pretending to be a pub, or a pub pretending to be a restaurant. It is still providing the same service it did in the 17th century – refreshment for weary travellers.

It’s a small place, with a bustling bar at the front and a small restaurant at the back that has six tables, plus the bar to eat in. There are still horse brasses above the huge open fireplace and jugs hanging from the ceilings. Put it this way, the decor hasn’t been altered to tap into any passing fads. When you’ve got 400 years under your belt, fashion is of no consequence.

And yes the chef Jerome Prigent is French, but he has a great appreciation of rural, British fare, and uses seasonal produce where possible. The menu also changes weekly, which keeps the punters happy.

Wedged into the corner Mr Greedy had already decided on the mixed grill before he’d even sat down, so we agreed to go slow on the starter and share the mixed antipasto (£6.50), a platter of delicious meats, pickles, marinated sweet pepper, artichoke, olives and crusty bread and butter – definitely not one the Victorians would have enjoyed, thanks to its Mediterranean roots.

Neither was my asparagus, fresh pea and parmesan risotto (£12.50) particularly British, but boy was it good, bursting with young veg and accompanied by a piquant green salad.

The mixed grill (£15.75) was, however, in a league of its own – I watched in wonder as Mr Greedy metamorphosed into a human version of the Very Hungry Caterpillar and munched his way through a lamb chop, a steak, some gammon, bacon, a sausage, a portion of large chunky chips, tomatoes, mushrooms and a free-range egg – and no, he didn’t turn into a butterfly afterwards, although he could have done with the exercise. Dessert was obviously not possible after this, but Jerome managed to talk us into the layers of berries, which was so delicious that we managed to consume this tall glass of interlayered strawberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, black cherries and raspberries marinated in port, with homemade shortbread and Cornish clotted cream (£5.50). And I hang my head in shame when I tell you we even nibbled at the magnificent cheeseboard, again all locally sourced (£5.55).

All our meal was lacking were some wenches, a jug of mead and a dog sleeping at our feet knawing on the discarded bones.

But I thanked the Lord for the invention of the bicycle to transport us home afterwards, trying to avoid the inevitable epitaph: “RIP Mr Greedy, whose mixed grill was the end of him.”

The Horse and Groom, Lower Heyford Road, Caulcott, Oxfordshire, 01869 343257. horseandgroom caulcott.co.uk