Although at least 12 UK pubs are closing each week, the rate of closure is slowing slightly. What’s more there are 1,008 breweries in Britain now, (18 in Oxfordshire), so it’s not all doom and gloom.
The 71 Oxfordshire pubs featured in the 40th anniversary edition of The Good Beer Guide include the Black Horse, Checkendon. Why should a pub which only serves food (filled rolls) during the summer be included? Regulars who enjoy West Berkshire brews and like to sit in a pub furnished as if it’s someone’s parlour know why. It has been in the same family for more than 100 years, and they know how to keep the gravity-dispensed beers in peak order. This is a delightful pub that refuses to join the 21st century, and that’s its charm.
Another Oxfordshire pub run by the same family for more than 100 years (160) is the North Star, Steventon. There’s no bar counter, beers appear through a hatch and the three settles are arranged round an open fireplace in one of its two rooms. Despite being known for its Michelin-starred food, the Nut Tree, Murcott, is included too. These and the other pubs featured in this year’s guide certainly won’t disappoint.
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