The White Horse Inn, Washford

An Astonishing thing happened last Tuesday!
We went for a meal 'on spec' for this time Jon had nothing to complain about! We decided to visit the White Horse Inn at Washford, a pub that used to have a sound reputation for food but which changed hands a little while ago. Changing hands often sounds a note of doom - new owners may try to keep things going as they were but often without the personal touch that made a particular regime work. Alternatively, they make a new start that may in the long run prove excellent but usually takes time to settle down. At the White Horse what seems to be a compromise between old and new is working well.

This is a pub with a past, something that is replected in furnishings, pictures and general ambience. We received a good down-to-earth welcome, jostling at the bar with the skittle team as we ordered drinks. We settled in a small separate restaurant - real flowers, candles, very quiet 'musac' - and studied the menu. Starters at £4 - £4.50 included home-made soup, chicken goujons, crispy potato skins, pate maison and spicey Thai prawns. We decided to forgo a starter so that we could enjoy a pudding for a change and went straight for the main course.

Specials included fish, lamb shanks and supreme of roast chicken with cheese and bacon while the menu listed steaks, gammon, a trio of lamb chops anf two vegetarian options, goats cheese salad or ratatouille au gratin.

We then sat back to enjoy a glass - or two - of well-kept Fullers Ale while, joy of joys, our food was cooked to order. Jon's lightly spiced ratatouille proved excellent while my chicken was tender and succulent. Portions were generous and the meals were presented with a neat little salad garnish.

The puddings were home-made, not bought in as happens in so many pubs. My cheesecake was light, not too sweet and with just the right proportion of berries, though single cream might have cut the ruchness better than the "squooshy" cream that accompanied it. Jon's Jaffa sponge pudding was also light with a tangy, real orange flavour and smothered in deliciously smooth dark chocolate sauce. Yummy!

Good unpretentious pub food with a skilled edge provided by head chef Denis Filby.

The White Horse Inn, Washford,
01984 640415