Royal Oak

Wide choice of popular food at welcoming pub with interesting furnishings and paintings and adjoining antiques and collectables shop

Bustling and homely, the open plan carpeted interior of this village pub is well laid out so that each bit is fairly snug, but still manages to keep the overall feel of a lot of people enjoying themselves. A good variety of furniture runs from dark oak tables to big chunky pine ones, with mixed seating to match – the two sofas facing one another are popular. Contrasting with the old exposed ceiling joists, mostly unframed modern paintings and prints decorate the walls - mainly dark terracotta over a panelled dado. Brakspears Bitter, Fullers London Pride and a guest such as Skinners Betty Stogs on handpump, and a dozen nicely chosen wines (including champagne) by the glass. Picnic-sets are ranged around a venerable central hawthorn in the garden behind (where there are ducks and chickens); summer barbecues. The landlady's antiques and collectables shop is open during pub hours. The pub is on the Henley Arts Trail.

Using their own eggs, the good, varied bar food includes sandwiches, soup, ploughman's, sausages and mash with caramelised onion gravy, ham and egg, and beer battered fish with more elaborate choices such as black pudding stack with a wholegrain mustard mash and peppercorn sauce, red thai chicken and prawns on noodles, tomato and spinach risotto, salmon fillet with prawn cream sauce, confit of duck with mash and green peppercorns with sausages in red wine sauce, and lamb shank with rosemary jus.