No poncing about at Orwell's

It’s always disappointing when a pub you have enjoyed starts to go downhill, yet after a series of sorry changes typical of landlord’s Brakspear’s the White Hart in Shiplake Row was ripe for reinvention. Luckily for Shiplake a similar catastrophe had befallen The Goose in Britwell Salome, where the owner had deemed Chef Ryan Lamb’s food to be “too poncy” just weeks after winning a Michelin Star in early 2010. Opening Orwell’s with partner Liam Trottman in May 2010 the alleged “poncy” food has quickly become a favourite with both locals and Henley residents.

Named after the eponymous author who spent most of his childhood in Shiplake, the exterior has been spruced up while there have been few changes to the interior which retains the feel and atmosphere of a comfortable country pub, albeit one with white linen on the tables. The decor is simple with a few paintings and small sculptures provided by a local gallery and seasonal flowers placed on the tables. When we visited just before Christmas the bar was struggling as deliveries in the snow had been intermittent, so there was very little beer available on tap however the bottled ale was excellent (Brakspear’s Ferryman’s Gold), while the Bloody Mary making skills at the bar were exemplary.

Front of house is one of the elements that sets Orwell’s apart. I’m sure we all expect a friendly, warm welcome yet so often it is missing to be replaced by arrogance or indifference. Not so the case with Orwell’s where Michael and his young team genuinely seem to be pleased that you are their guests. Throughout the meal they are efficient, friendly and just as importantly knowledgeable about the food.

We were at Orwell’s for lunch to celebrate a birthday and would probably have welcomed a bit of “poncy food” however what appeared was far from it and all the better for that. Meat and veg are sourced locally wherever possible, with a daily delivery of fish fresh of the boat from Brixham. The local, fresh element was reflected in all of our meals such as the starter that two of us opted for, Rabbit Scotch Egg. This is an immaculate little ball of crunchy breadcrumbs, full of soft aromatic rabbit with a still runny quail’s egg at its core. Delicate and light this gem of a dish belies the heavy reputation of the Scotch Egg. Of our two companions one had a simple starter of smoked salmon on toast which looked and indeed was reported as being “very tasty”, while the other had a poached hen’s egg with watercress and an unidentifiable and possibly unnecessary green foam. All very simple, all full of flavour.

My Venison and Ale pie, served with very good crisp but fluffy chips was slightly, but only slightly, disappointing. I like a pie to be a pie with the lid an integral part of the dish, not an afterthought cooked separately and then placed on top. Hidden beneath this lid however was a rich, meat packed delight. Indeed I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such a high density of meat in a pie, and while relatively small it was thoroughly filling, with hints of rosemary and juniper amongst the deep flavours of the local deer. I could quibble that the species of deer wasn’t mentioned, as we know venison is not generic, however this is entirely forgivable.

The birthday girl also had pie, but in her case a very hearty, unctuous, rich and flavoursome Cottage Pie. Birthday girl’s partner had yet another version of pie, the steak and ale, it was after all well into the minus figures outside and internal heating was order of the day. Completely stuffed all of us were reluctant to view the desert menu, yet our weak wills and temptation prevailed. A smooth Burnt Cream (Crème brûlée) with the correct depth of vanilla was served with Chocolate short bread that was crunchy, crumbly, fresh and light.

Orwell’s is delightfully free of “poncy food”, it is in fact the complete opposite; good, contemporary and hearty, executed with skill while the service is warm and charming, all at a price point that will keep you coming back. Our meal for four including starter, mains and two puddings, with two beers, a G&T and a large glass of red came to £99. There is a short but good wine list, though as we had two drivers with us we didn’t indulge. Look out for Orwell’s offers too, currently a two course lunch for £10 and dinner for £19.95.

Orwell’s Shiplake, Shiplake Row, Binfield, Oxfordshire, RG9 4DP. 01189 403673 eat@orwellsatshiplake.co.uk www.orwellsatshiplake.co.uk

Go wild in the country

Have you ever been to a Country Show? No neither had I, but I urge you to do so as you will be exposed to an extraordinary world of the strange that you vaguely knew existed but never expected to experience. A place where you can buy a crossbow adjacent to the marquee for the hamster breeders. Camouflage, wellies and tweed vie with shotguns, shooting sticks and ferrets to lure in the country pursuits loving punter and take the unwary civilian by surprise.


So a visit to Thame Country Show over the Easter weekend proved that there is a rural world free from metrosexual, latte slurping townies, who still practice and preserve country pursuits, that in fairness seem mostly like a good idea. For example I now feel, should the collapse of capitalism precipitated by the greed of the banks and the onset of a new brand of Tory self interest arrive, I will be fully prepared to live on a diet of wild rabbit, having witnessed a very long display of the art of netting them. Should I be out ferreting, unlikely I know, I am confident that with just a few metres (sorry feet, metres haven’t penetrated the countryside yet) of fine netting, a faithful hound and some stakes I could fairly simply catch my tea.

There wasn’t a display on killing, skinning and eating the poor bunny, who in this case was made of nylon, but I am sure a quick peruse of a Clarissa Dickson-Wright or Valentine Warner cookery book and a sharp knife will put me right.

On the subject of rabbits there seems to be a vast club of people who breed giant specimens, that like bunny buddha’s, sit fatly in their cages gazing benignly at the small children wanting to stroke their lush and no doubt valuable fur. More fascinating still are their owners, who unlike their counterparts who catch and eat them, really should get out more. This is also true of the stranger still sub tribe of Hamster breeder; grown men and women who quite obviously devote themselves to the ungrateful brown rodents.

But I don’t want it to sound like I’m contemptuous, I loved all this stuff. I think its fantastic that there are large numbers of people who are immersed in lives that are in touch with the wild (or caged in the case of the hamsters), who can forge a living from the woods and the fields. Who will go hunting for their dinner and in general harm no one apart from pigeons, fish and rodent’s. Falconry is incredibly impressive to watch and I’m sure casting lessons will help many more men get away from their wives for hours, maybe days at a time next to a river or pond.

And while I am sure there is a major whiff of Countryside Alliance about them and possibly a darker side of dog fights and poaching, I have definitely gained a new respect for this very different, at least very different to mine, way of life.

I still don’t know what you need a crossbow for though!

BA Dispute

A week spent in the French ski resort of Morzine/Avoriaz had the potential to be ruined by the 3 day British Airways cabin crew strike, that commenced on the day we were due to return home. There has been so much in the media about the strike that I struggle to believe that passengers have not been in a position to make alternative arrangements.

BA seem to have the upper hand with communication and emergency planning working effectively. They contacted me by email 3 days in advance of my return flight to say it was cancelled, I then had the option of booking an alternative flight that was 1 hour earlier than the original schedule but operated by Jet2 rather than BA.

BA do of course fall down in short haul with their almost complete lack of customer care and service. It seems that rather than rising to the challenge of the Easyjet's and Ryan Air's they have rushed headfirst to meet their levels of service. This is most marked now in the amount of luggage you can check in, 1 bag no more than 23Kg. Now I only booked BA to Geneva in the first place because they used to allow sporting equipment as an extra bag with no charge. So ideal if you are taking ski's. No longer; extra money will change hands if you have more than one bag. Does that remind you of anyone?

I feel somewhat conflicted in that I want BA to improve levels of service but understand that the penny pinching on meals and baggage is all about making savings or generating extra income, which in this climate has to be a smart move. Yet as a passenger they are no different to any other cut price carrier; making these savings removes a portion of their competitive advantage which I suspect they will never regain.

As if to prove this rule the flight operated by Jet2 from Geneva to Heathrow on behalf of BA was excellent, certainly better than the BA flight in reverse a week earlier. More motivated, happier staff, friendly smiles and good customer care. I understand BA cabin crew are demotivated by change but just look what potential competitors are doing and wake up.

And the BA cabin crew's position is no different to workers in other industries where the economy has changed the fight from one of profit and expansion to raw survival. While it seems clear that Willy Walsh is busting for this fight with the union he has a much better arguement about the survival of a great company for the long term than the unions do about what seem like relatively minor changes to terms. Obviously there is more to it but I dont see very much public sympathy for the cabin crew. They're pretty well paid and other workers have unfortunately had to accept new realities in order to survive.

Just want also to say thanks to Henry and jess at our Chillipepper chalet in Les Prodains, Morzine for looking after us with some great food over the course of the week. I'm not sure I'd pay the money to go again but the chalet hosts were lovely.

After a month of relative austerity, staying in, trying not to drink and doing exercise, February has started with a bang. Fortunately my birthday arrives early in the month so there is a reasonable excuse to start enjoying life again, despite the advancing years.

Late January saw a trip to the tiny French ski resort of Val d'Allos. 2 hours drive north of Nice, virtually no Brits to be seen and plenty of challenging and cruisy runs either at La Foux or Les Seignus www.valdallos.com. Friend Hammy owns a small chalet in the village. Small with a few restaurants a typical French PMU bar, patisserie, tabac and Shopi this is very definitly not a resort if you are after apres ski and night life. Which is precisely the reason for going there!

And for me after the autumn knee op and the consequent DVT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVT it was a good test to see if all my limbs would hold out, not just on the slopes but back on a plane and of course from an excess of not at all useful male banter. Needless to say plenty of wine was taken. But the knee held out and I'm confident that come March I should be able to have a real blast.