Dave Richardson reviews the four pubs voted best in the county
Each of the four CAMRA branches in Oxfordshire votes for their Pub of the Year (POTY) and you must visit all four to vote for a county winner, which has just been declared as the Red Lion in Horley near Banbury. This now goes forward into a regional competition with the top pubs in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and the winner of that has a chance of being named top pub in the UK.
The Grapes, Oxford (Oxford branch)
Winning by a one-vote margin over the Royal Blenheim, City POTY for the last few years, the Grapes has come on by leaps and bounds since Morgan Pub Collective re-opened it in 2023, after several years of closure. It usually has up to six hand pumps for real ale and cider, and I often choose Harvey’s Sussex Best, its only regular, a malty bitter available in all Morgan pubs.
Otherwise – as at the Oranges & Lemons, also run by Morgan – you never know what might turn up. Johnny Roberts, landlord of both pubs, is keen on innovation and often offers beers by small local breweries as well as trending beers from far and wide. Beers and ciders can come from all over, and it also has a huge range of craft keg.
The Grapes is small for a city centre pub and often very busy, but the refit prior to re-opening has opened up more seating. The food available is good value, especially on offer days such as “Steak Thursdays”. Enjoy the vinyl records being spun on the bar top, if you can hear them.
Red Lion, Horley (North Oxfordshire branch)
This free house in a village a few miles north of Banbury has been voted POTY a few times before, being a rare example of a country pub that doesn’t serve food but is dedicated 100% to serving the village with a very traditional pub atmosphere.
Landlord Dave Morris owns the property which he bought from Hook Norton 21 years ago, having run a pub for only one year prior to that, in Shropshire. His career before then was in the RAF, and he was looking to settle down in a peaceful village to bring up his children. His wife wanted a wet-only pub, and in any case it doesn’t have a kitchen.
Three cask ales are provided with Hook Norton’s Hooky and Timothy Taylor’s Landlord being regulars. Oxford CAMRA chair John Winney rated the Landlord as possibly the best he had ever drunk – praise indeed! I chose the guest beer, Church End brewery’s Stout Coffin (4.6%), again superb – as well it might be, being voted CAMRA’s West Midlands Champion Beer of Britain 2023. Pump clips displayed around the bar came from many renowned breweries, proving that Dave really knows his stuff.
Darts, Aunt Sally and dominoes are played here, and the Red Lion has a lovely garden with a tent for enjoying the summer. It’s definitely worth trekking out to, but you’ll need a car or taxi, and opening hours are limited.
Crown, South Moreton (South Oxfordshire branch)
This former Wadworth pub in a village near Didcot is one of the great local successes of the Community-Owned movement, having been rescued in 2019 after several years of closure when developers were poised to move in. Now it is a thriving village pub when it could so easily have been lost, like so many others. Landlady Di Humphreys has been running it for the last five years, with a ”Frame of Fame” inside the door recording the names of those who helped save it.
Three local real ales are usually available including the house ale, Ye Olde Dash & Tipple, a session IPA by Amwell Springs brewery situated just a few miles from the pub. I enjoyed a half of this despite being generally wary of IPAs, and also had an enjoyable half of Abingdon Bridge from Loose Cannon in Abingdon. Hooky was the guest ale on this occasion, and that had come only 40 miles. Two boxed ciders were also available, from Sam’s in Devon.
The Crown is a large pub with some seating at sofas, and was busy serving Sunday lunches on the afternoon of our visit. The patio garden was busy too with plenty of seating to the front and side, including non-smoking areas. Many customers had brought their dogs as they are encouraged to do.
King’s Arms, Wantage (Vale of White Horse branch)
This town centre pub was not in contention as a real ale venue until Oak Taverns took it over a few years ago, but as at all Oak pubs, real ale and cider now take centre stage. Another priority for the company was to restore the garden, and this large space with patio and lawn adds hugely to the fairly small pub’s appeal on a sunny day like this.
Six rotating real ales were on offer and these can come from anywhere. Siren Craft (with a Session IPA) and Thornbridge (Jaipur) were the best-known, while Electric Bear (Little Ripper Aussie IPA) and Wantsum (Yellow Tail) were on my radar. But I had never heard of Moonraker (Crafty One) or Brass Castle (Bad Kitty), so I had a half of each. Crafty One (with a fox on the pump clip) was described as a copper ale, and while of good quality I found it bitter to the point of unpleasantness. Bad Kitty was a vanilla porter but not too sweet, and a good antidote.
A cider festival and BBQ were happening in the garden, but all year there’s a good choice of boxed cider. Like all Oak Taverns pubs the King’s Arms doesn’t normally sell food, but many welcome food vans and this pub has plenty of outdoor space for third party caterers on special occasions.
The Red Lion now competes against the three other winners in CAMRA’s West Central region to be regional champion. They are the Pelican Inn, Gloucester; the Olde Tavern, Kington, near Hereford; and the Fleece Inn in Bretforton, near Evesham. Voting (CAMRA members only) must be completed by July 19. Pub of the Year – CAMRA – The Campaign for Real Ale