Stonor, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“What a gem of a gastropub” – “creativity and good value” (“the set lunch menu is a tremendous bargain”) are the hallmarks of the cooking from chef Ben Watson, who returned to his home district in 2022 after working for some of London’s top chefs (Gordon Ramsay, Jason Atherton, Clare Smyth) to take over this well-established foodie venue just outside Henley. His wife Priya (ex-Gymkhana) runs the front of house, and the occasional South Asian twist on the modern British menu reflects her heritage.

All-day outfit on the riverside highly commended for a “beautifully cooked and presented breakfast at very reasonable prices” – “the bonus is a great location if weather permits sitting outside”. It’s also a “solid venue for lunch” and later, with tacos, poke bowls, burgers as well as more substantial fare, including a “good vegan selection”. Founder Shaun Dickens was a hot-shot young chef at Le Manoir and Per Se in New York, but reined in his culinary ambitions to suit the venue.

One of the UK’s first wave of modern gastropubs (est. 1989, pipping the Eagle in Farringdon by a couple of years), this Chilterns village boozer serves an “imaginative menu which changes daily” in a “great atmosphere”. But there’s more to it: founder Paul Clerehugh is a former guitarist with 1970s glamrockers The Sweet, and organises “great music nights” in the pub’s heated marquee, attracting an eclectic line-up of performers (George Harrison in the early years; last year, Nigel Kennedy, the Bay City Rollers and Geno Washington).

2023 Review: Chef-patron Olivier Bouet, who had presented “excellent rustic French cuisine” at this Chilterns village gastropub for five years, recently moved on, and the new owners reopened in July 2022, announcing their plans for an ‘eclectic modern British menu with South African influence and popular grill favourites. Every item on the menu will be made on the premises’. It’s a big change of style, hence for the time being we’ve left it unrated.

Owned by Henry Day, and with head chef Adam Hague — a tastefully decorated pub in this posh town launched in December 2024 with a flexible menu incorporating small and large plates and majoring in grills (various steaks, house blue-cheese burger, spatchcock poussin…). Some pleasing initial reports thus far, but not enough for a full rating – reports please!

2022 Review: For “restaurant-quality food in a lovely country setting” head to this country pub, a few miles from Henley-on-Thames. The venue has been serving locals since 1860, and continues to draw positive reports for its simple yet refined seasonal plates.