If you look up The Bull & Butcher, I’d bet my bottom dollar that the first comments you see are about its location in the ‘quintessential’ English village of Turville.

To be fair it really is very beautiful, and famed for being the backdrop to a strong variety of cultural big-hitters including The Vicar of Dibley, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Midsummer Murders.

The village appears almost out of nowhere after an adventurous drive through twisting country lanes, with the pub nestled right in the middle. The timber-framed building is immediately inviting – even more so (I’d imagine) if you’re stopping off on your way back from the well-trodden climb to the nearby windmill.

We’d booked in for Sunday lunch after we’d spotted the pub’s very enticing menu. We were given an incredibly warm welcome by the staff, who were universally lovely. Sadly we weren’t seated next to the open fire in the bar, but the vibe was equally rustic in the dining area. I settled onto my wooden pew with a half-pint of Brakspears Oxford Gold while my friend went for the Brakspears Gravity.

I’d heard great things about the pub’s pies so I chose the puff pie of the day (steak and ale). Luckily this came with all the trimmings of a roast – the best of both worlds!

The portion was very generous; the pie itself was stuffed with large, tender chunks of meat in a thick, flavourful sauce. On the side was a boule of buttery carrot and swede mash (this seemed to have been made using an ice-cream scoop, which we found weirdly entertaining), French beans, cabbage, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes and my own jug of gravy.

The deliciously rich cauliflower cheese was the star of the show here, along with the surprisingly peppery serving of cabbage. The potatoes had a good flavour but were not very crisp, and in a perfect world the sides could all have done with being a bit warmer. Nonetheless it still all tasted great and the pie itself was delicious, steaming hot and very plentiful.

My friend opted for the roast leg of lamb. The slices were beautifully thick and well-flavoured, and I was assured that the Yorkshire pudding was up to standard.

We were pretty stuffed after all of this, but somehow the dessert menu still caught our eye. Originally our plan for the day had been to go for afternoon tea but this fell through, so it seemed silly not to treat ourselves to something sweet…

The sticky toffee and date pudding was absolutely doused in toffee sauce, and the kitchen were kind enough to oblige when I asked for custard instead of ice-cream (honestly, I think that the combo of hot toffee sauce and custard is one of life’s great pleasures). The pudding itself was very light. I personally prefer a slightly stickier, richer sponge but I appreciate that the sauce in itself was incredibly indulgent so probably enough for most people! My friend had the chocolate and salted caramel tart which looked spectacular and went down very quickly.

Overall this was a great meal that was definitely worth a trip slightly further afield.

At £19.50 for the pie and £21 for the roast lamb, the prices were only slightly higher than pubs in Oxford but I’d opt to go here again for the lovely service, sheer portion size and range of side dishes. The view from the door of the pub is an added bonus! In summer I can imagine it would be a brilliant stop-off after a country walk. They also appear to offer a different shortcrust pie each weeknight, which our waitress assured us were worth a visit alone. I think I could be tempted…

The Bull and Butcher
Turville, Henley on Thames, RG9 6QU