Get yourselves out to south Oxfordshire for what I believe is the best value Sunday lunch in our wider Oxford region. Expect a Sunday lunch that’s chock full of ‘hwyl’*.

You open the front door of a hatched, timber-framed pub and you’re met with rich dark blue painted walls, a natural warmth and the gentle murmur of happy customers. Welcome to a proper village pub. Welcome to Owain’s domain – The Plough at West Hanney, near Wantage and Abingdon.

The 17th-century Plough is a free house and was bought by 170 villagers and local farmers in 2015 from pub landlord Punch. The locals refurbished it as a community pub and is now owned by the self styled Hanney Community Pub Company. Since May 2021, The Plough has been rented and run by Owain Jones and Head Chef Luke Mayor offering modern British cuisine and the Sunday lunch to top ALL Sunday lunches!

In such a short time, the Plough, under their enthusiastic stewardship, has won several food awards and been voted CAMRA Pub of the Year for the Vale of the White Horse area.

Luke learned his trade at Malmaison Oxford and the two AA-rosetted White Hart at Fyfield. And being a local boy, having lived in Hanney with his parents for the last eight years, he is genuinely excited to be serving his community at The Plough. General Manager Owain has run some of Oxfordshire’s most iconic pubs like the White Hart at Fyfield and The Fishes at Hinksey. He’s a proper publican and man of great presence, personality, and hospitality.

The pandemic gave the guys the impetus to start their own thing. Fate led them to take on the lease in West Hanney, when previous tenants had struggled. The Plough seats around 50 inside and up to 40 outside. They’re regularly doing c. 60 covers most sittings. There’s oodles of space with a classic bar, a dining room, a large garden, and a covered garden enclosure with heaters in the colder months. Perfect for summer evenings though.

Owain & Luke use local suppliers wherever possible.

These include Pickle & Lime vegetables on Botley Road, wine from Grape Minds and Oxford Wine Company, beer from XT, Tap Social in Oxford and Abingdon’s Loose Cannon. Eggs are from Ben Lay (yes!), the meat is from Aubrey Allen (beloved of Raymond Blanc’s Brasserie operation) and the dairy from Eaton. Lamb and sausages come from Owain’s grandad’s pig and sheep farm in Cwmgiedd, in the Swansea Valley, which is now being run by his Dad. Owain waxes lyrical in his mellifluous Welsh lilt about the quality of this perfectly tenderised Welsh Lamb The fish is from esteemed supplier Kingsfisher.

The pub is alive with regular, well-attended events: televised sports like Wimbledon & the 6 Nations, quiz nights, a thriving Aunt Sally team, and the annual legendary musical PloughFest on August Bank Holiday Weekends.

Is The Plough the potential model for the future of the everyday English village pub? You clearly have to have someone with experience, passion and skill to run it. Today so many normal village pubs are at best ‘average’, weakly supported by the locals and struggling to pay their extortionate monthly tenancies. Most villagers only really start being vocal about their hostelry when it’s about to close. But The Plough is simply stellar! It shows it doesn’t have to just be about expensive Cotswolds gastro pubs that only the rich weekend-homers, with their freshly unpacked Barbours and spotless Hunter Wellies, can really afford. The Plough is the very antithesis of that. Warm cooking that your mother would produce coupled with a genuine welcome like that reserved for long-lost friends. Welshman Owain and young chef Luke will greet you, wrap their culinary arms around you and deliver the warmest of foodie ‘cwtches’! The staff – like Liv and Mario – are all young, helpful and motivated.

Before dining, settle in with a cocktail or three, such as “Boozy” Cherryade – a generous glug of Abingdon cherry gin with homemade lemonade at £8.50 or raspberry and black pepper gin fizz – raspberry and black pepper liqueur, sparkled with Prosecco £9.

The trademark Plough beef or lamb Sunday lunch is the star of the show and accompanied by a beautifully curated, exciting and extensive wine list. You get exceptional dining value. Three courses for £31: two for £28. There are sizeable starters for the Sunday lunch menu to choose from. Rabbit terrine with carrot and fennel slaw and carrot ketchup was an absolute belter.

Asparagus and pea quiche with piccalilli brought a freshness and piquancy to a brave dish. The piccalilli added a nice balance of sweet, sour, and spicy notes that danced on the palate.

Now to the “pièce de resistance” the roast lamb – a majestic example of tender meat and succulence, each slice offering pink flesh and a crispy, herb-infused exterior that sings with notes of rosemary and garlic. Accompanied by a lavish array of roast potatoes, vibrant vegetables, and the indulgent embrace of cauliflower cheese, the roast lamb adds its unique, subtly gamey richness to all the flavours. Delicately roasted cauliflower florets in a velvety, rich, molten cheese sauce, gives a harmonious blend of nutty, creamy indulgence, to a state of copecetic Sunday coziness.

Owain’s lamb is proper “Welsh Organic” where the hills and streams have imbued the meat with a depth of character, earthiness and sweetness that lingers on the palate. It’s a testament to centuries of Welsh shepherding prowess, Celtic soul and a commitment to quality by Owain’s father. The meat represents the natural abundance of Wales and the dedication of the Welsh who graze their sheep on lush grass, nurtured by the region’s rich, fertile soil and pristine waters.

If lamb is not your thing, the medium rare, tender roast beef is a worthy culinary centerpiece too. The roast beef comes with all the trimmings too, roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, vegetables and gravy.

The puddings are your ‘feel good’ classics. The sticky toffee pudding is famous in these parts – the vanilla ice cream from Oxford Cow on a nearby farm in Kingston Bagpuize is seriously pukka! I went for the excellent chocolate delice with strawberries as my dessert but my dining partner plumped for the apple crumble with custard (or ice cream). The bottomless crumbles are offered on a “as much as you want” basis. The wait staff bring it to the table in one of those 70s white and blue trimmed enamel baking trays. There for you to ladle it out whilst no one’s watching! Owain just doesn’t want you leaving hungry. No wonder he’s a strapping, healthy front-row forward with a larger-than-life personality!

The boys are smart operators too – they adapt and flex to the village’s needs offering burgers, pizzas and takeaway nights. All this, served amidst a rustic ambiance, where the clinking of glasses and hearty laughter weave seamlessly with the comforting vibe that fills the air.

The Plough Sunday lunch feast isn’t just a meal; it’s an ode to British tradition and a testament to the heartwarming pleasures of communal, well-priced dining in a cozy English pub.

The Plough has become the fulcrum of the village and even better, as the well-earned reputation spreads in the Vale and Oxfordshire, folks are coming from far and wide to sample the excellent value food. It’s not your overpriced, air-kissing gastro puffery. It’s good honest country cooking. ‘La cucina di Nonna’ as the Italians say.

There’s a bright future ahead for Owain and Luke. I’m longing to head back when the days start to lengthen, the Six Nations rugby starts and the real ale flows by the fireside!

You’ll leave with a heartfelt “culinary cwtch” dreaming of both the Welsh Valleys and the South Oxfordshire Vale. This is the affordable Sunday lunch to beat all Sunday lunches.

The Plough at Hanney
Church Street, West Hanney OX12 0LN
enquiries@theploughathanney.co.uk

*hwyl – in Welsh use – a stirring feeling of emotional motivation, enthusiasm and energy

Bitten were invited as guests of The Plough, all views are our own