The Horseshoes, Corn Street, Witney

10:16am Thursday 13th November 2008

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Perhaps it is a function of having as its member of parliament that notable lover of good food David Cameron (an eager follower of this column, as he told me when we met in the summer).

Doubtless, too, it’s an indication of Witney’s general prosperity, which places it in telling contrast, I’d say, with other of the county’s towns, including Bicester and especially Abingdon.

Or is it just a matter of these West Oxonians enjoying a bloody good night out that makes for such a proliferation of fine-quality restaurants in and around the town, most of which are perhaps better styled gastropubs.

The Three Horseshoes – now simply The Horseshoes – is a new addition to the elite; or, rather, it is enjoying a return to the elite under the charge of John and Anne Champion, who also run the highly successful Hollybush, closer to the town centre on the other side of Corn Street. Back in the early 1990s, I placed the Three Horseshoes high on my list of places supplying good food when its hosts were Ben and Libby Salter, who later took their winning touch to the Six Bells in Warborough.

The Horseshoes is an attractive building, built in 1640 or thereabouts in Cotswold stone with a Stonesfield slate roof. Tasteful renovations recently carried out under the new regime have made it brighter than I remember, though still with such traditional touches as the open fire burning merrily in the front bar. When booking, I had specified a table within sight of the flames, and one was courteously supplied.

Our visit was on a recent Thursday. Travel, as ususal for us where Witney is concerned, was on Stagecoach’s pleasingly frequent 100 service from Oxford. Strolling down to the Horseshoes from the town centre, we were surprised to see how busy some of the other pubs were. As I said, people do get out and about here.

A bustling scene greeted us on arrival. Having paused for a quick drink at the bar with a work colleague who happened to be passing, we sat down at our table beside the window and made our orders.

To give a clear idea of what can be expected here, I shall mention some of the dishes we didn’t have. Starters included home-smoked salmon, organic course pork pate, roasted red onion and blue cheese on toast, vegetable risotto and a salad of bacon, black pudding and poached egg. Among the mains were braised shank of lamb, organic salmon fillet, pot roast duck leg and butter-roast poussin with winter greens. There were non-sampled desserts of warm honey bread and butter pudding, tangy lemon posset and poached rhubarb, sticky toffee pudding, apple crumble, and a selection of local cheeses with quince paste.

My starter was one of the evening’s blackboard specials. This was fresh Cornish sardines marinated in garlic and rosemary and served with courgette linguine. Manager Luke Champion (yes, the son) had explained at the ordering stage that the sardines could be a main course and, when I saw their size, I understood why. These whoppers were the dimension of small trout, and utterly delicious. The courgette linguine was not the pasta I expected, but courgette extruded in such a way as to resemble it. A fine dish.

Rosemarie, meanwhile, was messing with five spiced tiger prawns with a crisp Thai salad – and I do mean messing. The giant shell-on jobs required so much cracking and peeling that the modest finger bowl supplied was hardly up to the task. A fireman’s bucket might have been a better option. But the freshness and flavour of these crustaceans proved worth the effort.

For our main courses, both of us had pork. I chose another special from the blackboard, pan-fried slices of pork loin. Idid so largely because of the chickpea and chorizo casserole that came with it – the healthiness of the one offsetting the naughtiness of the other. Its flavour was exquisite.

I ordered vegetables, and was pleased with the fresh kale, roasted carrots and baby turnips. Rosemarie had a juicy slab of confit Old Spot belly pork, with apple puree and salt roast new potatoes.

As usual, she did the biz with pudding, and highly complimentary about her bitter chocolate tart with chantilly cream, a little of which I was allowed to try.

It can be truly said of the talented team of chefs here – as quite literally of their bosses