IF you are going for dinner at The Brewery Tap, avoid eating for 24 hours beforehand.

I am slightly exaggerating, but if there is one thing this Abingdon town centre pub offers, it is huge portions.

I had high expectations before the meal, knowing the Ock Street venue had been named Oxford CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Town & Country Pub of the Year three times.

We entered through the pub garden, which was a reasonable size considering its roadside location.

Oxford Mail:

The pub's good reputation meant I had booked a table for two, but at 7.15 on a Wednesday evening it was fairly quiet.

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We were shown to a separate dining area on one side of the pub and while the room was never noisy, this could be beneficial if you eat at busier times of the week.

The menu certainly had variety, with starters ranging from calamari, to halloumi bites, to a duo of salmon.

I had Sergei's Arancini (£6), described as a 'family recipe' of crispy fried risotto balls on a bed of homemade mushy peas.

Oxford Mail:

This was a slight twist on traditional arancini, but the textures combined beautifully.

It also seemed like each risotto ball was lighter than normal - something I would be grateful for later.

My brother had sautéed mushrooms with garlic, stilton, parsley and butter, finished with cream, served over toast (£6).

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The flavours blended well, while the toast was not too soggy, and we both felt £6 was a fair price for the quality and size of the offering.

I pushed the boat out by following my Italian starter with a classic English pie - made that day, according to the menu.

Of the choice of six, I went for a filling of chicken and chestnut and porcini mushrooms, cream, and garlic, in crisp suet crust pastry.

Oxford Mail:

It was £13 with two sides - I had creamy mash and roasted root vegetables - and plenty of gravy.

If my portion was huge, my brother's was another level.

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He went for the 8oz pork shoulder, cooked for 10 hours at 150f (£14).

If this was not enough, it was also joined by skinny fries, the pub's barbecue sauce, house coleslaw - and mac & cheese.

The pork was lovingly marinaded and the chips delicately fried and you could easily share this between two - so effectively £7 for a main course.

Our choices suggested the menu is a meat feast, but there were also many vegetarian and vegan options.

I only spotted three staff working and the downside was the 10-minute wait to pay at the end, but we were grateful we did not have to move so soon after our mammoth meals.