Pub Grubb review: The Plough in Great Haseley

My mother, stood cross-armed on the road wearing an impatient half-smile, points me into the car park in case I miss the subtle sign that tells me I am in the right place.

We are marking the bank holiday with a family lunch and mooch around Waterperry Gardens, having picked this place mainly because of its proximity to the latter.

I plucked our location from a frenzied Google Map search just half an hour before, and was advised when booking that we would have to take a table in the bar.

Somehow we have landed lovely seats in the restaurant, which is drenched with sunlight thanks to wall-to-wall French doors.

They open out onto a garden where a dumpy stone wall separates benches from a sprawling field.

Inside, oak furniture matches the floorboards that creep up to a cut-out in the wall, exposing the kitchen through an open pass.

It is from there that our shared starter of baked Camembert (£10) is carried over.

Gooey cheese is surely always going to taste good, though the chef excels with delicious tomato chutney on the side and airy chunks of ciabatta.

I am unsure about the pesto on top, which seems to overpower the cheese more than enhance it.

After leaving little less than a crumpled mess of rind, my main of beef and ale pie (£13) arrives.

I was expecting great things given that it is made with Doom Bar, one of my favourite ales, but the dish is less appealing than its predecessor.

The beef chunks are tender and the rich gravy is dotted with celery and baby carrots, but the shortcut pastry topping – which would have been laced with Stilton had I not passed up on the pongy stuff – is a bit stodgy.

My dinky fryer full of chips is nice enough, though not as tasty as triple-cooked counterparts I have been spoilt with during meals past.

I would be lying if I said my plate was empty as our waitress cleared up, but I would still return to try out the evening menu.

The Plough, Rectory Road, Great Haseley, 01844 279283.