Welcome to Bishopstone, this stunning village on the North Wiltshire/ Oxfordshire border; and a big welcome to The Royal Oak, slap bang in the middle of Helen Browning's organic Eastbrook Farm.
Sustainable Restaurant Association gives Helen Browning at The Royal Oak top score for good practice!
Out of about 450 restaurants, hotels and pubs, the SRA has awarded The Royal Oak Three Gold Stars for its sustainable practices. Our pub joins only three other establishments in the country in the top bracket of the SRA's league table. They have commended our food sourcing, our healthy food on the plate, the way we treat food suppliers, our recycling and, last but not least, the care with which we try to look after customers and staff. www.thesra.org
Our Helen Browning brand organic hot dogs, have been 'highly commended' in the 2011 Organic Food Awards. They are amazing, we think--what hot dogs used to be like, before they were made of pig skin and old washing up lines all pulped up together! And Helen's veal, also usually on the menu here, was 'commended' as a result of customers' recommendations in the same awards. Try some--this is not the veal you read about in the 'not on my plate; articles.
This is a pub that tries to look after the world - whether it's our wordly wise and sometimes weary drinkers perched gossiping about football and the latest village sex scandal at one end, or birthday parties and lovers enjoying some outstanding food at the other. In between you might find dogs on the sofa (not ours), occasionally badly behaved children, a roaring fire and some great beers and wines.
Our remarkable new kitchen will allow us to continue to try to make waves with our food, much of it off Helen's farm. We are loved by Good Food Guide, Alastair Sawday's special places, and the Michelin Pub guide, so far so good; the Good Pub Guide likes us because that's what we are, a good pub.
Head chef Barny Haughton carries on the tradition of this pub, created over just the past four years, of daily evolving menus, according to what the farm brings in, what the neighbours bring in, and what our local organic walled garden is offering. A short punchy menu, all prepared here; we love it, and we hope you will. Barny also runs his own cookery school in Bristol, and when we remember, we'll add the link here!
We can be noisy, scruffy, cheeky; we can sometimes be a little slow, but not very, and not often; and after all we're farmers really, earthy types, and we're still occasionally stumped by our customers' needs. We think you will love us or loathe us. If it's the former, you'll have a lot of fun. Our staff are known for saying hello and goodbye and usually speaking in whole sentences in between. Their spelling gets about 7/10, sometimes better.
Keep an eye out for our events, usually done with a little brio and not too many nods towards convention. See our events page.
Arkells own the place - they are brewers five miles down the road. We always stock at least two of their good real ales; and from time to time, we also sell Donnington's, the fine beer from the tiny old brewery near Stow on the Wold.
How to find us:
Bishopstone is about 8 miles east of Swindon, 10 miles west of Wantage. In the village is a large duckpond. If the pond is on the right, the next lane on the left is Cues Lane. The Royal Oak is 50 yards down there on the right. The car park is beyond it and round the back.
 "(Click to enlarge)")
