My favourite pub! - writes Alastair Sawday in The Times on Saturday 29/1/11. " I was at home the moment I walked in: blazing fire, kids playing board games, adults reading books and newspapers in comfortable chairs - a buzz that only comes from people enjoying themselves. The staff gave me a rare pub welcome and the food - ah, the food! It came straight from Helen's farm round the corner and was organic to the core. It is a treat to eat in a way that helps, rather than hinders our countryside."
We have made it into the Good Pub Guide 2011! Click this link to read what they say about us.
We're are also in the Good Food Guide 2011 - and again for 2012!
The Royal Oak's PLT - voted one of Britain's best manwiches by GQ!
We've made it into Sawday's book of special places again for 2011!
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
Our Helen Browning brand organic hot dogs, often on the pub menu here, 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.
Pig sex or how to keep warm in winter. A bit of a chill around the place, such as there was last Dec-Feb, has made the Eastbrook pigs (and those belonging to our other suppliers) more prolific than ever over the past few months. We cannot recall so many ready to eat pigs as we currently have, and our German customers are lapping them up, as are our Sainsbury, Tesco and Ocado bacon and sausage customers.
The Princess Diaries, part 2; just over the hill from here is a remarkable business, producing beautiful brown and blue egg laying birds. A young princess from the Middle East asked her dad if she could have some of these birds, so he organised a private jet into Farnborough air-port last month, a car and a driver came into the Berkshire Downs, two boxes of fertilised eggs were picked up, and the plane flew home.
Our big red safari landrover can collect you and take you home, any day, at our discretion. Uncomfortable, now with brakes. This is a free service if we like you and if you behave!
Our own farm produces much of our own meat—beef, pork, lamb, veal. Villagers grow lots of veg for us. You can too. We trade it for beer.
Helen’s farm produces the organic pigs that end up as her bacon and sausages in Sainsbury, Tesco and Ocado. Look for the orange pig logo
Read about us on trip advisor and have a laugh. We even laugh at the good ones, which we might have written ourselves since the sys-tem is completely open to abuse. We are either hysterically good or hysterically awful. Some-times I agree with the Evening Standard head-line ‘Descent into Chaos begins’ from earlier this month. ’To hell in a handcart’ is my pre-ferred way of describing it all.
Land Rover taxi service; great food; Arkells well kept ales; stunning staff on the whole; lots of pigs, average cleaner
Calling all Ocado shoppers—this is an unashamed bribe to encourage you to buy some of Helen Browning’s truly amazing bacon from the wizard online retailer. They started stocking it a couple of weeks ago; we need some sales, and we need some product reviews. Rewards for this sort of activity could involve hot meals, cold beer and a cheerful landlord. Just ask him, and see what he says.
Give us an email address if you want. We never abuse it, we just tell you when there’s something you might want to know about the Royal Oak—truffles, menus, or music, or jobs available. Nothing to lose. The staff might ask you—don’t be offended, please. Just say no if you wish.
Why not purchase one of our startling prints/photos/canvases as displayed around the place. The Iconic Cow above the main fireplace is not available off the wall, but a canvas will take 4 days and costs £160
Every August we attract some of the region’s worst and best musi-cians to play at the world renowned Pigstock Festi-val at Eastbrook Farm. Details will emerge in early 2012
