Royal Oak, Wooton Rivers, Wiltshire (Egon Ronay, Good Pub Guide, Quiet Pint, Which Guide). The Royal
Oak, set in a pretty village (it's got awards to prove it), offers a wide range of food in a cavernous interior, but
manages to stay friendly. Excellent for a lunchtime outing. Egon flags up food and fish. Four beers are mentioned,
and there's plenty of space devoted to food, such as 'a hearty steak and Guinness pie, Armenian lamb, green
Thai chicken curry' etc. We're told that local game features on the menu in winter, plus popular vegetarian
choices. No prices, though. The Good Pub Guide awards the Royal Oak a wineglass for range of wine at the
bar, and we find out that the pie would cost รบ6.50, plus plenty more food details. We're usefully told that
booking is recommended in the evenings when
'some customers may be quite smartly dressed'.
Three beers are
listed. The Quiet Pint points out the four different eating areas and lists an almost entirely different set of food, but
this represents the breadth of the Royal Oak's menu rather than editorial confusion. Three beers again. Food is
certainly on the mind of the Which Guide, quoting someone as saying 'hardly anyone seems to be there for a
drink'. With inevitable consumer concern, Which points out the 'numerous as they are efficient' serving staff, and
a long menu 'strong on familiar, homespun dishes'. The detail is reasonable, though not up to the Good Pub
Guide's. Like the GPG, Which points out that Wadsworth's is served direct from the cask, but doesn't bother to
mention the alternatives.
