Punch Bowl

Perhaps Guy Ritchie invested in this pub as somewhere to occupy his attentions while his rocky marriage to Madonna was making headlines? Smart choice! Done out in a sober style that reflects its Georgian origins - note the original panelling & fine etched glass - this handsome alehouse is worth a detour. Old Speckled Hen heads the draught ales & the wine list reflects Ritchie’s cliquey public schoolboy tastes: fruity Burgundies, summery Provençal rosé & a top-rate Tuscan that nudges fifty notes. Grub is old-school & uniformly good: ploughman’s is in a league of its own, thanks to Isle of Mull Cheddar & Barkham Blue on the plate, while fish & chips & Gloucester Old Spot bangers & mash both rock the house.