The White Oak

Long-established as a local gastropub favourite, the White Oak has moved a step closer to destination status with the arrival of new chef Clive Dixon (ex-The Hind’s Head at Bray). His style is a produce-led amalgam of robust country cooking and refined technique typified by the likes of veal sirloin piled with ceps and morels, rack of lamb alongside a shepherd’s pie and crispy sweetbreads, or caramel apple crumble enlivened by zippy apple sorbet. It’s inventive stuff, but affordable and accessible too; prices remaining keen, even without a lunchtime ‘auberge’ menu that might include venison burger, steamed beef pudding or chicken and ham pie with split peas and mustard sauce. The dining room’s taupe shades, thick pine beams, cream chandeliers and widely spaced, bare tables match the food’s smart, unfussy tone, while warm, engaging staff and a compact, broadly priced wine list also fit the bill.