You’d never know from the calm demeanor of the staff what a challenging couple of months it’s been for The George at Upton, but judging by our lunch there, things are back on an even keel.
Having been taken on by a couple of locals a few years ago, keen to keep their village pub alive, they set about transforming The George; putting in a new kitchen and dining room, its busy bar providing a bustling hub for Upton.
‘We hit the jackpot with a green tomato chutney bread with a curry butter’
Head chef Dean Joseph began making his mark in the kitchens and the ubiquitous and vastly talented Mary Galer was brought in as GM. So far so good. The place was packed with happy diners. Mission accomplished.
But then disaster struck, a few days after Mary arrived the South & Vale’s Environmental Health Officer visited leaving a one star ‘Scores on the Doors’ rating after an unannounced inspection on March 3, “our paperwork and structural practices were really out of date” Mary explains. Absolutely devastated the team frantically began making the necessary adjustments and when the EHO revisited recently were given five stars.
‘The dining room is a revelation; light, bright, tasteful and professional, it’s a stylish but relaxed place to eat ‘
Back on track then, and keen to reassure everyone that they’ve learned for their mistakers, it seems a prescient time to run our review of The George at Upton, because paperwork or no paperwork, we loved it.
The dining room for a start is a revelation; light, bright, tasteful and professional, the staff are heavenly. It’s a stylish but relaxed place to eat and the perfect antidote to the adjacent wooden bar.
Dean’s menu is eclectic and seasonal, with plenty to choose from including the Japanese Konro charcoal BBQ section, plus a prix fixe menu of £21 for two courses or £25 for three, which is exceptional value.
‘We just want everyone to feel they can come in’
Heading straight for the Wye Valley asparagus with a crispy hens egg and beurre blanc (£12) and the pea bavarois with asparagus radish and pea shoot salad, (because we’d never had it before and were intrigued), we ordered.
But first came the complimentary homemade bread and butter, which changes daily. We hit the jackpot with a green tomato chutney bread with a curry butter, served on a beautiful wooden board with a wooden knife. The bread was crunchy, chewy and flavored, the butter light and fluffy with just the right hint of spice – it disappeared in a trice.
The asparagus was perfectly cooked, the crispy hens egg piping hot, the yolk oozing, and the beurre blanc pooled on the plate
The asparagus was perfectly cooked, the ends cubed, the crispy hens egg piping hot, the yolk oozing, and the beurre blanc (butter white wine, shallots, and vinegar) pooled on the plate.
The bavarois was a dense rectangle of greenness and definitely vegan, but a sterling effort in introducing novel and interesting plant-based dishes and keeping things interesting. Would we order it again though? Probably not.
throwing caution to the wind we dived into the 10oz ribeye, with hand-cut beef dripping chips, rocket & Parmesan salad, confit vine tomatoes, roast bone marrow and beer-pickled onion rings
Then we went all in, throwing caution to the wind with the 10oz ribeye, with hand-cut beef dripping chips, rocket & Parmesan salad, confit vine tomatoes, roast bone marrow and beer-pickled onion rings (£36) which arrived respondent on a wooden board groaning with goodies, and was set upon with no attempt at dignity.
The Thai veg curry with onion braised rice from the specials board also sounded too good to resist, and we weren’t disappointed, the vibrant, piquant, zinging flavours shining through.
‘the rhubarb tart, crème patisserie, stem ginger sorbet, lemon & thyme meringue was obviously on the hit list’
Puds wise the rhubarb tart, crème patisserie, stem ginger sorbet, lemon & thyme meringue was obviously on the hit list, the pastry crumbly, the fruit tart but soft, the ice cream sweet and tangy.
And the malt cake with butterscotch sauce, crystalized spelt and milk ice cream, the malt cake needing to be a bit lighter and spongier but still rich and treacly, washed down with some lovely coffee.
We hope people will remember that with two pubs closing a week, and a stalwart effort being made to ensure the village pub continues thriving, The George could do with your support
All very accomplished, all very impressive, but the question is, has the damage inadvertently been done by the ratings? We hope people will remember that with two pubs closing a week, and a stalwart effort being made to ensure the village pub continues thriving, The George could do with your support.
We talked to Mary and Dean after our meal, Mary, having run the hugely acclaimed Miller of Mansfield in Goring with her husband Nick (the new head chef at Gees) READ OUR EXCLUSIVE HERE certainly knows her stuff.
‘It’s been a tough three months but I’m looking forward to moving on and having a great summer’
“It’s been a tough three months but I’m looking forward to moving on and having a great summer,” Mary says. “Sadly the ratings didn’t reflect all the hard work we have put in, so it’s great to know that as a team we’ve got back up to the 5* and the right procedures and structure in place. So we would like to thank all of our loyal customers, suppliers and friends who have been so supportive during these very difficult last few weeks.
“And we’d love people to come and check out The George for themselves, whether you pop in for a pizza in the garden, come in for a special occasion, or try our new summer menu coming out very soon. I personally want to see it used by locals with their kids, a date night, a book club, girls night out, and people using the old railway for a walk from Didcot/Chilton (where our sister pub is). We just want everyone to feel they can come in.
‘We all love working here. It’s like a family and the team are all so talented and have worked so hard to get the stars back’
Dean is just as passionate about working at The George, and says the menus are a collaborative effort devised by the whole kitchen team. Having worked with Tom Aitken’s for nine years and then as Director of Food at Arsenal Football Club, as well as winning Junior Masterchef at Westminster, aged just 17, and has even cooked for the Queen, Dean is determined to put the pub on the map.
“We all love working here. It’s like a family and the team are all so talented and have worked so hard to get the stars back. We enjoy what we do and out our heart and soul into every plate of food that’s comes out of the kitchen, whether it’s a for a meat eater, veggie, vegan or gluten free. Everyone deserves the best we can produce.”
The George at Upton is at https://www.thegeorgeatupton.co.uk
