It’s easy to take your favourite places for granted, to head off to pastures new, but when a birthday arose, our feet headed off automatically in the direction of The Back Lane Tavern in Woodstock.
We haven’t eaten there for a while actually, presuming we had its measure, but with new dishes being continually added, the menu was still full of surprises.
We’d booked weeks in advance luckily, because as ever the restaurant was packed to the rafters, even on a Wednesday night , the bar thronged with regulars catching up, oblivious to the diners eating in bliss next door.
That hybrid of pub and dining room is such a hard one to pull off, but the two co-exist so naturally here. And ask anyone, this is where foodies and chefs alike flock in their droves. Because with exec head chef Johnny Parke designing the menus and Darryl Vorster heading up the kitchens when Johnny is at sister restaurant OXTWO, they’ve got it sussed.
We made a decision not to order anything we’d tried before. So for the first time ever we didn’t choose the infamous chicken wings or the Vietnamese rolls (the classics always stay on the menu or there would be uproar), and with lots of seasonal options there was still more than enough to mull over.
First up the marinated Gordal olives (OK we might have cheated on this one but they are a must – the biggest, juiciest olives out there), to accompany a lovely bottle of Pinot Noir, and the sourdough, miso and onion butter, chicken skin and sun blush tomato tapenade. (£7)
It was awesome, the olive oil and balsamic accompanying the bread involving a dollop of sweet tapenade, the bread soft and chewy, the crust bitter, the whipped butter unctuous, strongly infused, but still light against the crispy, thin, snappy, chicken skin. Hell yes!
Then a dish from the specials – jalapeño poppers with cream cheese and horseradish, the chillies filled with cheddar, paprika, garlic, Pangritata (grated, flavoured breadcrumbs known as poor man’s Parmesan) and baked. Delicious and novel.
The dishes here come out as and when, next up the Brussels sprout bhajis with a cucumber raita (£8) were another surprise, the yoghurt sauce calming the heat, while the filo baked goats cheese with truffled honey, toasted hazelnuts and sesame (£12) was like a savoury baklava, crispy, gooey, sweet with a crunch of fig – it was ingenious.
But it was the venison bourguignon with smoked bacon, forest mushrooms, pickled onions and a pomme puree (£16) that won hands down. So tender the meat just fell apart, juicy with pickled onions, the potato soft and buttery, the gravy thick and rich, it was a masterpiece ( see main pic).
That’s not to detract from the bubble and squeak pie with Mrs Bell’s blue, truffled artichoke purée, mustard and a cider sauce, the pastry thick and crumbly, the innards working so well together heightened by the tarragon, mint and parsley in the sauce, and beautiful to behold, accompanied by some really moreish shredded, buttered Savoy cabbage. We could have eaten bowlfuls.
But the joy of The Back Lane‘s sharing plates is that even when replete, we still had time for dessert, and who’d miss out on the lemon posset with mango, pineapple and honeycomb (£8) or the chocolate fondant with Morello cherries and vanilla ice cream (£8)? Not us, and boy were we rewarded.
The sharp posset was enlivened by the tropical fruit and the crunch and stick of the honeycomb, while the gooey, thick, dark, chocolate oozing out of the light fondant case, and the macerated cherries cutting against the cold ice cream was absolutely delightful.
As we left the festive dining room at the back, and wound our way through the busy bar, we secretly applauded The Back Lane Tavern for continually providing exactly what people want – a great, vibey pub and a stellar dining room where the food, atmosphere and service never disappoint. It’s a winning combination.
The Back Lane Tavern is at 11 Park Lane, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1UD. https://backlanetavern.co.uk
