Harrow Inn pub, Hughenden Valley, near High Wycombe – highly commended

Taking a short break with my wife in Buckinghamshire, we came across a good, unpretentious pub to the north of High Wycombe that deserves a favourable mention. Dating from the Sixteenth Century, it was reassuringly popular with locals and the staff were very friendly.

Our food took the best part of half an hour to arrive but, as I ordered roast quail, that was to be expected. It came wrapped in bacon and served on a bed of game chips in redcurrant sauce.  The bird was well-cooked but, given its size, didn’t yield a huge amount of meat. My vegetables comprised lightly-battered courgettes – crisp without being too crunchy – in a nest of green beans: memorably unusual.  My wife liked her generous bowl of beetroot and Oxford Blue cheese salad and, even more so, the pot au chocolat with which she followed it; my dessert, scoops of local ice cream, was suitably refreshing.

As the evening wore on, it became clear why the pub was full: it was holding a Quiz Night. £1 per person to enter, with a buffet thrown in – the publican was obviously thinking creatively of ways to survive the downturn.

Testing our hazy knowledge of famous murders was not quite how we had anticipated spending the evening but at least we were spared a round on, say, World Cup winners of the 70s. In contrast with the empty pub where we ate on the previous evening – the silence filled with 80s pop music – it was good to have some real atmosphere.

Photo from Geograph | To reserve a table, phone 01494 259076.