THE POINTER, BRILL

As a country girl at heart my ideal Sunday is spent mooching round the countryside in wellies, dog(s) in tow, working up an appetite for a hearty Sunday roast in a beautiful village pub. And that's exactly what I spent the Sunday after I got back from Japan doing (blog posts on Japan coming next week btw). I'd been sent the press release for a pub called The Pointer, in Brill near Oxford, by a PR I work with, accompanied by her “favourite pig picture ever” and an invite to spend the morning on the farm that produces most of the fruit, vegetables and meat used at The Pointer, where I would then have lunch.

Polly and I jumped on the 3o minute train from Marylebone to Thane and Haddenham Parkway, where we were greeted by Fiona, who along with her husband David, owns and runs the farm, pub and butchers in the village, as well as running a weekly market in Brill where local producers can sell their wares. She whizzed us straight to their farm (which they've grown from what was essentially an extended five acre garden when they bought it, to 150 acres) where we donned some wellies for our guided tour of the land and animals. I’m a massive believer in eating good quality meat (and veg) and it was so refreshing to see how well looked after all their animals were. Fiona and David are absolutely committed to growing chemical free food and rearing animals to the highest welfare standard. They breed cows, sheep, chickens and pigs on the farm that are reared on natural feed and live full, happy, free lives. Some of the animals are bred as show animals and have won many prizes, and others are bred for meat. We saw their Highland cows, Longhorns, Tamworth Kune Kune cross 10 days old piglets, Indian runner ducks, Middle White pigs, Hampshire Down sheep and lambs, a couple of horses and their bee hives!

 

Then it was off to the pub for lunch.

Now, I know this might sound like an exaggeration, but I can honestly say it was the best Sunday roast I've ever had in a pub. The pub itself is beautifully designed and still feels like a village pub, just done up in the nicest way possible. It's got low ceilings but tons of light, the staff are helpful and polite but also relaxed, and they have a Bloody Mary bar where they make my favourite Sunday cocktail using fiery vodka they've spiced themselves and tomato juice cooked and made in the pub kitchen....! There's a bar area at the front of the pub and a beautiful dining room towards the back with high vaulted ceilings, where we sat looking on to the huge beer garden that I can't wait to go back to in the summer.

For starters I chose the Brixham crab with beetroot, bramley apple and New Dehli spices. It was beautifully presented and equally delicious - so fresh and every flavour had a place on the plate. The apple and crab were heavenly. As was the accompanying homemade farm herb and sea salt bread and sourdough bread with the beef butter.

Polly's starter of Pointer game terrine made with rabbit, pheasant and venison, served with hedgerow fruit dressing and pear puree was perfect. The terrine was juicy, so pretty to look at, and each meat definable in the slice. Again, the addition of fruit to the plate played perfectly with the game-y meat of the terrine.

As we'd been recommended the suckling pig, reared on the farm we'd just seen, for mains, there wasn't any other option in our minds (though the faggots of Rowler Manor red deer with parsnips, red cabbage, kale and cardamom gravy sounds incredible, and the roast sirloin of Longhorn beef I saw going to other tables looked absolutely delicious). So we both went for the suckling pig served with winter greens, roast potatoes, Pointer apple sauce, Scrumpy and mustard cream. And this is what we got.....

Slow cooked pork that was bursting with flavour and melt in the mouth, with apple that cut through the rich meat, unctuous creamy gravy, crunchy crackly crackling, perfectly cooked greens and crispy-on-the-outside-buttery-in-the-middle roasties. A plate of food that I honestly never wanted to end!

We finished off with a totally unnecessary but decadent chocolate pudding that pretty much defeated us! Within an hour we were back home in London, happy as can be, full to the brim, and plotting our next trip to The Pointer.

I really can't recommend The Pointer enough. It's so easy to get to from London, is ridiculously good value (starters are £6-9, roasts £18 and regular mains start at £16) and serves the best pub food I've ever tried. Go. Spend the day there. Drink all the drinks and eat all the food, and thank me later!