The Bell (Shenington)

If you fancy a drive out into the country one fine summer's evening, there's a lovely pub to head for in Shenington, near Banbury.
My partner and I arrived there one sultry evening, with still enough daylight to appreciate the surrounding picturesque Oxfordshire countryside and take in the olde worlde look of this pretty village.

And what a lovely place to be arriving at, towards the end of the day, when your appetite is sharpened, and you feel a hankering for a sit down with a meal and a decent glass of wine.

The pub sits quietly in the middle of the village, adjacent to a little green, with just a teensy garden out front with a few tablesand parasols, and inside two cottage-sized lounges with a bar and dining area in each; and a big warm and genuine welcome from its patrons, Tony (at the bar) and his wife Jennifer, head chef

Tony showed my partner and I to our table, and indicated tonight's menu chalked up on the blackboard by the bar. It was a Friday evening and the pub wasn't packed, by any means, but the flow of dinerswas consistent and ongoing until almost ten o'clock

Food at the Bell is not haute cuisine but it doesn't pretend to be. It is good, hearty, honest cooking and if you haven't eaten a hearty meal for days, even better. Because some of the portions will have your eyes out on stalks, and every dish was served piping hot from the oven on warmed plates. (Always a safe bet that good tastes will follow)

After deliberating over a menu with a mass of choices, especially in the main course department, we plumped for King Prawns in garlic for my partner, consisting of four large Prawns with crispy salad, and Avacado Salad for me which belied its unassumingly  modest name, being full of crunchy green leaves, biting fresh apple, grapes, peppers as well as avocado, all coated with a delicious salad dressing

Pie filled with hunky chunks of haddock, salmon, and cod, topped with steaming hot creamy sauce and sliced potatoes, with a side dish of vegetables. And rounded this off with a dessert between the two of us. (Reluctantly we had to wave the white flag and forego the rich promise of Baileys Cheesecake, Sticky Toffee Pud and Fresh Strawberry Pavlova due to lack of room rather than lack of desire). But we settled on Lemon Tart and two spoons, which was superb: crumbly melt-in-the-mouth pastry with a sweet and sharp lemon topping served hot with icy vanilla ice cream melting alongside it.

Prices at THE BELL are as reasonable and down-to-earth as you'd expect from this little gem, and the pub doesn't charge extra for bread with starters or main course vegetables, which can somewhat bump up the bill. There's a decent selection of fine wines to choose from, and Jennifer
cooks up dishes for gluten free diners as well as vegetarians so all tastes are catered for.

The Bell is just up the road from the popular Gliding Club, not far from Upton House, and around 18 miles from Stratford. Well worth making the journey for an eating experience that is as welcoming as home.