Address: Marsh Benham, (off A4 Newbury – Hungerford), RG20 *LY

Telephone number: 01635 582017

Website: www.theredhousepub.com

Date of visit: 12 December 2009

Approximate cost per head: £15 – £75

Comments on wine list/beer:  West Berkshire Beer, above average global wine list majoring on non french wines

Summary:

This is another Sawday’s recommended pub.

I was travelling between Newbury and Hungerford when I saw the sign for The Red House so I followed it –I was not looking for it.

First impression was that the garden was well kept – you have to walk through the garden to reach the pub.

The pub has a L shaped bar with a restaurant attached to the L to make it into a U. The walls are painted a maroon red colour.

As soon as I entered, I was met with a waitress who showed me to a table in the pub section – this is a new experience for me in the UK. There is no table cloth in the pub section but you get a proper napkin.

The menu is very interesting with a selection of mini scotch eggs and pies at £2 a portion as a bar snack.

The main menu offers anything from ham egg and chips via lamb shank to fillet steak (£25). In between, there are specialist pies and puddings (around £12) made within the kitchen.

I settled for the scotch eggs to start with, followed by cauliflower au gratin with ham.

Two mini scotch eggs (quail egg) appeared – hot and deep fried. The sausage meat was fine but the egg  yolk  was “hard”. This does not compare with the scotch egg at The Royal Oak (Paley Street – owned by Michael Parkinson and yes, the village is called Paley Street) where the yolk is always runny – I have eaten it on 5 separate occasions and the yolk is always runny.

The Cauliflower au gratin came with a very generous of peas and chips. The chips were very slightly salted.

The overall bill with two pints (waitress service) came to £16.35. The Cauli was £8.95 and the beer was £2.70 a pint.

Overall, it was very good food at a very reasonable price. However, as I was leaving, I was handed a leaflet – apparently, the chef offers a 5 course Chef’s table dinner on the first and third Monday every month at £75 a head – this includes wine with every course. I am tempted.

Eddie