I use websites to find pubs. I used, admittedly, not this site, but another popular pub site to…read morefind a nice, country pub for a Sunday lunch, and I ran across the Frog and Wicket, supposedly near Hook, but actually, not exactly near, but nearish.
We decided to visit there for Sunday lunch. After reading the recommendations here, I visited the website, and, following its instructions, duly phoned to make a lunchtime reservation. Am I glad I did.
I live in SW London, so it was around a 40 minute drive, down the M3 and through country lanes. Opposite a cricket pitch (is that a surprise?) you'll find the Frog and Wicket. There is a layby in front of the pub, and a bigish (well, by British standards) car park in the back - I'd hate to try to get into and out of it if it were any busier than it was today (and it was pretty busy).
There are a surprising number of doors to get in, for the relatively small size of the pub. If you come in the main door, you'll see a bar right in front of you, with several (four or five) hand pulls for real ale in front of you. The ales aren't thrilling - Doom Bar, Youngs, 6X and Pride greeted us, but there is a choice, and the service is superb.
Despite the busyness of the pub, we were greeted immediately. We mentioned that we had a table booked; the barman took our beer order (one Youngs Bitter shandy for my husband and a mediocre 6X for me), insisted on starting a tab, and showed us our table, right near the bar and the kitchen. Normally, I'd moan a bit about being seated near the kitchen door, but the pub was full, so I wasn't disgruntled.
There were three roasts on offer for £9.95 each, or you could have a bit of each (beef, pork and lamb) for the same price. My husband chose the pork, and received a stonking great piece of meat, complete with a bit of bone, and loads of crackling (yum - I had a bit), along with lots of potatoes, parsnips, gravy and a Yorkshire pud, and, sadly, some insipid looking veg (though the red cabbage was nice). The pork was lovely (yes, I nicked a bit) - tender and juicy, and the crackling was superb. The menu offers you additional gravy, potatoes, parsnip or veg simply for the asking. It's just as well he didn't ask; he had quite a full plate as it was. I chose to order from the specials board, and so had seared duck with potatoes, spinach and balsamic onions. I'd have liked the duck a wee bit less cooked - it wasn't overcooked, per se, but I just prefer it rarer, and perhaps not quite so many potatoes (I thought I was going to grow extra potato eyes had I finished them all - I left loads), but the onions and spinach were delicious, as was the duck itself and the sauce.
The beer was well kept - I had Doom Bar after my slightly disappointing 6X; I suspect the 6X was disappointing because my tastes had changed - it was not off or stale. The staff were friendly and efficient, and the locals were very friendly.
The pub clearly caters for a mixed clientele - there were locals at the bar and in the smoking area, families with small children dining (though not too many, and they were well behaved), a few groups of elderly folk - a real mixed bag. I did not, however, spot any 'oiks' - I have no idea, though, whether such folk are around during the week. There were signs scattered around admonishing the customers to not deal in drugs, nor to use foul language. Whether this prevents such behaviour, or is there because such behaviour exists, I cannot tell. I can only say I saw no such behaviour on my visit.
They frequently have live music, according to their website (http://www.thefrogandwicket.co.uk/ev_home.html) . Today, they had a pretty young lady playing jazz(ish) classics on a rather funky looking electric piano. She was perhaps uninspiring, but she was competent, and provided a pleasing background to our roast dinner.
The loos were clean, though unremarkable. The first time I went into the ladies, the toilet wouldn't flush; the second time presented no problem. Apparently, the men's loo has a rather interesting painting over the urinals - a few of the pub from the cricket pitch opposite, featuring rather buxom women in a state of undress. According to what I presume was the landlord, the painting features a number of people who were locals at the time of painting. Needless to say, I cannot verify this, for a number of reasons.
Out back, there is a tented and heated smoking area, with several tables and chairs. Sadly, the tent only covers three sides (I think this is a legal thing), so on a windy day, as it was today, the protection isn't quite what I'd like.
There are at least two outbuildings, neither of which I visited, and indeed, didn't seem to be open. One was called Toad Hall - I've no idea what's in there. The other, longer building, apparently houses a function room, and intriguingly, a skittles alley. Something which I shall have to investigate another time.
I would love to revisit this pub in the summer, when
