UNCLE
TOM'S CABIN
I have long
since come to the conclusion that in general terms, the only
decent pubs in the UK are to be found either in major cities, ports, traditional
market towns or indeed just about anywhere in the country that is not 'suburban'.
In that
respect, we are lucky living where we do. While the pubs in our town are a
nondescript bunch, a swift 10-15 mins drive will see you out in the country,
where acceptable hostelries commence as close as about 4 miles away. Thus it was
that a recommendation led us to Cookham Dean many years ago
when considering a local upon which to bestow our favour. Cookham is a very
sizable area, consisting of Cookham
Village by the river,
Cookham Rise, which provides the railway station and then Cookham Dean which at
a higher elevation in several senses is the 'jewel in the crown of the
Cookhams'. Indeed, the real estate prices and clear demographic profile of the nearby
residents suggest anything but Life among the lowly, which was the alternative
title of Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous novel. In fact in 2011, the Daily
Telegraph deemed Cookham to be Britain's
second-richest village (before you Google it, number one was East Horsley in Surrey). In the old
days the then landlord of UTC (may he and his lovely lady rest in peace) was a
quirky and bristling retired major who seemed to favour Basil Fawlty as a role
model. At that time, the pub served the locals as an admirable alternative
to either going home or staying at home and was very much like a private
gentleman's club. Indeed, woe betide the errant unknown passer-by who entered, only
to then suffer the kind of disdain meted out to an 'other ranker' who had shown
the temerity of venturing into the officer's mess without having been summoned
(despite the fact that either war had unexpectedly broken out, or the colonel
had just exploded messily on the parade ground). But all
things must pass and when aforementioned couple retired, the establishment saw
various landlords (some of whom were actually quite OK), but none of whom were
quite in the same league as 'Mr & Mrs Major' in terms of being such a
unique institution. After a few years,
we refrained from attending for quite a few years until just recently, when
curiosity got the better of me and I set out to become reacquainted with the
cozy bar and pleasant shaded garden. The current
landlord/lady have been there for three years and certainly seem to have made
some positive changes.
For instance, a luncheon menu (not just sandwiches) and evening menu
Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Qype%20pix/2012-05-05142736.jpg
Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Qype%20pix/2012-05-05144659.jpg
and they have tided the place up, while keeping the charming traditional
aspects such as tongue and groove walls:
Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Qype%20pix/2012-05-05144422.jpg
and a much more gleaming
bar than way back when.
Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Qype%20pix/2012-05-05145321.jpg
The Sunday lunches are also
extremely fragrant (I have not eaten one yet merely drooled) and the pub grub
is highly spoken of on other review sites. Indeed a couple of astute observers
note that the locals seem to make a point of eating there
which when you think about it certainly does not apply
in the case of everyone's local boozer. Update: August 2012: Finally got round to lunch there on a gorgeous summer's day. Freshly grilled sardines with salad. So much the better as not really traditional pub fare and beautifully done! I'll be back. read more
