I discovered a liking for beer on a trip to Bruges last year. Hungerford is an awful lot closer to me than Bruges and luckily for me the John O Gaunt have a selection of Belgian beers on offer. I have been over there a few times and it’s always busy; I have learnt that booking is essential. They offer a range of meals; some pub classics, some light meals and snacks and all reasonably priced. If you click to open the picture below you’ll read the bottom bit of their menu which I thought was quite amusing!
I started with the Scotch egg. I have to say I’m used to ordering a Scotch egg and it arriving hot with a liquid yolk in the middle so I was a bit disappointed to have this one arrive cold. You could tell from the consistency of the yolk that it would have been perfect if served hot. Having said that I did like the sage and onion flavour of the pork and the homemade brown sauce was very nice. There was also a big bowl of courgette and Stilton soup which I thought was an unusual combination as courgettes don’t have much flavour but it was generous and tasty.
I wanted to try the pulled pork bap for my main but they had none left so I opted for gammon, egg and chips (a bit of a theme with my starter and main!). There’s not too much to say about my main; it was gammon, very well cooked organic eggs and excellent chips. The other main was a very generous Ploughman’s with plenty of cheese and ham. I enjoyed this meal because you got exactly what the menu said; simple and unfussy.
It would have been nice to have a pudding but I was so full I couldn’t fit one in! The price for two starters, two mains, two soft drinks and a Kwak (my favourite Belgian beer) was £44.20. The menu has lots of options; mostly pub classics, quite a few fish options and all reasonably priced. It would be nice to see a few more vegetarian options or something a bit different or daring but I like how uncomplicated it is. It’s a nice place to go and sit, of course there’s plenty of beers available, and I’m pleased that it’s always busy.
You can’t stay away from beer when in Belgium! Or UK..:)
ela h.
Gray Apron
Sounds like a great place! I’ve had only a few Belgian beers — I need to get out more. Fun post — thanks.
Haha I bet it would have been hard to not be full after such delicious meals 😀
Incredible dishes!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Those scotch eggs look very tasty. Nice to go with a glass of cold beer.
If I ever have the opportunity, I’ll go there; if I like it, as I expect I would, I’ll write a positive tripadvisor review for them! They are right; a lot of people will only say something negative.