Review: The Raven of Bath, Bath, UK

This seems to be *the* place to eat pie in Bath. And drink ale. Good ale.

I would actually go as far as to say this is one of the best pies I’ve eaten.

Three Kings Pie:  Turkey Smoked Bacon, Parsnip and Cranberry.

The Raven of Bath specialises in pies - and there are always at least three vegetarian pie options on the menu (hurray!!). Better news? All the gravies are vegetarian. Yep, all. There was a choice of three: 

Raven Ale and red onion

Red Wine and thyme

Sage and onion

If that choice of gravy doesn’t make you mouth water then I don’t know what will. 

Deer Santa Pie: British venison, British bacon, puy lentils, winter vegetables, juniper, thyme and port.

The pies are served with either mash or chips. I haven’t tried the mash but the chips were very good and chunky enough to soak up the gravy. 

And before I forget, the pies are served with a single cherry tomato. Superfluous or quirky? I can’t decide. 

I ordered the Heidi Pie with the Red Wine and Thyme gravy. It was both sweet and savory and not too salty. As far as pies go it was very good quality. Supplied from pie minister (all hail), the pastry was done to perfection and it was actually full! Not a half full piece of pastry with a crumbly lid on as seems to be the case with a lot of substandard pies. 

Heidi Pie (topped with sesame seeds): Goat's cheese, sweet potato, spinach, red onion and roasted garlic.

The Raven of Bath is continually packed in the evenings, a mark of a good pub. You might have to wait a bit for a table and then aggressively leap on one as soon as you see a group leaving… but it’s definitely worth it. 

✭✭✭✭½

Review: The Turf Tavern, Oxford, UK

Hello! For my first review, I thought I would go with my absolute favourite place in Oxford - The Turf Tavern!

This was the first place that I ever ate in Oxford. Visiting the city in the summer of 2014, I was on a walking tour and the guide, a recently graduated student of the Ruskin, recommended it to our group.

The location of the tavern is half of the excitement of going there. Just beyond the Bridge of Sighs is a little alley in the wall.

You would absolutely walk past it without prior knowledge.

 

'An education in intoxication'

Despite being tucked away down the narrowest of passages, the Turf Tavern is actually very large inside and it is always full! There is both indoor and outdoor seating, although the atmosphere inside is arguably a lot more cosy and pleasant. 

They stock a nice selection of ales - the Plum Porter (winner of the CAMRA gold award on multiple occasions) is particularly yummy!

However, for me, the highlight of visiting the Turf Tavern is the food! This is pub grub at its finest. As a non-meat-eater I stick to the vegetarian options, of which there are always a few and they are always absolutely delicious. They serve specials such as 'beetroot curry' (yum!) and on the staple menu... the best vegetarian burger I have ever had.

Beetroot curry (top), Vegetarian burger (bottom)

This pumpkin, smoked cheddar, chill and thyme burger is just heavenly. I can't recommend it enough. It's served with coleslaw, chips and a rather jam-like tomato sauce. I am struggle to order anything else on the menu. It's that good. 

When eating with my omnivore friends and family, they also rave about their meals. Pictured above is  "the best steak and ale pie" my friend (who has had 67 years of pie eating experience) has ever had. 

For desserts, they have a mouth watering selection ranging from staples to a doughnut, banana and salted caramel sundae. 

The triple chocolate brownie (bottom) served with mint ice cream was mediocre. The brownie was verging on becoming stale and didn't have that nice gooey warmth that you hope for when ordering! Last year, they served beetroot brownies with mint ice cream which were much more interesting. 

However, the sticky toffee pudding is hard to beat. A very generous portion size (you might want to consider sharing!) but it is so, so delicious and moist and made all the better with a scoop of clotted cream. I highly recommend it. 

They also serve a wide range of lunch options of which I am yet to sample. 

The Turf Tavern is now switching to its Autumn menu which I am thoroughly excited about. I think this pub will be the thing I miss most when it comes to leaving Oxford. 

★★★★★