Review: The Greene Oak, Oakley Green, Windsor

The Green Oak at Oakley Green, Windsor

The Greene Oak is a gastro pub gem slightly off the beaten-track – even though its right next to the M4 motorway: up a little lane not far from the Oakley Court Hotel beside the Thames in Windsor.

Chiltern Traveller visited in the evening after the scorching heat of August had subsided so the outside dining area was a perfect place to while away a few hours as the sun set..  The pub also has a beautiful wooden panelled dining room with flagstone floors, a wood-burning fire – perfect for those soon-to-come chilly days of autumn and winter.  There are also some unique ‘private’ dining areas in the guide of several gypsy caravans and trailers. They also looked like a good place to spend the night during this summer’s heat!

Exclusive dining carriage!

The owners of Greene Oak are chef Jamie Dobbin and James Lyon-Shaw, both of whom learned their trade at the famous celebrity West End haunt, The Ivy in Covent Garden. And it shows.  From the warmth of the welcome, to the great service and the quality of the perfectly cooked food.

One example:  I love artichokes – hardly any calories, full of vitamins and nutrients – but then you get to the hairy ‘chote’ in the middle and you can get into a unpleasant mess.  So I was surprised to discover that this annoying part had been removed, leaving the sumptuous heart. Although my companion chose the artichoke we both sampled each other’s dishes –  and she picked the chilled hazelnut vinaigrette.

Whole Globe Artichoke with warm summer truffle or chilled hazelnut vinaigrette £9.50

My choice  of starter was the Smoked Chicken and Ham Hock Terrine which would also have been a perfect lunch time dish on its own.

Smoked chicken and ham hock terrine with wild herb aioli £8.50

I ordered my steak medium rare, pictured below,  which most restaurants seem to find difficult to get right but mine was perfect. My companion’s Cotswold Chicken (pictured), came with potato dumplings and a selection of crunchy but perfectly cooked vegetables.

 

350g Longhorn Sirloin £29

Cotswold Chicken, potato dumplings, broccoli, courgettes, peas, tarragon £18.50

We finished with Milk junket and cherries  (£6)and Triple Chocolate Slice with salted caramel (36) followed by fresh mint tea.  Sorry there are no pictures – that is because we at them so quickly that we forgot to take a photo of them!

We also chose a large glass of house red wine – Alma de Vid Tempranillo (£7.50) to accompany the meal.

Somehow or other we found ourselves the last to leave after arriving at 7.30 pm. It was a perfect conclusion to the end of a lovely summer’s day.

Contact information:

Website The Greene Oak

Oakley Green, Windsor, Berks SL4 5UW

Tel: 01753 864 294

Email: info@thegreenoake.co.uk

Chef Jamie Dobbin

James Lyon-Shaw, owner

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