After months of sympathetic renovations the The Plough at Shiplake will be welcoming customers this week. The Plough delivers on all levels providing a village pub welcome in their stylish bar, dining area of delightful nooks & crannies, private dining space and what will be an amazing outdoor kitchen.

Jill Sikkens, owner of The Plough is excited to open the doors proper after a warm welcome from the local community when they were recently entertained, enjoying a look around, drinks and tasters of what to expect on the menu as well.

The transformation inside from traditional village pub to a smart, bright welcoming dining space and bar with wonderful original exposed beams and natural brick with careful design and attention to detail is outstanding. Even the toilets are worthy of a visit in their own right! It invites you in to explore it’s beautiful interior and we can’t wait to test out the menu.

Speaking to Jill, she is passionate about what she wants to deliver with the style, ambience and the creative nature of the opening menu. It is also very apparent that there is a cohesive, solid team behind The Plough, one which Jill is hugely proud and supportive of.

Many village and rural pubs that aim to deliver high quality, innovative food forget about providing that so needed space to just pop in and prop up the bar to enjoy a glass of wine or beer with a snack or two, The Plough delivers. It delivers with aplomb. The bar area is beautifully designed and creates a relaxed and informal space to just drop by and hang out.

But this is not all, The Plough also has a stunning private dining space upstairs with it’s own fabulously stylish bar to be used for meetings, gatherings, celebrations or for anything you like really.

When you think that it can’t deliver any more, there’s the landscaped garden outside which includes a large firepit to sit around in the cold or of a balmy summer evening or to just stand and warm your cockles by the ornate upright fire tower.

And something to look forward to from April onwards will be an amazing outdoor kitchen which is currently being built and boy it’s impressive, including planchas, open grills and a wood fired oven. What a treat that will be to sit around and while away few hours.

The menu sounds fabulous, we’ll certainly be hot footing it to Shiplake to try it out, from the bar snacks to the main menu. Deliciously sounding Cod Roe, Caviar & Apple to maybe whet your appetite, Shetland Scallops or Berkshire Pig Belly to ease you in, Cornish Cod or Berkshire Pheasant and all number of delightful dishes to follow; with divine sounding desserts and cheese to finish, these are just some of the innovative dishes on the menu.

You’ll see Rebellion beer and Kicking Goat cider on tap on the bar and also Stonor Valley’s Hundred Hills sparking wine on the extensive and carefully curated wine menu.

Lastly why the name change? Jill says, “The Plow was the original name way back in 1775 and then The Plough Inn, then The Plough Hotel and then lastly The Plowden Arms named after the custodians of Shiplake Court now Shiplake College. There is a lot of history around the name Plough so to be true to its heritage The Plough Shiplake it will be.”

A great re-opening and addition for the lucky folk of Shiplake, who now can add this pub to fabulous places to eat which includes Orwells Restaurant up the road and the soon to re-open Baskerville Arms in Lower Shiplake.

For more information, menus and to book, visit The Plough Shiplake.

There is a 10% discount on all food at The Plough for Experience Henley Cardholders. To find out more and how to get your card visit Experience Henley Card

Images: Gabrielle McMillan