Get into the right spirit in this traditional pub

Jeremy Austin tucks in at the George and Dragon in West Wycombe.

APPARENTLY the George and Dragon, West Wycombe, is haunted. Frankly, a building that isn't haunted in this ancient hamlet is probably more against the grain. Perhaps if your house is spook-free when you move in, you can order one like a new bath or kitchen.

Although there was no evidence of a phantom with the food, the pub certainly does not lack spirit. It was packed when my wife and I visited on our quest to seek out cosy hostelries in Buckinghamshire. The air was thick with banter and cigarette smoke, but through the haze I spotted a very small table squeezed into a corner of the room. We bagged it and settled down to order.

Authentic pubs such as the George and Dragon are becoming more and more rare in a nation of theme pubs. Whereas those Oirish bars and the like ship in mass produced olde worlde signs and beer barrels to try to recreate a traditional air, the George has the real thing. Nobody worries about the smoke. There's no fruit machine, no piped music and no sterility in the atmosphere. It's a living, breathing pub and thank the stars for that.

It was cosy in our corner. A window was opened briefly as the real fire became a little too enthusiastic about its work, but another punter soon decided enough was enough and the cold, winter's evening was shut out once more.

The menu, like the pub, is traditional, although there is a reasonable selection for vegetarians.

We both chose the home-made tomato soup for starters and neither of us were disappointed. It tasted delicious, really rich and creamy and served with big bread wedges. My wife's soup, however, was significantly colder than mine so we ate half of those we had been served with and then swapped. How gallant.

Tradition ruled with my wife's main course -- steak and kidney pudding -- while I opted for spinach and three cheese brioche. Even before we tucked in, we knew that these were going to both fill and warm us. I had chosen and accompaniment of vegetables to give the whole thing that home-cooked feel.

The brioche was rich in a creamy, melted cheese that was full of flavour. I ate the crust first and then got stuck into the middle bit in a bid to maximise the enjoyment. It was a mistake. By the time I found the spinach, which unfortunately had slid to one side of the pie, I was full. I was determined to have some of Popeye's favourite and bravely struggled on. In the end, I was beaten -- a rare thing for me. But I was very satisfied.

A quick glance over to my dining partner revealed that she too had decided enough was enough. The steak and kidney pudding was delicious, she said, although the pastry on the bottom had not been completely cooked.

We rested, unable to move, and then decided that there would be enough room to squeeze in a shared pudding. We opted for sticky toffee pudding. The man at the bar suggested we had ice cream with it, but we chose cream. When it arrived it was swimming in the stuff -- wonderful. The sharp tang of the very warm pudding was given a gentle edge by the milky cream. Had we doubted our ability to finish the dish we would have been proved wrong.

But when heavy, warm, filling pub food is as heavy, warm and filling as that, there's no doubt that only the pattern will remain on the plate at the end of the evening.

Menu

Two soups @ £2.25: £4.50

Steak and kidney pudding: £7.25

Spinach and three cheese brioche: £5.95

Sticky toffee pudding: £2.95

Drinks: £3.10

Total: £23.75

Restaurant rating

Quality of food: One of the soups was a little cold and the steak and kidney pudding was not cooked right though, but it is a testament to the rest of the food that it didn't matter.

Quantity of food: Suddenly the doors seemed so much narrower and my stomach so much bigger.

Staff: Helpful even though very busy.

Would you recommend it? Yes, although those who do not like smoky pubs should stay away.

Snug factor: A big coat on a bitter day.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.