Katherine MacAlister is relieved to find problems have been ironed out at a village favourite

It wasn’t a great success, my first visit to The Crown in Woodstock.

In fact, it was a massive anticlimax, because having been shut for several years, like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, suddenly the lights were turned on last autumn and we were back in business.

Being opened by Julian Rosser, the same guy who runs The Duke Of Cambridge, Oxford’s most famous cocktail bar, and The Anchor in Jericho, it was bound to be fabulous. Right?

Not quite. We went for supper and left remarkably unimpressed. The menu was too confused, the portions were tiny and the pizzas downright stingy.

Fast forward six months though and things have changed.

The food, for one, has improved dramatically, the portion sizes are better and the prices are much more sympathetic. The Crown has listened to its customers and ironed out any teething problems.

We are now frequent fliers, so I shall take you through the smorgasboard of culinary offerings The Crown now boasts, covering all manner of occasions and appetites.

Friday afternoon, for example, saw a large gathering of school mums and their children taking full advantage of the remarkably reasonable £6 children’s menu which runs from 5pm, perfect for post school kids tea.

The place was rammed with parents, all relaxing after a busy week as their children ate a menu that consisted of crudites and dip to start, a really delicious and generous, freshly made mozzarella and cherry tomato pizzetta or pasta with meatballs or tomato sauce, followed by a choice of cookies and milk or home-made ice cream to finish. Perfect.

Before 5pm there is no pasta, but otherwise the menu is the same.

Emboldened we have now, tried out several other options, the bar snacks menu for example includes pizzaoles, crispy squid with aioli, a plate of Serrano ham, or chorizo with cannelini beans and cavalo nero for around £5 for the small plates.

Returning for a proper sit down supper, you can choose to sit in the large, light airy dining room/brasserie style restaurant or in the bar. Opting for a light supper we tried the delicious roasted cauliflower soup and it arrived drizzled with truffle oil with a delicious depth of flavour that confirmed that The Crown had finally turned a leaf, cooking wise. We couldn’t have been more content if you’d turned us over and tickled our tummies.

A delicious courgette, mint, pine nut and goats cheese pizza followed (£9), which was another revelation.

The pizza crust was pliant, chewy and doughy but firm enough to support the thinly sliced courgettes, the light goats cheese had the same light, fluffy texture as a buratta, but was more pungent, finished off with the delicious crunch of the pine nuts; a really delicious creation.

My Greedy’s red onion and njuba pizza, (£9) njuba being a spicy ham, was equally successful and so much more generous than last time that we couldn’t even finish them, having to pour the rest into a goody bag.

So there we are. Never judge a book by its cover and if you have, go back and have another go. The Crown has finally settled in and is being welcomed with open arms by the entire community. As it should be.

The Crown, 31 High Street, Woodstock,
OX20 1TE 
01993 813339 or thecrownwoodstock.com