Just Peachy

KATHERINE MACALISTER settles in for a comfortable evening.

I THINK we’ll wake up soon to discover that Peach Pubs has taken over the world, but in the meantime they are content to run 10 gastro pubs and open another dozen over the next five years.

Three of these are in Oxfordshire – The Fishes in Hinksey, which has just won an Observer award, The Fleece in Witney and now the Thatch in Thame.

Yes, the Thatch does crop up in the news more often than Ashley Cole but that’s because it entered the TV celebrity arena in Raymond Blanc’s The Restaurant series and hasn’t slunk out since.

Winners Jeremy and Jane took over and did a great job for six months until she had a baby and scampered back to Devon. Luckily, Peach Pubs saw the Thatch’s potential, and added it to their bulging portfolio.

And it’s great. I know, no one likes a know-all, but Peach Pubs has found a winning formula. With award-winning chefs, managers and food coming out of their ears, at the moment they are riding the crest of a wave while everyone else is merely dipping their toes in the water.

So what’s the secret? A great team both in the kitchen and front-of-house, a relaxed atmosphere with winning service with a smile, and great comfort food with a contemporary twist. Plus Peach tends to go for market town locations crying out for a decent eaterie – a captive audience of sorts.

In fact, the only fly in our ointment was the dubious live singer crooning Oasis and Alanis Morissette numbers in the corner. “She’s not exactly Joan Baez” my mother drawled, before ordering the potted crab with toasted sourdough bread and the pan-fried salmon with mediterranean vegetables. I had the haddock smoky, mixed leaf salad and granary bread starter followed by the crispy halloumi, roast apricot, celery and walnut salad with lemon mayo dressing.

Considering the Thatch had done 160 covers at lunchtime (it was Mother’s Day) and the restaurant was full for dinner, you would expect them to be lagging, but the cheery staff and excellent food proved that the tempo continues whatever the occasion.

But back to the food; the crab was packed full of meat and the fishpie bubbling with crispy goodness. The salmon was moist and succulent and went perfectly with the mediterranean veg and new potatoes.

As for the salad, I’m not sure halloumi and roast apricots are the best combination, both veering towards a gentle rubbery texture. Something sharper was need to perk it up a bit, but it was gentle comfort food, done well.

I don’t know how we managed the hot chocolate sponge cake, hazelnut parfait and chocolate sauce as well, but we did, probably because it was so wickedly gooey, which we washed down with coffee.

And with the singer still wailing gently as we left, we reflected that, Joan Baez or no Joan Baez, the Thatch will no doubt stay in the headlines if it continues serving such smashing food at this level. A great evening out.

THE BILL.

Potted crab with toasted sourdough bread £6.75 Haddock smoky, mixed leaf salad and granary bread starter £6.25 Pan-fried salmon with mediterranean vegetables £12.50 Crispy halloumi, roast apricot, celery and walnut salad with lemon mayo dressing £11.50 Hot chocolate sponge cake, hazelnut parfait and chocolate sauce £5 Coffee £2