STEPHEN WEBB heads out for a bite to eat at a popular summer spot... and finds it can be just as wonderful in winter

The Old Boathouse Pub

Lake 6,

Spine Road East,

South Cerney GL7 5FP

01285 864111

oldboathouse@four-pillars.co.uk

THE Old Boathouse is a great place to visit in the summer.

The decked patio at the rear overlooks one of the picturesque Cotswold Water Park lakes and, if you can get a table, is perfect for sitting back in the sun, sipping a glass of wine and perusing the Saturday papers while waiting for your lunch to arrive.

But what about the winter? Well, on the chilly February evening we visited, the patio was clearly a no-no. Yet our table by the large window still offered a view of the lake, which gave a dazzling reflection of an especially bright full moon.

It was all rather romantic... But enough of that nonsense – what about the food?

The menu at the Old Boathouse isn’t particularly extensive, but the choice is varied and caters for all tastes and appetites, with a leaning towards traditional pub grub type fare.

To start, I had chicken liver pate served with a brioche loaf and tomato chutney (£5.95), while my wife chose smoked trout fillet (from just up the road at Bibury) with a potato and dill salad (£6.50). Both were light, tasty and pleasantly presented.

On to the main course, and I had some tough choices to make.

The sausage and mash – with the sausages again locally supplied, from the famous Jesse’s of Cirencester – was very tempting, as were the mussels in the Light Bites section on the menu.

In the end I went for the wild boar, apple and sage burger, which came with chips and salad (£11.95).

Served in a huge bun, this was delicious. I’ve had wild boar sausages before, but not burger, and it was a pleasant surprise.

Perfectly seasoned, it had a distinctive spicy, gamey flavour, and there was plenty to tuck in to. The chips were really good too, nice and crunchy on the outside and not at all greasy.

My wife isn’t normally a pie eater, but she was hungry this particular evening and was tempted by the Old Boathouse’s steak and ale pie, which came with mashed potatoes and seasonal veg (£10.95).

She described it as “flavoursome” and it certainly looked like a warming winter meal.

She had problems with the “plate”, though – the meal was served on what seemed to be a very thick chopping board, which aesthetically may have been pleasing to the eye but was a few inches higher than a normal plate would have been and she had trouble manoeuvring her knife and fork. A minor niggle, I would have thought.

That pie was enough for her and she couldn’t face dessert. But for me, duty called and I had to force myself to sample at least something from the dessert menu – the steamed hazelnut sponge with custard (£5.95) had already caught my eye so that’s what I ordered.

Thankfully it wasn’t too big a helping and the sponge was light and fluffy, with a crunch – and a delicate flavour – supplied by the crushed nuts.

It was a surprisingly busy midweek evening but the service was never rushed and always came with a smile. And with the bill, including drinks, coming to just over £60, it wasn’t bad value.

We’ll look forward to a summer Saturday lunchtime sitting by the lake at the Old Boathouse; but in the meantime, in sort of the words of the great Frankie Vaughan, give me the moonlight, give me the girl, and leave the rest to the chef.