About The Carpenters Arms Lower Boddington
It is a proper local pub, where the food is fresh, the company is fun and the service is friendly. The comfortable bar has been sensitively redecorated and now has a contemporary feel to it – there is a Welsh slate stone floor, a new seating area around a brand new wood burning stove and plenty of space for people to stand at the bar.
The dining room is dressed with tablecloths and vases of fresh flowers and a large sign proclaiming the suppliers of all the produce on the menu. It is the sort of pub where someone can come in, have a Hooky Bitter, and decide to try one of our steaks rather than go home and cook, and then stay for another pint at the bar.
Currently the 12oz sirloin steaks, which are still on the bone, are proving to be a big hit.
“Our menu offers quality food made on the premises using ingredients sourced from local farmers and other suppliers. Particularly popular are our Sunday lunches,” said Mark Higgs .
The countryside around the pub is characterised by a traditional patchwork landscape. Hedgerows are a significant feature and are made up of hawthorn and the rarer midland thorn. Other indicators of ancient hedges are also present, these include hazel dogwood and field maple.
Boddington Reservoir can be found to the east. It was built some 200 years ago to feed the South Oxford Canal and it is still in use by British Waterways. The reservoir is a popular spot for walkers and it provides a quiet and peaceful stretch of water amidst the rolling fields.
With many angling societies using the nearby Boddington and Claydon reservoirs for fishing competitions, pre-booked organised groups can order a full cooked breakfast, and Mark Higgs will even arrange for packed lunches to be delivered to the bank side while they are competing.
"It's the little touches that make all the difference" he says, around here there is a big cry out for a proper local pub, which serves good local beer, local food and has good, friendly service," he said.
And as an incentive to have lunch at the Carpenters Arms, during the week two people can eat for the price of one.
There is an extensive wine list ranging from a bottle of house white or red for £10 to Champagne at £35 a bottle.