We had heard it said about The Marlstone Tavern that “if you love pies, you’re in the right place”
We went along to see for ourselves. They take great pride in that they only bake proper, traditional, homemade pot pies with an amazing combination of locally sourced, high-quality ingredients and with pastry which has been freshly rolled out by hand every morning.
When it comes to pies they are the experts and have been doing this for over 20 years firstly in Deddington as Puddingface, The Pie Place where Anton and his team established their remarkable reputation as providers of excellent home-cooked pies. Now their winning formula and hard work is paying off and they are flourishing in their new location at the completely renovated, historic Marlstone Tavern in the village of Milton.
On entering the pub we were taken by the new layout and the impressive flagstone floor and absolutely astounded by the menu board listing the variety of pies on offer. We had never seen a selection like it, with all tastes catered for, from the dependable Steak & Kidney, Beef & Ale and Chicken varieties to the more exotic Moroccan Style Spiced Lamb & Apricot, Piri Piri Chicken, Pimento, Birds eye chilli, Onion and Coriander, Jerk BBQ Reggae Reggae chicken, Steak Jack Daniels with Monterey Jack Cheese and for the vegetarians Roasted Quorn with Sage & Onion Stuffing. These are just a few of those listed and they all are mammoth in size and served with generous portions of fresh vegetables, chips and mash.
They have a policy of not taking bookings in the evenings, just turn up and if you have to wait they give you an accurate waiting time.
We chose a table and got chatting with the knowledgeable staff as to what pies we should try and soon realised that nothing is too much trouble for them. They certainly know their pies and beers, gave us expert advice and we finally settled on four pies namely the Moroccan Style Spiced Lamb & Apricot, the Beef, Mushroom, Red Wine & Horseradish, the Jerk BBQ Reggae Reggae Chicken, classic Steak & Kidney and the Breaded Wholetail Scampi, Tartare & Lemon.
All of the pies were huge, tasty, and full of flavour and we were stunned by the quality.
After that giant feast we hesitated before ordering dessert but finally decided on Lemon Meringue Pie, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Treacle Tart and they were delicious, generous portions which were very satisfying.
The meal was an outstanding and satisfying experience, the range of choices impressive, the service excellent and we have no hesitation in thoroughly recommending that you visit the” Pie Pub” for a truly pie-tastic experience.
The Marlstone Tavern
Milton, Banbury, OX15 4HH
Open every day 12 to 2.30pm and 6 to 9.30pm. 01295 404045
