In these difficult times businesses need to offer something unusual to resist the general downturn. The “King William” at Speen like so many pubs has had a chequered history and has been reinvented several times in the past with mixed success.
It was therefore something of a surprise to find the place looking so good and on a rather miserable sunday afternoon in November it proved to be just what I was looking for.
In the bar a wood and coal fire danced in the inglenook and there were people in most of the chairs. Frankly I am a bit of a purist when it comes to country pubs and I was a little dismayed to see the plethora of leather sofas, that are creeping into pubs everywhere.
That said, the place was clearly well maintained and a glance at the menu showed that there was a great deal more to the place than a fire and a few chairs. Throughout the menu the letters ‘gf’ indicated that The King William had found a place of its own. As one who likes wheat more than it likes me, I was bowled over to find a restaurant in a country pub that could cook interesting food without gluten.
Since it was too late to order, I confined my research to asking others what they thought of the cuisine. The result was a resounding vote of approval, not just from coeliacs, but from people more used to ‘normal food’.
Beer was Marlow brewery’s Rebellion and the usual collection of lagers, though it was nice to see mulled wine was available too. Personally I would have liked to see another real ale as an alternative, but without sufficient turnover that might prove problematical. So in the hope that we can spread the word and garner a little more business for The King William, we are promoting it as our business of the month.
You will find their website at ‘The King William IV Speen’ (click link)
