Ploughman’s lunch at The Downgate Pub, reviewed
Location –
The Downgate
13 Down View,
Park Street,
Hungerford, Berkshire.
RG17 0ED.
Tel: 01488 684938
info@thedowngatepub.com
Website – https://thedowngatepub.com/
Date of Visit – 07/10/2025
Notes on the visit:
Perched on the Eastern edge of the lovely town of Hungerford, the Downgate pub looks over the beautiful Hungerford Common. A Rural pub with the vibrancy of a town, welcoming to visitors yet has a lively, friendly and welcoming community of locals. Certainly worth a visit even if not having a Ploughman’s Lunch. A great spot to have a dink and enjoy the view, the food looked great and good value for money.
The Food
4 – Pickled Onion. Erm… OK, not the best start for such a wonderful looking feast. Very acidic, to the point of fearing for my tooth enamel. Somehow slightly soft, yet slightly tough too. I suspect that they’re from a large catering supplier, and may involve “non-brewed condiment” for longevity. Lets move on.
5 – Pickle. This made claims (I think) on the menu about being Branston. It wasn’t, of that I am fairly sure. Now, to be fair (and to prevent Branston from suing them) it might have been a reference like “Hoover” or “Biro”, where we use the trade name to describe a generic. Ploughman’s pickle might be a better word. Anyway, the pickle was perhaps a little too vinegary, or perhaps the flavours were not full enough, the veg a little too soft? It was OK.
7 – Cheese & Ham:
Cheese – My initial impression was that there was not much cheese. I am greedy for cheese – isn’t that the point of a ploughman’s, a cheese board hiding as a sort of salad? This was compounded by the fact it was a mild cheddar, and probably a catering option at that. It wasn’t offensive, just forgettable.
Ham – The ham was a triumph!
Perfect in every respect. Taste, texture, thickness, moist, firm, some marbling. So, unless you absolutely have to have cheese, the Ham ploughman’s might score higher for you. (I have to have cheese). If it was a cheese ploughman’s (with twice the cheese) it might have been score of 4……. maybe 5. Yes, 5.
6 – Bread: A par backed baguette. Hot, crusty, delicious. feels both tad cruel and a tad generous giving it a 7, but there needs to be space for amazing bread at the top, and believe me, there is a long way down below it! I know.
3 – Spread Butter, packet of catering supplier butter, hard as a rock. Thankfully the baguette was nice and toasty, so that resolved that issue. Flavour OK.
5 – Presentation: 100% – Let it be known that someone put a lot of effort into this dish, and it should be acknowledged. A tweak to the Cheese, butter and onion and it would be a top 10 contender, fresh bread a contender – it’s a tough world at the top.
5 – Salad, etc
Salad:
Really good. Fresh, tasty, just the rights amount. There was Radicchio, which I personally do not like – but I have not marked it down for that. The ingredients were seriously fresh and prepared for the meal. The additions of just a little dressing (Balsamic?) was just perfect, a compliment not an overwhelm.
5 – Originality.
Coleslaw. Now, I like freshly made coleslaw, and this did not disappoint. It was fresh and creamy, absolutely delicious.
Notwithstanding the slightly critical start to proceedings, this was a good ploughman’s lunch. It was beautifully presented, and the pop of sweetness from the grapes a nice bit of balance.
I do not mention price, but overall this a less expensive option compared to many. This ploughman’s as absolutely 100% value for money. The originality is the little bit where we can cheat with the scoring to award points not covered elsewhere, so 5 /5 here for value and care of preparation. Got try it – see what you think.
Food Total: 40
Beverages
10 – Drinks: At luncheon I would usually have a cup of Tea with a Ploughman’s lunch. However, it was a pub, so I thought I would save them the faff, and opted for a bitter shandy. This was an error on my part: it would have been easier for them to make a tea even if they had to go and pick the leaves. Making a shandy with real ale can be a very taxing cocktail to construct. You get 80% there with no apparent troubles, then for some reason it foams up and the glass is down to 50% full. Seriously, I know after many years working in hospitality. Perhaps I should write a primer for bar staff on how to make a pint of shandy without using 4 pints of liquid. It is tricky!
Anyhow…….
The Downgate is an Arkells pub. We all have opinions on local breweries, however, there’s not many left, and they are all trying to produce something other than their original ale. They seemed to have three real ales on offer, a traditional Brown, an bitter and an IPA – something for everyone.
On they taps they had the usual suspects (Madri, Thatchers gold, blah, blah, blah) however, they also had Aspalls cyder and another larger not often seen, so some variety – well done!
NOTE: someone else ordered a coffee after I placed my order and it arrived quickly and looked good. Should have had the tea…..
Drinks Total: 10
The Venue
10 – Service: The service was excellent. The lady behind the bar could not have been more welcoming and helpful. Seriously, I got a hello and welcome the moment I opened the door, before I could even see her. If more pubs had this service they might be doing better.
10 – Atmosphere: What an absolute smasher of a pub! I sat down by myself and had my victuals. Yet I did not feel lonely. There was lots of locals in and out, chatting about this and that, receiving their “usual” – no need to ask for it. And visitors like myself wandering, being welcomed into the family space that it was. Even on my departure a couple of gentleman bade me farewell and wished me well for the rest of the day.
I would imagine that in Hungerford there will be detractors of this establishment – it’s like that in towns and villages. Sometime pubs have fans like football teams do – and local rivalries rumble, but for me, I’m going back there again, and soon.
5 – Location: On the common, at the edge of town – but only 5 minutes walk from the Railway station, or 10 minutes stroll from the town centre. If you get the right train its only 50 minutes from London Paddington – even the wrong train is only 1 hour 20 minutes for a lovely town and beautiful countryside. If you fancy a visit to West Berkshire or Wiltshire and have questions or perhaps need help, contact Roaming the Paths a local guide company.
It is a lovey country pub with the convenience of town.
4 – Toilets: Practical, Clean. All the things you need. Lovely.
Venue total: 29
Total Score: 79
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