Berkshire

The location
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16607" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Exterior_Fotor.jpg" alt="The Jolly Woodman Burnham Slough 19th century rd brick country pub with floral baskets and beds " width="1000" height="749" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Exterior_Fotor.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Exterior_Fotor-150x112.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Exterior_Fotor-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Exterior_Fotor-768x575.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Exterior_Fotor-668x500.jpg 668w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />
If you go down to the woods today, you&#8217;re in for a big surprise – a newly refurbished 19th century country pub. Under new ownership and having enjoyed a serious amount of TLC (it&#8217;s re-opened just 2 months ago), The Jolly Woodman is back with a smile as big as his axe. Set back from a fairly busy road between Maidenhead and Slough, the pub is hugged by trees and is a big draw for dog walkers, horse riders and parents dragging their kids out to let off steam before making a well deserved pubby pitstop.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16606" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-int-4_Fotor.jpg" alt="The Jolly Woodman Burnham Slough Green and grey grey walls fireplace scrubbed pine tableland tartan carpet" width="1000" height="749" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-int-4_Fotor.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-int-4_Fotor-150x112.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-int-4_Fotor-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-int-4_Fotor-768x575.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-int-4_Fotor-668x500.jpg 668w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />
The vibe
Despite the name, there wasn&#8217;t a check shirt wearing, bearded wood chopper to be seen (mores the pity), but it is everything you would want from a country pub, open fires, piles of neatly stacked logs (obligatory), tartan carpet, scrubbed pine tables, industrial lighting, exposed beams and quirkier touches like the low hanging converted oil lamps and small pallets used as wall lights. It is rustic with a hint of quirky.
<div id="attachment_16605" style="width: 1010px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-16605" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-16605 size-full" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Int-3_Fotor.jpg" alt="The Jolly Woodman Burnham Slough leather wing backed chairs exposed brick and tiffany style glass pendant shade" width="1000" height="749" />Perfect spot for an Sunday paper snooze.</div>
Outside the front of the pub are a few swish outdoor tables surrounded by hanging baskets and raised beds festooned with flowers. There&#8217;s also an enclosed beer garden for marauding toddlers to the rear. Inside it&#8217;s open plan-ish with raised areas, pillars and fire places carving out more intimate areas.
<div id="attachment_16604" style="width: 1010px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-16604" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-16604 size-full" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-quote_Fotor.jpg" alt="The Jolly Woodman Burnham Slough entrance to beer garden black painted face and pergola with Mae West quite on blackboard " width="1000" height="749" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-quote_Fotor.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-quote_Fotor-150x112.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-quote_Fotor-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-quote_Fotor-768x575.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-quote_Fotor-668x500.jpg 668w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />What Mae West said…</div>
When I visited on a busy, buzzy Friday lunch service and there was a good mix of couples, families and well behaved dogs enjoying the laid-back vibes. It&#8217;s no slouch in the evenings either, with a good crowd for dinner, drinkies and live music events.
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Scoff &amp; quaff
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16608" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Bar_Fotor.jpg" alt="Jolly Woodman Burnham Slough hanging oil lamps over the bar white painted brick wall and open rustic shelve with bottles of spirits" width="1000" height="666" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Bar_Fotor.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Bar_Fotor-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Bar_Fotor-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Bar_Fotor-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Bar_Fotor-720x480.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />
But I didn&#8217;t wear my roomy pants for nothing, so let&#8217;s crack onto the food. Oh all right then, the drink. It was a bold lunchtime move, but I abandoned the wine menu for a refreshing gin and tonic. Manager Caron has a good selection of gins behind the bar, and my Monkey 47 with Fever Tree tonic had all the Friday feels about it. Because the pub&#8217;s not tied to a brewery they have a huge amount of flexibility and the beer du jour right now is Marlow brewed Rebellion. The wine list is short but sweet with all budgets and tastes catered for. You fancy a bottle of vintage Dom Perignon, you got it (and a bill for £165, ahem), happy with the house rosé, it&#8217;s a fruity number from Puglia and a reasonable £16.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16601" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Prawns_Fotor.jpg" alt="The Jolly Woodman Burnham Slough rectangular blue plate skewered prawns salad and whole king prawns" width="1000" height="749" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Prawns_Fotor.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Prawns_Fotor-150x112.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Prawns_Fotor-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Prawns_Fotor-768x575.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Prawns_Fotor-668x500.jpg 668w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />
As for the food, pub classics done well. I ordered the chilli and hot garlic oil prawns. It was served with a pretty large salad garish drizzled in salad dress and black olives (bloody love an olive) and two rather sinister looking &#8216;just for show&#8217; king prawns. It was cooked to perfection, nobody like rubbery shellfish, and delish.
Next up fish and chips. What can I say? It was a Friday and who am I to fly in the face of tradition? What I love about The Jolly Woodman is that they offer some dishes as a small or large. I opted for the small – a bargainous £9.90 – and it was a great piece of fish. The peas were served in a cute mini enamel mug, served with good portion of chunky chips. I wasn&#8217;t a massive fan of the tartare sauce. It was a bit runny and sharp for my taste but I&#8217;m being picky (I blame the gin).
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16600" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Fish_Fotor.jpg" alt="The Jolly Woodman Burnham Slough fish and chips with pea in a mini enamel mug and dish with tartare sauce " width="1000" height="750" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Fish_Fotor.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Fish_Fotor-150x113.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Fish_Fotor-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Fish_Fotor-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/07/Jolly-Woodman-Fish_Fotor-667x500.jpg 667w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />
There was a lot of things I could have chosen on the menu, 4 different burgers, including The Woodman sliders (3 mini burgers for the indecisive), ham egg and chips, pie, pasta and steak. Kids are well catered for with 2 types of pasta and 4 kids classics and they are well known for serving a cracking Sunday roast. The benchmark for every good country pub.
There were 4 desserts available during my visit a creme brûlée, a fruity cheesecake, summer crumble and ice cream. On this occasion, I made my excuses and left. It would have been the ice cream in this weather, but it all looked good.
Out &amp; about
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15125" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/04/lynne-chadwick-Cliveden-House_Fotor.jpg" alt="Lynn Chadwick metal work sculptures of human form at Cliveden House" width="1000" height="749" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/04/lynne-chadwick-Cliveden-House_Fotor.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/04/lynne-chadwick-Cliveden-House_Fotor-150x112.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/04/lynne-chadwick-Cliveden-House_Fotor-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/04/lynne-chadwick-Cliveden-House_Fotor-768x575.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2018/04/lynne-chadwick-Cliveden-House_Fotor-668x500.jpg 668w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />
Cliveden National Trust is just 10mins down the road, so if you want to really make a day of it, head there to explore the 365 acres. You&#8217;ll find Lynn Chadwick&#8217;s awesome sculptures dotted around the grounds, you can lose the kids in the maze (and enjoy 5 minutes peace) and dunk your toes in the famous shell fountain. If that all sounds like waaaaay too much effort, why not pop into the woods opposite The Jolly Woodman and stretch your legs. There is a 2.5-mile and 4.5-mile circular walk, if you&#8217;re up to it.
Alternatively, just hang out at the pub. It&#8217;s a bit of a TV and film location fave having appeared in Genevieve, Carry On Dick, Man in the Moon, Made of Honor, Midsummer Murders, Riot Club, and more recently, Outnumbered. 
Muddy verdict
Good for: Anyone looking for a nice relaxed lunch or dinner. With its extensive dining areas, it’s also great for large groups and family and gatherings. The garden will be a blessing for parents with fidgety kids. The nearby walks make it the perfect spot for dog walkers, cyclists and anyone wanting to exhaust the kids (me me me).
Not for: Those looking for a stylish contemporary gastro pub – the interiors are traditional and while the food does the job perfectly well, the menu isn’t going to excite hipsters or super-foodies. There aren&#8217;t many veggie dishes, so if your meat-free, you might find the option a bit limited.
££: Really good value. Starters are priced at £5 for bread and olives and go to £9 for my prawn dish, mains start at £8 for a small ham, egg and chips, up to £24 for the 10oz rib eye steak. All kids meals are £4.95 and you can grab a sarnie and fries from £7.50.
<p class="x-el x-el-p px_-font-style-normal px_-overflow-wrap-break-word px_-word-wrap-break-word px_-word-break-break-word px_-c-rgb94__94__94 px_-fs-16 px_-fw-400 px_-lh-1p5 px_-mt-0 px_-mb-20px px_-ff-_Gudea___Georgia__serif _mdpx_-fs-16 _lgpx_-fs-16 x-d-ux x-d-aid x-d-route"><a href="https://thejollywoodman.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Jolly Woodman</a>, Littleworth Rd, Burnham, Slough SL1 8PF

The Jolly Woodman

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