At the Flowing Spring we make as much of our food suitable for those with intolerances to gluten and lactose and we have a good selection of veggie and vegan options. We also take care to minimise the presence of allergens, rarely or never using nuts, celery, sesame or lupin – we use non-GM rapeseed oil for frying, not the standard GM soya vegetable oil which means much our food is also soya-free. Our menu complies with the European Allergen directives, using circled numbers to indicate any ‘allergens’ present.
We make our own soups, curries, casseroles, stews, Sunday roasts, fish dishes, burgers, pizzas, pies, pastries, desserts and more for those with dietary preferences and intolerances. We make our own pastry and dough so those with dairy intolerance can enjoy pizzas, yorkshire puds, pies, tarts and desserts including fruit crumbles, pancakes, chocolate brownies and vegan ice creams with dairy-free accompaniments. We have a fantastic choice of home-made dishes for coeliacs (and everyone else!) including soups, pizzas, cider battered fish and chips, burgers, curries, casseroles, pies and desserts.
All our home-made soups and patés are gluten-free and our starters and snacks that are accompanied by traditional crusty bread offer an alternative of gluten-free, dairy-free rolls.
We make our own special pizza bases (choose normal, gluten-free or vegan!).
We have dedicated areas in the kitchen to ensure no cross-contamination, using dedicated tools, chopping boards and pans and the few people we have working in there are fully trained. Our front-of-house staff are fully trained in how our menu works, the importance of ensuring all customers are checked for dietary needs and conveyed to the kitchen, We even have our own printed Food Order pads, designed for highlighting dietary requirements. Catering for these communities is a major part of our bsuienss so we take it very seriously and are immensely proud of the choice and quality of food we can offer.

The Flowing Spring offers a wide range of dishes from fresh home-made soups to light snacks, sandwiches, rolls, burgers and pizzas, from traditional pub grub to home-made, innovative creations and scrumptious home-made puddings, particularly catering for those with dietary needs, including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan. Our menu uses symbols to show every ‘allergen’ contained in each dish in accordance with EU Directives, although we minimise these whenever we can. We know what goes into all our dishes so any allergies or intolerances can be catered for with confidence. See our evening menu at http://theflowingspringpub.co.uk/NewMenu.pdf
In November 2015 we were presented with an award by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for being in the top ten vegan-friendly pubs in the UK – further recognition of our continuing efforts to cater for people with dietary needs.
We were also awarded South Oxfordshire CAMRA Winter Pub of the Season 2011/2012 and are listed in the 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 CAMRA Good Beer Guides. We are also Cask Marque accredited for the excellent quality of our ales for the fourth year running.
Nick and Hazel have run this pub since 2010. Exciting and original events happen throughout the year, both inside and out, from live music and our monthly classic car and bike meets in the garden (from April to October) to charity weekends, real ale festivals, monthly acoustic nights, monthly jazz, monthly magic and mind-trickery, stand-up comedy, games nights, astronomy nights, charity fundraisers and many private and corporate events.
The 18th century pub is on a slant with almost a foot difference from one end of the bar to the other! At the rear is a huge garden with the Berry Brook running around two sides. As it passes under the Spring Lane bridge, water from the spring joins it, wending its way to Shiplake. Find out more about the pub and its history here. There is an abundance of wildlife.
Unusually, the pub itself is on the first floor with an excellent covered balcony overlooking the garden. It is important to note that access to the pub itself is via an outside staircase.
There is plenty of car parking space, a toilet on car park level for disabled customers (with baby changing facilities) and Wi-Fi. It is popular with walkers and was featured in the Sunday Times Christmas 2015 edition for the magnificent Chilterns and Thames circular walk. Runners, cyclists, bikers and dogs are also very welcome!