The Good Life with Chef Danny Thomas
The country pub, a slow-living mainstay of the local community, is a difficult enterprise to sustain in an era of chains and instant delivery via apps. In 2025, 366 pubs closed permanently across England and Wales, an average of one per day (bringing the total number of pubs to 38,623), marking the erosion of a vital community institution and heritage, especially for the most rural of areas.
Growing up deep in the Hampshire countryside, having spent my latter teens and early twenties on both sides of bars barely accessible without a car (or a long walk home, made safer by a full moon – country living as a teenager – IYKYK), I truly know it’s far more than just a place to drink and eat. Whilst habits change, it’s all I can do to urge you to support this centuries-old network, as a symbol of enduring communal dynamism that will be difficult to replace.
We sit at a table in the newly reopened rural pub and restaurant, The Chequers Inn, Berrick Salome. The space itself is exactly what you would expect from a country setting; a listed building with exposed brick and flint walls, low-slung, petite windows and blackened beams. Yet somehow it’s even more striking than the postcard-worthy visuals: their uncrowded fine-dining space is housed in a wing that once was a purpose-built grain store. A double-height vaulted ceiling and original agricultural fixtures create a dining room that feels spacious and private, yet cosy and united with your fellow diners.
We are joined by head chef Danny Thomas, after a stunning meal celebrating the local area and its legacy. Having trained under Gordan Ramsey at Michelin-starred restaurant Maze Grill in Mayfair, and later working under Antony Worrall-Thompson at The Greyhound in Henley-on-Thames, the next decade was spent in Bristol, as Head Chef at Bristol's Marriott Hotel.
When asked the equivalent of ‘chicken or egg’, when it comes to the menu and the location, Danny explains, “I always have ideas for menus; my brain is always ticking. I see things and think ‘this would work well’, and I'm always in the kitchen, experimenting. But when I come into a new building, I look at what's around the area, and think, ‘What do the local people want?’... With that feeling, could I serve a burger and chips here? Here we say no...”
Their menu features handpicked ingredients from local suppliers, creating a modern British à la carte menu with redefined classics, such as lamb rump with roasted harissa courgette and ham hock terrine with pea shoot salad and onion jam, with produce sourced from nearby Watlington, Oxford.
“But you develop it,” Danny continues. “I tweaked the menu just last week; our scallop dish was totally different, served with a classic lobster bisque puree and black pudding.”
I’ve just enjoyed this exact dish: at its base a creamy sweetcorn puree, with seared Brixham scallops topped with tomato and a handful of pea shoots.
Lamb rump. Roast harissa courgette. Pea Puree.
“It's more closely connected to this area as an agricultural region, bringing a rustic earthiness to the dish.”
Danny explains how they work seasonally with their menu. Despite feeling fully satiated, we find ourselves thinking ahead to our next meal.
“We use beetroot on our Sunday menu, inside our Wellington. I roast two vegetable selections: one left chunky and one puréed. There’s the creaminess of the sauce with pieces of roasted vegetables, which holds the dish, but beetroot runs through the Wellington, wrapped of course, in a flaky puff pastry.”
The menu offers exciting, unexpected turns throughout, with its gluten-free cheesecake a notable departure from the norm.
“I like to trick people, it’s a twist. Everyone expects a crunchy base, but ours is loose. The topping brings people back to fromage frais, topped with tart berries to cut through it.”After a stint in London, now working closer to home in Reading feels fitting, Danny shares.
“Alongside three years in college, I worked at the Forbury House Hotel, now the Roseate Reading Hotel, as a commis chef. Afterwards, I decided, ‘I'm hitting London’. I printed and sent the CVs, and then had a phone call from Gordon Ramsay's head office. I think that was simply how I had the balls to reach out, but I was in London for two and a half years.”
So, vision-wise, what does he have planned for here?
“There's still a lot of work to do. We've got plans for the garden for the summer, a stretch tent and a charcoal kitchen, we’re in the countryside afterall. As big ideas go, I would love barbecues on tables so someone can order a bit of meat and cook it themselves.”
Just a mile away, their sister pub, The Crown Inn, Benson, is close in the fold, as part of Hannah Dickson's Copper Pot Pubs group, with Landlord John Thirlway and Danny jointly overseeing both venues.
“With our sister pub, we’d love to put on a shuttle between Berrick Salome and Benson, if we have music outside, and patrons want to drink.”
Beef short rib crumpet
Maintaining the charm and building a returning clientele are imperative to survival and success, and our evening here shows a very strong start.
“When we came in, we didn't want to take away from this venue as a hub for the locals, but we also needed a destination aspect too, with events and the menu. For occasions like New Year's, we’d love to offer a seated service: candlelight, champagne on arrival and black-tie.”
Speaking to both John and Danny, it’s with perfect clarity that we see how dedicated they are to the neighbourhood they serve.
“We're starting to open an hour early, just for coffee. Get a copy of the paper. Come down, have a read, relax for a bit on a Sunday morning. If this doesn't work, we'll adapt. We're just so honoured to have a pub open in the area.”
Their dedication breeds a desire to serve in ways beyond a pint of larger and a packet of crisps.
“We want to give back to what our community offers; it’s as much their place as ours. Too many pubs are closing down, and too many jobs are being lost as a result. But we want to show people that we can keep putting people in jobs; show people that the pubs are not dying, that hospitality is not a dying trade.”
The Chequers Inn, Berrick Salome, Wallingford OX10 6JN
T. 07902 883360
E. hello@chequersberricksalome.co.uk
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Thursday: 11 am - 10:30 pm
Friday & Saturday 11 am - 11 pm
Sunday: 12 pm - 8 pm
Dining Hours:
Tuesday to Thursday: 12 - 3 pm and 6 - 9 pm
Friday: 12 - 3 pm and 6 - 9.30 pm
Saturday: 12 - 9.30 pm
Sunday Roasts: 12 - 6 pm
Local accommodation is available at their sister pub, The Crown at Benson.
Images, Izzy Howard.
