The Russell Arms at Butlers Cross has been welcoming villagers and visitors since 1784, occupying a position at the heart of a hamlet that sits in the shadow of Chequers, the Prime Minister’s official country residence. Renovated with care into a stylish, welcoming space — light and airy inside, with a working fire and a well-tended beer garden — it is community-owned through a local share scheme, which gives it a character and investment in its own future that sets it apart from managed tenancies. The Chilterns countryside surrounds it on every side.
The kitchen produces light lunches and British dinners of real quality, the Sunday roast drawing specific praise for its generosity and use of quality ingredients. The staff’s warmth — going so far as putting a candle in a birthday dessert unprompted — confirms a team that takes the details seriously. Chiltern Brewery ales are a fixture on the bar, and muddy boots and dogs are as welcome as the well-heeled walkers arriving from the nearby Ridgeway.
