The Flowing Spring — Restaurant in South Oxfordshire

Could be quirky, but is actually dirty and run by a very defensive and unwelcoming couple. Our first and last visit. The food was ok and the event itself was reasonable even though it was raining and the tents leaked (plus the lead singer should have given up a long time ago (!))

But whlie I initially liked the village pub feel (almost like my own village) so the wobbly tables and broken bits I just viewed as quirky - it quickly became clear it had some very weird policies. The website said we must call and book our car parking in advance - so we did, only to be told we didn't need to at all (so why put it on the website?). The loo downstairs, which I was directed to in the intermission, was really gross - brown water in the loo and baby changing right next to it. Definitely needs a good clean, as did the ladies inside - I was glad to be at an event outside tbh.

The food also had to be ordered in advance and the website said must be paid for in cash - although on the night they said that too was not the case and we could pay by card (again, why put it on the website?). Then I tried to buy a glass of wine to go with my £8 potatoe (no salad, no garnish at all) and was told I must buy a whole bottle for £23. I've only come across that policy at the big exploitative 80s festivals and was quite shocked. When I queried I was told I'd have fun if I drank a whole bottle and if not I could complain to the landlady. I declined to do that at the time, choosing instead to feedback via email, privately.

I duly sent an emailI and then responsded to theirs saying please let us know should the policy change. The next day I received yet another email, this time from the landlady, telling me basically that I should have come to see her at the time and why I was utterly incorrect in my feedback. I replied, because all the reasons she gave for not selling wine by the glass made no actual logial sense, esp because they weren't applied to any other measures of alcohol ... I then received a very long email from the landlord accusing me of sending "long tiresome emails" and telling me how in the wrong I am and that they obviously cannot "placate" me.

Sadly it's evidently that "this is our pub and if you like it you're welcome, but if you give us any feedback we don't agree with, then you are an unreasonable customer!". A great shame that feedback is received so unprofessionally and the overreaction was so rude, especially considering selling wine by the glass and bottle is entirely normal, (and boxes of wine actually work our cheaper). A pretty dismal night has become a very negative experience for me, and I'm reminded yet again not to bother trying to feedback privately - it's not appreicated. If you look on Tripadvisor, you can read their incredible reactions to any criticism. One to...

We had a horrific experience here last weekend, and most definitely DO NOT recommend this place.

My friend and I were walking the circular walk around Sonning. We stopped at the Flowing Spring to get a drink and to enjoy some salad that we had brought with us in our packs.

After purchasing two drinks at the bar, we sat at a picnic table in the large pub garden, which was virtually empty (there were multiple empty tables and one other full table at the far end).

Within minutes, the owner/manager walked by en route to the other table and quite literally shouted at us, over his shoulder, "Are you eating YOUR food in OUR garden?!" We politely pointed out that we had purchased drinks, and carried on. Five minutes later, he approached our table in a fit of rage and started making a complete scene over the fact that we were eating our own salad, rather than buying food at the pub. Rather than approaching with politeness and any indication of respect for paying customers (which we were), he literally kept shouting over and over again, "This is just TOTALLY OUT OF ORDER!!! it's just OUT OF ORDER!!!" with spittle flying out of his mouth.

Obviously, we were quite shocked at his manner. After repeatedly pointing out that we had already spent money at the pub, we agreed to put the food away and finished our drinks as quickly as possible in order to escape the highly unpleasant atmosphere.

My family runs a bistro/pub, and we would NEVER treat a customer in this manner, especially in these circumstances. If someone purchases items of any kind and sits outside, then they can do as they please!! If the policy of this particular pub is that people cannot bring in any outside food to the garden (even when paying for drinks, etc.) then the proper, appropriate reaction is to approach the customer quietly and explain the policy, not to randomly start raging and shouting.

In other words, if the manager had politely, quietly approached us, we would have been quite happy to put the food away immediately. However, being openly harassed and abused after buying drinks is completely unacceptable. It is also bad business practice--we quite likely would have bought more drinks, and pudding/dessert, if we hadn't been treated with such inappropriate hostility and aggression.

The manager/owner seriously needs lessons in anger management, as well as basic lessons in human courtesy and good business sense. We most certainly will not...

I have never had a drink nor meal at this pub, so why am I posting a five star review? This happened a couple months ago… I was driving home to Caversham about noon when I noticed a GIANORMOUS spider on my backpack right next to me on the passenger seat. I have entirely uncontrollable severe phobia of spiders. I drive stick. I could not change gear for fear of getting any closer to the spider, I drove glued to the inside of the car door, clutch down, heart racing, nauseous, until thank god I rolled into the flowing spring car park. I could not undo my seatbelt, also for fear of being close to the spider. So I somehow wriggled out of the still fastened seatbelt, car still in gear, turned the ignition off. I am pacing back and forth in the car park of the still closed pub (not quite noon i guess), hyperventilating and trying not to barf. A man comes out and I say ‘thank GOD, could you help me? There’s a spider in my car’. He goes ‘Oh, I thought something really bad had happened!’ and then this absolute LEGEND calmly PICKS UP THE SPIDER IN HIS BARE HANDS and chucks it out of the car. No blindly bashing at the spider while it gets irretrievably lost between the seats and i am stranded, too scared to get back in the car. No, just full on cool headed takes it in his hands and throws it out on first try. What a boss. I incoherently thanked him and drove home but for this, this pub 100% deserves five stars, may it...