5th December 2007

Big is beautiful at the Albion.

Dave and Sue Clifton are the new tenants at the Albion Tavern in Chipping Norton. And they plan to have a big future at this Hook Norton pub.

Big steaks are a feature of the pub’s menu – with the biggest a T-bone weighing in at 32oz. For those who do not have such big appetite, there is a 24oz T-bone, a 16oz rump and an 8oz sirloin. The menu also features steak and ale pies, sausage and mash and a choice of roasts on Sunday. “We do good pub grub, and people will come from miles away to try our big steaks.” said Dave Clifton.

From Monday to Friday senior citizens are offered a special lunch of comprising a main course and a sweet for £5.25. Running a Hook Norton pub has been a lifelong dream for Dave Clifton. He was bought up in Oxfordshire and the first beer he ever drank was a pint of Hooky in the White Swan, Wigginton.

So after 30 years managing pubs outside Oxfordshire he has returned to his roots in his home county. But it all could have been so different. A newspaper cutting on the wall, describes how Dave’s father Donald literally took to the air in a bizarre incident.

A member of the RAF, it was Donald’s job to sit on the rear tail of a Hawker Henley fighter to keep it balance as it prepared for take-off. However, on the 17 February 1942, the pilot forgot about his human ballast, who was supposed to jump off the plane when it reached its take off point. Within a blinking of an eye, the plane was airborne and hundreds of feet above the Oxfordshire countryside, with Donald hanging on to the tail for dear life. Somehow, despite the cold and vibration he was able to hang on until the plane landed safely.

Dave Clifton is a former retained firefighter and the pub’s chosen charity is one that supports the emergency services.

Dave and Sue Clifton
Albion Tavern
Burford Road
Chipping Norton
Oxon
OX7 5EF
Phone: 01608 642860