Which pubs would DCI Tom Barnaby go to mull over work with his long-suffering sidekicks?
The Six Bells in Warborough, Oxfordshire, with its hanging flower baskets and grey thatched roof could be one of the hostelries he would favour.
He might recall that the pub appeared as itself in investigations such as ‘Left for Dead’ and ‘Bad Tidings’. It then became ‘The Black Swan’ in ‘The Great and The Good’.
Barnaby’s methodical mind would no doubt alert him to the beauty of The Lambert Arms in Watlington, which was highly commended in the Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2010.
Situated at the foot of the Chilterns, DS Troy might complain that it’s “a bit out in the sticks”. But it’s only 15 minutes from Oxford and, being a former coaching inn, has open fires.
The Cricketers Arms in Warborough is another place Barnaby could gravitate to. Nearby Wallingford was the fictional town of Causton in Midsomer Murders and this little pub is just the place Barnaby could take his wife Joyce.
They could enjoy some haddock in crispy beer batter, with the sound of leather on willow coming from the village green.
What better way to round off a hard day’s sleuthing than a trip to the Red Lion in Brightwell Cum Sotwell, which was voted South Oxfordshire Pub of The Year in 2009.
Relaxed by the traditional ales, it’s a place which would make the retired life seem very attractive for our Inspector Barnaby.