Headington, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

This Oxford-fringe institution is “the perfect country pub for all seasons: thatched roof, low beams, fire, cosy interior, extensive garden” – and is just a quarter-hour walk from the city centre in a beautiful, leafy and peaceful location in Binsey, close to the Thames (known locally as the Isis) and Port Meadow. It’s not an overtly foodie destination, but “the menu has everything you’d hope for from a country pub, plus some extra surprise treats (quails eggs, pork belly and apple mustard)”.

2022 Review: “Some pubs in the Cotswolds really go above and beyond, and this is one of them” – Steven Sanderson’s 400-year-old thatched village boozer with rooms (and garden) offers “lots of interesting small dishes as well as the usual suspects” (notably grass-fed British steak).

2022 Review: This rural pub (complete with beams and roaring fire, and also accommodation) in a lovely Buckinghamshire village still achieves solid ratings, and – notwithstanding gripes from the occasional reporter about its takeover by Oakman Inns in late 2019 – most feedback rates the food as “very good”.

2024 Review: No reports as yet on this modern retread of an ancient village boozer in the Oxfordshire countryside. It’s a new showcase for the ‘elevated gastro-pub cooking’ of chef Nathan Richardson, who took over the property from former tenants of 15 years’ standing and who previously worked at Mayfair’s acclaimed Guinea Grill. You can eat in the bar (80 covers) or the restaurant (40 covers).