Stay: This 16th century Oxfordshire village boozer fell into the more-than-capable hands of The Public House Group (of Pelican and Fat Badger fame), who ensured its rural, flagstoned-and-gnarled-beamed soul remained firmly intact. Old stone walls are still warmed with spitting fires and dripping, white waxy candles, and while menus stick to the usual gastro-pub suspects, they are elevated to delicious, creative heights with a firm focus on local, seasonal fare. So having boiled your body in one of the room’s roll top baths, and banked a few hours’ kip under the duck down duvets, head downstairs for plump scallops drenched in lobster gravy, pork chops smothered in a gourmet spin on your classic apple sauce and warming venison with elderberry, rounded off with a sinfully rich chocolate mousse. Then draw out the evening by the fire, nursing a Malbec, a Rioja, or (this is Public House after all), a negroni.
