The Rose Crown Ratley

The Castle At Edgehill

➤ Edge Hill, Ratley And Upton, United Kingdom, Ratley and Upton

Carte • Wine • Steak • Cakes • Breakfast

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"booked a room for date night on the 14th april. room, 3-course menu, bottle prosecco for a bottle red, without qualifications exchanged) and breakfast next morning all for £140. I can't recommend that. the room of the kings was great, and eating was incredible. sharing the meat plate to begin, each product was amazing, especially the chicken liver parfait. main was the best burger I ever had, and my wife had filet steak that she said was cooked to perfection. dessert was just as good, although we were incredibly full of this point! all staff were friendly and helpful, without being overlaid or intrusive. we both loved each second and can't wait to come back. thanks to brand and team."

The Dun Cow

➤ West End, Cherwell, United Kingdom

Carte • Wine • Coffee • British • Ice Cream

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"We've been to quite a few pubs in the area of Banbury (incl Rose Crown and my fail-safe Falcon) but I have to say that the food here was on another level of flavour, texture and presentation. We had the aubergine board with grilled pita bread initially and, wowsers, it was utterly amazing. To start, we had the asparagus and hen egg (both guests loved it) and the blood orange with fennel which I had and shall never forget – next time I'm having two! Light, crispy, delicious – and as for the little seemingly toasted capers! Very more-ish. For mains we had three burgers with homemade cheese (tres bon) and the chicken supreme which the guest said was excellent. I skipped dessert as I was too full but tasted the tart (superb crispy pastry and luscious chocolate filling) and the rice pudding with coconut – what a great combo! Great staff – superb chef! The pub is in the lovely village of Horton. The restaurant area is small and quite plain (some tablecloths would brighten up the ambience) but pleasant and there's a large outdoor garden which I'd really like to visit in summer. But this place is all about the food, which really is imaginative and unbelievably tasty. And very keenly priced, too, given the level of food quality. We will most certainly return. On a separate note, it's a shame that new management or owners of a restaurant or B B are lumbered with the poor legacy of others before them – TripAdvisor should have a system where bad reviews of a restaurant before new ownership (in this case 2019) are wiped clean if the new version has, say, five 5-star reviews since takeover. It's bad form on TripAdvisor's part that new owners inherit the bad reviews of others before them. IMO, this place fully deserves all of its recent 5-star reviews. Just go – you won't be disappointed."

The Plough Inn

➤ Church Hill, Stratford-on-Avon, United Kingdom

Carte • Pub • Salad • Cheese • Chicken

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"Amazing food and lovely waitress, we came for a very relaxed pre-wedding meal for my mum and step dad’s wedding (only a small intimate wedding) for everyone to meet, and the Plough was the perfect place. We live just outside of warmington and whenever we get the chance we come here for food, not that we get much chance anymore which is a shame wish we could visit more as the food is delicious and the pub is so lovely."

The Bell

➤ The Bell Kenhill Road, Cherwell, United Kingdom

Carte • Pub • Wine • Soup • Fish

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"We live in a village close by to Shenington and are avid patrons of many countryside restaurants and pubs in North Oxfordshire. We're not that easy to please either but none of us could find fault with this small, exceedingly appealing pub nestling in the centre of the pretty and very quiet village of Shenington, about ten minutes drive from Banbury. Firstly the bar area itself is of classic country style with a few chairs, tables and even a dart board. There are also several tables outdoors in front of the pub which we will doubtless try next spring. The restaurant section is small and tastefully decorated with pale blue-green wooden panelling and rustic tables. A lovely ambience, in other words. We were initially drawn to this pub because of its menu which seemed to be spot on with seemingly something for all tastes. We ordered whitebait and teriyaki prawns for starters and both were delicious. In fact, for my partner and I, the teriyaki prawns mini casserole was one of the best dishes we've ever tasted. I can't tell you how amazing it was – crunchy prawns, al dente carrots and other tantalising things in a sauce you want to drink straight out of the bowl. Wowsers! For mains we had the chicken kebabs that were recommended by the amazing waitresses. It was a huge plate of sublime indulgence with a large skewer of tenderised char-grilled chicken that must have been marinated in some kind of magical secret ingredient. On the side was a Sriracha-style sauce with high heat clout and scrumptious tang. And taking up a lot of plate space, a circular flatbread piled with homemade red-cabbage coleslaw, a long slice of cucumber and other delicious items I can't recall. To top it off, it came with a dish of skinny fries. The helpings were enormous. A friend, meanwhile, had the katsu chicken burger which he said was very satisfactory. It, too, was huge. Granted, the dessert menu is very small but that didn't bother us because we had no room left for any. Just wish I'd taken some pictures of the food but I'd already eaten it by the time I thought about taking some snaps. Amazingly, the bill turned out to be a lot less than most other pubs we've visited. If you're looking for a truly lovely small country pub with exquisite food, amazing staff, awesome chef and cosy ambience, The Bell is thoroughly recommended. We will be back – many times."

The Kitchen

➤ Primrose Hill Farm, Banbury, Banbury, United Kingdom

Carte • Full • Wine • Coffee • British

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"we love the kitchen and have been regular visitors for a long time. this was our place of choice to enjoy a mid festive season brunch. we chose both agitation in sourdough. the touch was deliciously smooth and creamy. my toast was burned at the edges and, although I asked for the speck to be done well, I had not expected that 2 small pieces I could hardly cut or chew for an additional £4.50 my man ordered extra toast, butter and jam. there was no jam that was disappointed. we were recommended to apply for marmelade next time in booking. the coffee and the tee were great, the ambiente, which, despite the rain, always greeted with the usual stunning landscape view. service is always attentive."