Our Top Picks for
Lunch & Dinner
For the foodies who want to experience the culinary delights of the Cotswolds
OUR FAVOURITE
LUNCH & DINNER SPOTS
No.1
The Bull, Charlbury
No.2
The Lamb Inn, Shipton
No.3
Wotton Garden Kitchen, Worton
No.4
The Chequers, Churchill
1. The Bull, Charlbury - UK pub of the Year 2025
The Accolade: National Pub & Bar Awards 'UK Pub of the Year 2025'
This 16th century inn has become the ultimate honeypot since its 2023 reopening by the team behind London’s The Pelican. It’s a masterclass in quiet luxury.
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The Vibe: Minimalist, pared back, and lit almost exclusively by candlelight. It features flagstone floors, open fires, and a notable absence of televisions or 'visual chatter'.
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The Food: Focused on open fire cooking and a farm-to-table ethos (sourcing from nearby Bruern Farm). It is famous for its Beef & Guinness pie and high end game dishes.
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Unique Factor: It manages to feel like a proper local boozer while hosting A-list celebrities (the Beckhams recently celebrated there).
2. The Lamb Inn, Shipton-under-Wychwood
The Lamb is the 'foodie’s favourite' for those who want incredible cooking without the 'posh' filter of some neighbouring villages.
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The Vibe: A cozy 17th century hostelry with racing memorabilia, wood-fired ovens, and a lively atmosphere that welcomes locals as much as tourists.
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The Food: Known for 'nose-to-tail' dining (inspired by Fergus Henderson). Think hearty faggots, fresh flatbreads from the pizza oven, and standout Sunday roasts.
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Accommodation: Offers 10 'luxuriously scruffy' rooms - high-end linens and roll-top baths mixed with ancient, uneven floorboards.
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Insight: They excel at the 'stay' experience, though only offer a Continental breakfast included in basic rates - a good detail to keep in mind.
3. Worton Kitchen Garden, Cassington
This is not a traditional pub, but a seven-acre market garden and glasshouse restaurant. It is perhaps the most authentic 'farm-to-table' operation in Oxfordshire and aligns perfectly if you're interested in 'farm-to-trail' experiences.
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The Vibe: Quirky, unpretentious, and deeply rural. You dine in a glasshouse or a rustic terrace surrounded by wildflower nurseries and fruit trees. It feels like a hidden gem because it literally is - hidden down a track in Worton Park.
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The Food: Hyper-seasonal and firmly from the gutsy, no-frills rulebook. They grow 60 varieties of tomatoes and keep their own Saddleback pigs.
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Sample Menu: Middlewhite Pork, Sri Lankan Celeriac Curry, and 18-hour roast shoulder.
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Insight: Everything is grown or reared on-site, making it a destination lunch spot for a walking tour, offering a visual and sensory education on food provenance.
4. The Chequers, Churchill
The founder and current owner of Worton Kitchen Garden is Simon Spence, a former 'City boy' turned artisanal baker and chef who took over from the original founders around 2022, transforming it into a renowned farm-to-table eatery focusing on hyper-local, seasonal produce grown on-site.
