Our Top Tour Picks for
Tour Lunch & Dinner
For the foodies who want to experience the culinary delights of the Cotswolds
OUR FAVOURITE TOUR 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 Vibe: Hearty, Unpretentious, and "Proper"
Run by Peter Creed and Tom Noest (who also own The Bell at Langford), The Lamb is the "foodie’s favorite" for those who want incredible cooking without the "posh" filter of some neighboring 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 for you: They excel at the "stay" experience, though some guests note the continental-only breakfast included in basic rates - a good detail to keep in mind for your own pivot.
3. Worton Kitchen Garden, Cassington
The Vibe: "Regenerative & Madcap" (Petersham Nurseries of the North)
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 with your interest 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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Experience Potential: They operate a closed-loop system (everything is grown or reared on-site). For your business, this is a prime example of a destination lunch spot for a walking tour, as it offers 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 (David and Anna) around 2022, transforming it into a renowned farm-to-table eatery focusing on hyper-local, seasonal produce grown on-site.
Wotton Kitchen Garden
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 (David and Anna) around 2022, transforming it into a renowned farm-to-table eatery focusing on hyper-local, seasonal produce grown on-site.
