HOTEL

THE KILLINGWORTH CASTLE WOOTTON, OXFORDSHIRE

A charming 17th century coaching inn in the heart of the Cotswolds, with a huge garden and stylish yet comfy rooms with plenty of attention to detail (a small carafe of sherry was a most welcome touch, as were the home-made biscuits). Managing to blend the contemporary with the traditional, the Killingworth feels both cosy and luxurious. Another big appeal of the place is the selection of tasty Yubby Ales, brewed by the owner’s own craft beer company.

An inspired, award-winning menu using local ingredients, combining classic pub grub with more inventive dishes. We started with Evesham radishes with aioli and smoked salt - a simple, well executed appetiser - and a nod to the old school with a terrine of Cotswold white chicken with coronation mayonnaise and raisin granola. Mains were Cotswold spring lamb rump with local veg and goats curd, and a delicious hake with smoked mussels, crab and green butter sauce. There’s also Yubby ale battered haddock and chips, and The Killy burger with Paddock farm-smoked bacon and Oggleshield cheese. It would have been rude not to finish with the best sticky toffee pudding ever.

The inn is a mere fiveminute drive from Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 2,000 acres of parkland designed by Capability Brown and birthplace of Winston Churchill (a regular at the Killingworth Castle) and the pretty Cotswolds town of Woodstock. For brand obsessives, the discount retail park Bicester Village is a 20-minute drive, as is Oxford. Also close by is Bampton, the village used for many of the locations in Downton Abbey.

Midweek prices start from €112 for bed and breakfast. thekillingworthcastle.com, 00441993 811401