It’s been ages since my last road trip in the UK. So last weekend I celebrated Summer and the excellent weather with a trip to the Cotswold with an overnight stay at The Crown Inn at Church Enstone, West Oxfordshire.
The newly refurbished The Crown Inn, near Chipping Norton, was bought by Victoria and local artist George Irvine last year. The couple were regular patrons when the pub came up for sale.
The Crown Inn is a hidden gem clustered in the tranquil and picturesque village of Church Enstone. It’s located very near to the said church. Housed in a 17th Century, the stone inn has a traditional interior, the gastropub with rooms has a very welcoming feel.
Arriving on a Friday evening, I found the pub busy with locals and the party didn’t die down till 11 pm. Under the beautiful Summer’s evening light, the restaurant and garden looked charming.
As soon I got myself ready, I headed to the restaurant for dinner. The restaurant dining room is adjacent to the bar area, which was in full swing by then.
Dinner at the Crown Inn
The menu is seasonal, and they source ingredients locally as possible. The dishes are based on pub classics with a modern twist, everything looks exciting, and the portions are very generous.
They have a set lunch menu with two courses for £18 and three courses for £22pp. They also have a rounded and short wine list.
A special Crown Board with the option to choose charcuterie of choice is on offer as well as a sandwich board menu and an excellent range of traditional British desserts and local cheeses.
For the children, The Crown offers half size, half-price portions of most of the dishes on the menu. They also cater for vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan diet requirements.
My starter was a mouth-watering confit chicken terrine. It was accompanied by pickled artichoke which was a bit hard but tasty, and a creamy and thick tarragon crème fraîche served with toasted bread.
For the main course, I had the swordfish niçoise salad with mint and mango salsa. It was such a fresh and substantial dish. The twist of mint and mango worked well in this recipe.
The dessert menu looked very enticing too, with the classic English sticky Toffee pudding, honey and nougatine parfait with strawberries. They also had two very distinctive cheesecakes: limoncello cheesecake with Summer berries coulis and the perfect combination of white chocolate and raspberries cheesecake. Ice creams and crème brûlée featured in the menu as well.
Of course, they had a hit of chocolate in the form of chocolate and amaretto mousse, highly recommended by Felicity, the general manager.
My all-time favourite dessert is not sweet, it’s the cheeseboard, and The Crown Inn has an excellent one. It consisted of three local kinds of cheese, the Oxford Blue, a full fat creamy blue cheese. Next to it was the single smoke Gloucester, a hard, dense, crumbly and smoked cow’s milk cheese. The Simon Weaver Organic brie white, soft moulded cheese made with organic milk from the farm was creamy and rich – very satisfying. The cheeses are accompanied by Crown’s own lovely chutney and biscuits.
The Great Tew, my room at The Crown Inn
My room at The Crown Inn was outstandingly cosy, and quite stylish with a contemporary country feel of exposed beams, panelling and stone walls.
The bed was big and very comfortable, and I just loved the crisp white linen that covered the hypo-allergenic duvets and pillows.
The bathroom was very well appointed with fluffy towels and one not so plush bathrobe. My room, The Great Tew, was exceptionally atmospheric and smart. This is the biggest room at the Inn and cost £130/night including breakfast.
There’s a dog-friendly bedroom available for overnight stays for an extra £10 a night.
They thought about everything to make customers feel welcome. The service throughout my stay was friendly without being overbearing or intruding.
A morning walk after a delicious breakfast was in order. Felicity suggested the Heythrop footpath walk, which took about 45 minutes to complete. The English countryside is so captivating.
A driving around the Cotswold
After a relaxing stay at The Crown Inn, it was time to explore some of Cotswold beautiful countryside and villages.
Thirty-five minutes drive away it’s the heavenly Cotswold Lavender, it is glorious in July. They planted so many different lavenders; it was a feast to the senses. They also have a stunning wildflower field. The entrance to the field cost £4/adult and £2/child (5-15 years old).
Driving on to Broadway, a village located in the county of Worcestershire. It was jam-packed with sports car show by Aston Martin in the main square; the Saturday coffee and shopping spree in full action by visitors and locals alike. I must go back to this village and explore more, too pretty not to!
Another 40 minutes away is the small historic medieval village of Burford in the Cotswold hills in West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire. I’ve been here before, and I was delighted to be back. This place has a great atmosphere with the famous High Street sweeps downhill towards the River Windrush.
There are many places to visit in the area, The Crown Inn is an excellent base to explore this corner of the Cotswold.
Other places of interest nearby are the Kiftsgate court gardens in Chipping Campden and the Rousham house & gardens in Rousham, Bicester. Shopping at Bicester Village, an outlet shopping centre just outside the Bicester. For antique lovers The Quiet Woman is a good option, it’s situated in Southcombe in Chipping Norton.
The Crown Inn at Church Enstone
Mill Ln, Church Enstone, Chipping Norton OX7 4NN
t: 01608 677262
Disclosure: I was a guest at The Crown Inn. Everything you are reading here are my words, my opinions and unless otherwise stated my pictures. Please ask permission to reproduce/use any images.
