Oxfordshire pubs makes UK's 'best country pubs with rooms'

Global travel publisher, Conde Nast Traveller has put together a list of their favourite rural pubs where you can spend the night in the UK and Ireland.

According to the publisher, the UK has seen a resurgence of country pubs with rooms in the past few years with a focus on “snug bedrooms, quirky designs and all the comforts that come with a hotel stay.”

READ MORE: Gordon Ramsay opens up on living in Oxfordshire council flats during early life

On the list, which had 33 entries, was The Bell in Charlbury, The Double Red Duke in Clanfield, The Lamb Inn in Shipton under Wychwood and The Kingham Plough.

The Bell at Charlbury recently reopened in early September after a complete restoration was undertaken at the 17th-century inn.

The Bull at Charlbury (Image: Daylesford)

The pub serves a selection of hearty pub classics with ingredients from local suppliers and growers as well as from the farm at Daylesford Organic.

Twelve bedrooms sit above the pub and The Barn, including a two-bedroom family suite.

“There’s no doubt this new opening will have walls brimming with chirpy locals and Daylesford fans from the get-go”, its entry reads.

READ MORE: Blenheim Palace transformed to tell Sleeping Beauty tale for Christmas

It added there are big plans to use the pub’s garden for cinema nights, pizza ovens and wellness activities.

The Double Red Duke in Clanfield is a 17th-century coaching inn which was given a stylish makeover to turn it into a luxury country hotel in 2020.

The Double Red Duke in Clanfield (Image: Ed Nix)

Its description read: “It’s easy to spot this wisteria-clad 17th-century coaching inn, with its candy-striped umbrellas forming a jaunty Soho House-style beacon.

“In many ways the revamped Oxfordshire pub (part of the Country Creatures group) draws parallels with the global members’ club.”

The Lamb, which opened in June 2021, is described as “the quintessential modern pub: a space for Cotswolds locals, visitors and gastronomic hipsters”, the article said.

READ MORE: 'Vital' interchange scheme between Abingdon and Oxford gets green light

It added that the pub was a “local hub” that was also “something of a natural history museum” serving “hearty food.”

Co-owners Tom  Noest and Peter Creed, who are both Cotswolds born and bred, also operate The Bell at Langford and The Little Bell within Soho Farmhouse.

The business partners opened The Bell in December 2017 and in 2019 it was listed in The Times 100 Best Places to Stay.

It has been raved about by food critics Giles Coren, Marina O'Loughlin and Tom Parker Bowles.

The Kingham Plough was first opened in 2007 by famous chef, Emily Watkins, who still works there.

The Kingham Plough (Image: Newsquest)

It was then taken over by Matt and Katie Beamish in 2019, with the pair having previously worked with chefs including Raymond Blanc and Jamie Oliver.

Ms Watkins previously worked in Florence and at The Fat Duck owned by the chef Heston Blumenthal.

She was one of the winners of 2014's season of the Great British Menu.

“The Plough is what every pub should be: dependable, delightful and, above all, an extremely good deal”, its entry finishes with.