Oxfordshire is prime long weekend territory; an excellent central location, gorgeous medieval villages, historic cities and stunning countryside. We recently paid a visit to The Lion in the village of Wendlebury in Oxfordshire and were delighted to discover a charming and luxurious village pub, perfect for foodies and those exploring the county.
Location
The pretty village of Wendlebury lies within the Evenlode Valley in Oxfordshire and the location literally couldn’t be better. You are less than 10 minutes from the designer outlet shopping centre of Bicester Village which we thoroughly enjoyed visiting – although our credit card may disagree! Oxford and Blenheim Palace are both nearby, as, of course, is gorgeous rural Oxfordshire, indeed there are several walks that can be taken right from the front door of the pub. The nearest train station is Bicester Village with direct mainline services from London Marylebone taking just 1hr and 10minutes, so you can leave work and be relaxing on the patio with a drink in hand before the sun has even thought about setting!
Style & Character
The Lion simply oozes character. It’s one of those places with lots of nooks and crannies, lots of little spaces to discover and to sit and relax. The beautiful Cotswold stone is a feature in almost every room, as are gorgeous beamed ceilings and lots of quirky accessories; creating a relaxed, country-chic vibe.
Service & Facilities
There are several separate areas to sit in the bar, the restaurant itself has a conservatory section which connects to the main restaurant room and outside there is a large courtyard patio area with huge umbrellas and lots of flowers which we were very happy to make full use of from early afternoon until late in the evening. There’s also plenty of parking onsite.
The service is friendly and relaxed, we appreciated the attention of the chef who popped out to check everything was ok.
Rooms
There are 13 stylish guest rooms in a separate building on the far side of the patio which have been newly created this year. Ours came with a sofa bed which had been pre-converted into a bed for our children and even with this taken into account, the room was still plenty spacious for the four of us. The French door was very welcoming on a particularly hot spell for the British Isles (yes, we do get them!). The room facilities were great; fresh shortbread and packets of Artisan crisps, Temple Spa toiletries, bottles of still and sparkling water and a very comfortable bed – the little finishing touches were much appreciated.
Food & Drink
We thoroughly enjoyed all the food (and drink!) at The Lion. There is a seasonally changing menu and a daily specials board both filled with classic, locally sourced English dishes with a contemporary twist. I would highly recommend the Spiced Chickpea, Feta and Mint Burger which was as delicious as it sounds! We were too full to do the dessert board proper justice but at breakfast the next morning, the Eggs Benedict was one of the best I’ve ever tasted! There’s a breakfast buffet table with croissants, cereals, fruit and toast made from freshly baked bread and you can order hot food from a menu. The well-stocked bar includes a range of ales and fine wines, we were also pleased to be able to choose from a selection of gins with various tonics to accompany them.
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