The White Horse Inn Review – Duns Tew

The White Horse Inn was booked in my blogger diary for months, so when the weekend finally came to head off for a romantic weekend, I raced home from work, speedily packed my bags and set off with Josh for some much needed relaxation. This beautiful little country inn is located a short 20 minute drive away from Bicester Village which is very dangerous, considering all I wanted to do was shop for a whole new designer wardrobe. Nevertheless, we resisted the urge and checked into our snug room at the Inn before heading down to the bar for some Friday night drinks and some well earned ‘down time’.

The charming inn is set in a quiet idyllic village close to Great Tew and the outside is gorgeous, just what you would image a sleepy town B&B to look like. Potted plants outside the windows, cute wooden benches, exceptionally low ceilings (Josh being 6”6 had to duck most of the time) and with the smell of food wafting from the kitchen, it reminds me of my parent’s pub. Unexpectedly, the place was busy hosting a group of wedding goers that night so quite naturally, the beer flowed heavily and the wine bottles popped.

The picturesque 17th-century pub certainly protrudes countryside character, open fireplaces and further offers easy access to the Cotswolds countryside. The pub also provides an array of outside rooms for luxury stays opposite the garden. I felt it lacked privacy as the floor-length window allows you to peek into the room! So I would just bear this in mind if you were to book into one of these rooms in future.

Our Double Standard Ensuite was down the hallway in a separate building to the pub, featuring tartan pillows, a small bathroom with a white tub, a flat-screen TV that we watched the Olympic opening ceremony on and a selection of teas, coffees and biscuits to nibble on after our three course meal. The room was small but the view was pleasant and overlooked the pub beer garden. Luckily there wasn’t any noise to disturb us and the WiFi was surprisingly fast considering it was an old country pub.

I was taken back by the size of the menu, small but a good selection of fish, chicken, and vegetable options. Though not the most creative menu, our starters of prawns and Korean chicken wings packed a punch. They were both tasty but I was shocked that my prawns were cold as I expected them to be at least warm! However this didn’t hinder the flavour in any way. I was happy with the presentation, not too snobbish and when our starters were taken away, for some reason the waiter thought we had finished our mains already and offered us pudding…. Ha! I mean… we’re greedy but not THAT greedy.

For mains, I decided to order the Pork Belly with Asian Slaw and it was perfectly executed and wasn’t too heavy on the stomach while I was drinking wine! Josh’s Hake was crispy and was tenderly battered. Although the price of the food was fairly substantial, I feel that taking the whole experience into account, you pay for the fantastic (and speedy) service and some tantalising flavours.

When it was time, we delved into some puddings – Bakewell tarts and chocolate truffle and it rounded the night off perfectly. Our meal and drinks were complimentary and we were grateful for a decent meal. The next morning we were treated to a fry up and tea although the server told me ‘not to take a picture of the breakfast as it’s not pretty enough’. Soon after, we headed off for a walk in the Cotswolds, ending up in Chipping Norton and Moreton-In-Marsh. The perfect end to a romantic night away.

Thanks once again to The White Horse for our complimentary room (£95) and meals. If you would like to know more, make sure you visit The White Horse Inn website. Daisy Hill, Duns Tew, OX25 6JS