Oxfordshire pubs named as having best Sunday roasts in UK

After asking top chefs across the nation for their favourite spot for Sunday lunch, The Times placed three from the county in the list of 25, with one finishing in the top three.

Listed in the number three spot was The Lamb in Shipton with Trevor Gulliver, restaurateur and co-founder of the pioneering St John restaurant, admitting he has tried to order everything on the menu.

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The St John restaurant has become renowned for its nose-to-tail cooking, which ensures that every edible part of an animal is prepared and consumed, influencing chefs around the world.

Mr Gulliver added that he "absolutely loves"  The Lamb, which opened in June 2021.

Co-owners Tom Noest and Peter Creed, who are both Cotswolds born and bred, also operate The Bell at Langford which made the list in 25th place.

François O’Neill, founder of upmarket bistro Maison François, said: “It’s everything you want from a roast.”

He admired the “incredible locally sourced meat and delicious sides”.

The modern country pub was opened in December 2017 by the business partners Mr Noest and Mr Creed.

In 2019 it was listed in The Times 100 Best Places to Stay and has been raved about by food critics Giles Coren, Marina O'Loughlin and Tom Parker Bowles.

Before opening they spent a year viewing several different pubs in the area but felt The Bell with its traditional features, eight hotel rooms and outside space, best fitted the bill.

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Mr Creed previously worked with The Lucky Onion Group, setting up design-led hotels and restaurants, operating all their sites and managing all the buying of the beverages.

Also making the list was The Wild Rabbit in Kingham in 17th with Raymond Blanc, patron at the two Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton, praising its Sunday roast.

He said: “Why do I love it? It has great character and ambience.

“The service has always been thoughtful, kind and very hospitable.”

Mr Blanc revealed his last Sunday roast order from the pub was the roast Paddock Farm pork loin, stuffing and apple sauce with a Yorkshire pudding.

The Grade II listed pub is named with a nod to its original title, Conygree Farm, which is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning rabbit enclosure.

The building was built in the seventeenth century as a house and farm.

More recently is the Tollgate Inn a building constructed in Cotswolds stone with proportions known for its convivial atmosphere and unusual double fireplace.