Canalside pub - friendly and lots of parking. Good real ale here! They also have an extensive bar…read moremenu. But the points are just for the beer really; a recent trip for lunch showed up something lacking in the chef department but I'm willing to put it down to a temporary aberration and would visit again - just check you're getting what you expect when it's ordered (like asking what exactly is green in the Green Salad, apart from a lettuce, that is).

It"s a bit sad - it all started so good. Very friendly staff and a good crowd of locals. We ordered…read morefood and waited for quite a long time. When it did arrive the Cheeseburger was missing the cheese and the fries tasted somehow strange. Upon our complaint the food was taken off the bill. I really hope we just caught the cook on a bad day - I think I want to give them a second chance! Oh BTW on my first visit it was a bank holiday and no food was served, might want to keep that in mind.

WOW, What a pleasant and wonderful surprise of a find. We happened to be going this way after car…read moreshopping and found this pub. It looked like Yelpers had enjoyed it so we hoped that it was going to be worth the stop. It was. A lot of the pubs I've found lately have all become commercialized and become a bit "cookie cutter." They have the same items on the menu, carry the same beers and generally almost start looking the same. Well, the Malt Shovel does not. Not only is their menu unique, it seemed to have specials of the day. I choose a meat pie that with beer in it and my husband chose a different meat and potatoes dish. We started with some fried tempura shrimp that was a surprise because it was just as light and tasty as could be. We ate that pretty quickly. The entrees are pretty hefty and I believe we could have shared, but in the end my husband liked his dish better so it worked out. Ironically we came here quite by accident but it was our anniversary that night and with trying to find a car hadn't had time to properly plan dinner but it worked out because the meal made it feel pretty special. I would have liked to have tried a dessert but having no space had to forgo. In the end it turned out it was less than 10 miles away from home so we probably will be back often for good homecooked like meals!

My wife and I come here, while going to/from bucks. The staff ate friendly. The service is 5*…read morerestaurant quality. The food... The food is good old fashioned in house cooked, pub grub. I would (and have) reccomend the maly shovel to anyone who would be passing. The chips alone are worth travelling to it for

This is a gastro-pub at it's finest. Set in lovely scenery, traditional and cosy looking building…read moreand great, great food. Particular fan of the Sunday Roast. Nocked one star off as it's just a little more expensive than they could make it, but I'm a regular never the less.

Best pub food I have had in ages. We ate in the restaurant, would definitely recommend but access…read moreto the pub could be better as it's in the backend of beyond. Wouldn't go if it was snowing!!

We stayed at The Castle at Edgehill and decided to have our evening meal there as well. It is the…read moremost beautiful location and of course, had the feel of a small castle, which our kids and even ourselves found enchanting. The service was so personable and friendly--that's what first convinced us to give it a try. Then there was the sweeping view from our table of the rolling hills below. There were so many little special touches to the place. To top it off, the food was amazing! We could tell it was prepared with a lot of care and attention to detail. My husband said it was the best fish and chips he had ever had. The sticky toffee pudding was my favorite--divine!! Definitely recommend!

This is a little out of the way gem that is worth the trip. Perched on the summit of Edgehill…read morethis restaurant enjoys some of the best views across the Warwickshire countryside. And that's how their history write up starts for the castle. The scenery is all that and more as you gaze out to that countryside while dining in their full windowed dining room. The Chef creates a variety of entrees that are eclectic in theme. I started with their chicken liver pate parfait which was delicious. Continued the meal with confit duck leg and finished off my meal with sticky toffee pudding. Hubby started the prawns starter and finished with the prawns starter. He had the rack of lamb in between. Yes, he liked the prawns so much he got it twice! All in all the food the atmosphere and attentive service make for an awesome dinner experience. Highly recommended!!!

Oh boy... I get to be the first to provide a review of this wonderful restaurant!…read moreWhat a pleasant surprise. We were staying in a B&B nearby last month (May 2016), and got a recommendation for a local restaurant. The restaurant is tucked inside the Castle Inn, and adjacent to their small pub. Only a few tables, but the food was wonderful! Fresh, interesting, inventive, and well worth the drive to "find" it. Yes, it's not in a town, but on a small road in the country. The additional treat was a view over the surrounding countryside. I highly recommend it.

The Red Lion Inn is Croperdy near Banbury is a fantastic traditional English pub located in the…read moreheart of the countryside. The Pub has fairly recently changed hands, well 5 years ago, recent in village pub terms! The new owners Adam and Karen have turned the pub around, with good food and fine locally made ales. The village of Croperdy is perhaps best known for the yearly folk festival 'Fairport Convention', 4 days a year when the village and the Red Lion Inn are absolutely swamped with people, literally there are people sleeping on the village green! Its advisable I think to avoid the pub at this time! On every visit of hours however, we are most impressed with the patient, friendly attitudes of the owners and staff and quality of food and ales. Highly Recommended for a visit.

The first thing to stress is that this place has changed out of all recognition and is now clearly…read morein need of an updated Spring 2013 review; the last one being posted in 2011. I am delighted to spread the joy . . . and can verify that since a charming couple called Gary and Laura took the reigns of The Red Lion in 2012, it must be accredited with a Qype 5-Star top rating. Well-kept ales, locally sourced fresh ingredients go into a thoughtful menus, based a traditional fare but sometimes with an authentic signature twist. Great venue to meet friends, narrowboat-folk and welcoming locals. My family's favourite UK canal-side pub and certainly one of Oxfordshire's best kept secrets. Mike Almond and Family