Middle of nowhere, casual dress, Michelin-starred…read more My husband and I went out of our way to eat and stay here. Was it worth the 3 hour journey from London (2-hr train ride, 1-hr by car) to make our reservation from 6-months earlier? Absolutely. Courses are small, but plenty. Staff are immensely courteous and thoughtful (they made a custom menu for our dietary needs and even had the chefs sign it before we left). And the setting couldn't be more idyllic. I'd suggest getting the wine pairing as it really completes the meal. Go ahead and stay the night as breakfast is included the next day. Just make sure to work out your travel from the train station to the restaurant. It really is out in the sticks.

An absolutely fantastic experience enhanced by the charming and beautiful countryside that The…read moreBlack Swan at Oldstead is nestled within - an area that I wouldn't have visited otherwise but am grateful for having done so. Make sure to make a small detour to Kilburn to see The Kilburn White Horse which stands firmly in the hillside. The Black Swan is a beautiful picturesque old pub full of warmth and charm. Upon arrival you are welcomed into the bar area for aperitifs where a log fire crackles and glows. Make sure to notice the Robert Thompson mouse carved into the bar. Great selection of small batch gins - I enjoyed a glass of Sir Robin of Locksley from Sheffield with tonic. Amuse bouche are served here before moving upstairs to the restaurant. The Smoked Eel and Apple Tartlets were light and well balanced in their flavours whilst the Chicken Dumpling was rich, satisfying and would sit well on the finest of dim sum plates in Hong Kong. The restaurant is more modern in decoration with an "open kitchen" where some of the dishes are prepared with a clear artistic love and attention to detail. Service is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. Good selection of wines for most palates and wallets. I had the 10 course tasting menu which, at £85, felt like a bargain compared to the price of Michelin starred food in major cities. To start, a Mussel with Oyster Leaf canapé - so perfectly decorated that it felt wrong to eat it, but so tasty. Next up Langoustine with Caramelised Whey, served like a lollipop with a twig to hold it with - lovely textures and cooked to perfection. Venison Tartare followed - a small dish but rich in flavour and beautifully prepared and decorated. Sour Bread and Sour Butter was distinctive and a good filler in preparation for the main courses. The Monkfish with Asparagus and Onion, although delicious, was probably the weakest dish. The sauce tasted like heavy sweet soy sauce and was a bit overpowering in its saltiness for the delicate flavour of the fish. Still very enjoyable though. The Slowly Cooked Crapaudine Beetroot was the star of the menu. Cooked in beef fat (I believe), the beetroot takes on a heavier composition and is chewy and almost glutinous with all of the accompanying decorations providing broad and bold flavours. Absolutely fantastic! Scallop Cured with Rhubarb was another standout with the smoothness of the slightly charred scallops countering the tartness of the rhubarb, all tied together with a rich and balanced sauce. Herb-Fed Chicken with Wild Garlic from this Year and Last was another amazing creation with a blanket over the chicken in the form of a garlic leaf. The chicken was more warm than hot but extremely tasty. The first dessert was ice cream (or iced yoghurt?) Lollipops which were wonderfully innovative with their unique flavours. The Sheep's Milk with Douglas Fir Oil was also an memorable dessert with natural tastes of the season. The final dessert, served with coffee was Cake made from Artichoke, Chicory Root and Thyme. The combination worked well although the chicory root (?) was slightly bitter. A great end to a fantastic meal and experience. For most who visit The Black Swan at Oldstead, a significant journey will be involved but don't let that put you off...It's well worth the effort and will be one of those great food experiences.

Found this place to be quite cold & unwelcoming. The 'shabby chic' interior is certainly more on…read morethe shabby side. Staff were uninterested and preoccupied even though we were only one of 2 tables in there so they weren't exactly rushed off their feet. Saying that, the food was delicious & of a high quality. Choice is varied but not an excessive amount of options. Shame the service & atmosphere let it down as it has the potential to be great, especially with their cheap lunchtime deals. Most likely won't return.

The food was amazing, wonderful service from all of the staff. Love the outlay of the restaurant…read more Highly recommend..

Dear Fox Hole. I have to tell you that in our 21 days visiting in England your food was the best we…read morehad! I can't stop thinking about and wanting your garlic mushrooms in cream sauce! It was heavily! My husband raves about the chicken & brie sandwich he had. The chicken melted in his mouth and was a perfect sandwich. In addition to great food the location and ambience was so pleasant. We wished we could had eaten at the Fox Hole a few more times. It was such a pleasure to discover your quaint and yummy place. Thank you. Debbie

The staff is fantastic, bar the odd few. The delivery gents are always helpful when delivering. The…read morestaff are very knowledgeable and always happy to help. I have been given excellent advice as I have never gardened in England. I drive to the nursery on my mobility scooter as an outing and see what new and interesting plants are around.

Lovely garden centre, wide range of products for indoors & outdoors. Although, I have to say the…read moremain reason for the majority of my visits is always for the cafe! Beautiful food, especially the homemade cakes & scones. It's quite a busy spot, especially on a lunchtime but there's plenty of seating indoors & out and service is always speedy.

Went out for lunch here today. Having passed it many times & always appeared to be busy. The menu…read moreis extensive with a huge specials board. Tons of seating in coves & circular/square tables. A large bar to stand at if required. Vast amount of space for disabled customers. The food was pretty good & we got 2-4-1 so a bargain really. I had heard some good reviews hence the visit. Would return to try some other meals in the future.

This unassuming little coaching inn hides a true gem inside. A small and friendly staff were…read morewonderfully accommodating, and simply could not do enough for us. My wife is currently pregnant, and so has certain dietary restrictions; when they were informed of this ahead of time, they created an entirely new menu just for her to replace the dishes she couldn't have. Each of these new dishes had clearly been well thought out and beautifully presented. There are a lot of places that would have just foregone the course entirely or given her a bit of a booby prize on a plate. Hats off to them for their consideration and hard work. We opted for the shorter tasting menu when we visited, but this was still a sitting of over two hours. Definitely recommended if you are not in a rush and want an experience. Each dish is beautifully presented, and each component has clearly been thought out in relation to the others. The flavours are absoutely precision engineered. There are theatrical elements of smoke and liquid nitrogen, but unlike some other restaurants, where the theatre is used to mask an otherwise average dish, here it adds a dimension to something that was already superb. At the end of the tasting menu, we felt satisfied but not stuffed- a balance which is often hard to reach! We have eaten at Michelin two starred restaurants that did not reach the finesse of this establishment. Absolutely recommended!

It started with a pre-dinner drink in the drawing room, a high ceilinged chamber with much dark…read morewood and leather furniture. With our drinks the waiter brought a plastic orange tree with actual berry sized oranges (sultanas) that were soaked in Grand Marnier and other magic potions to make them deliciously alcoholic. Soon after, a sommelier joined us in the drawing room to help us choose a wine for the evening. As you walk into the Orangery dining room, one immediately notices a glass skylight ceiling and views of the immaculately groomed grounds. Especially in the evening, the failing sunlight creates great atmosphere throughout the whole restaurant. Perfect ambiance for a fancy dinner. As with many high end restaurants there were pre-courses and courses. Before starters we had an amazing soup that I don't want to insult by getting it wrong, but reminded me of split pea soup. Then starters, all presented like art, followed by our entree. I had the best end of season lamb, and I definitely recommend it! For me, a place like this is as much about the experience as it is the food so I won't delay on just the food. Believe me, whatever you get is probably going to be amazing here! There was a pre-dessert course and it was like a less solid cheesecake with SPOILER ALERT pop rocks. Yes, pop rocks in a 5 star restaurant. Genius is the first word to come to mind. Hope I don't spoil the surprise for you. I liked that I still had another dessert course to go after I finished that! Service is big with me, and this is one of those places where your napkin is placed in your lap for you, so service was exactly the spoiling treatment you hope for at a place like this. So if you want to really splurge (really splurge) and have a truly fine dining adventure, I highly recommend the Orangery.

Kenny Atkinson at The Orangery was an incredible evening. From the moment you walk into Rockliffe…read moreHall you are treated like royalty and throughout our meal the service was outstanding, with very knowledgeable staff and a kitchen/dining system that works very well. They also allow the staff to show a bit of personality which is always endearing in such desirable places.

This is a fantastic pub which serves meals from an impressive menu. I have visited on many…read moreoccasions, for my birthday , an anniversary, a work's Xmas dinner and just to treat ourselves to a night out. The Old Oak is quiet and comfortable, the food absolutely fantastic and the pricelist impressive. You wouldn't think you were in a pub but a restaurant and to the rear of the bar is a very large conservatory with seating fo meals which is cosy in winter and cool in the summer. I can't recommend this place highly enough for its quality of service, ambience, layout and wonderful food!

We stopped off having read the previous review, albeit from 2009. Lovely garden with hens, geese…read moreetc wandering freely. Very pleasant service at the bar and we were shown to a table in the conservatory which was a little less warm than I'd've liked. The menu offers a good range of choice and the meals were well presented. D had a good sized gammon with plenty of accompanying veg and chips. My choice of chicken, chorizo and chilli tagliatelle was of good size but became a chore to eat because of the excess chilli and a rather vinegary taste.