Just west of the market town of Wantage, in a pretty village on the edge of the Downs, The Star Inn has a history of good food and drink that goes back 400 years. The rustic brick-and-flint building in the middle of charming Sparsholt couldn't have a more picturesque setting - this beautiful 18th century building has extensive gardens, and you can hear the nearby babbling brook as you walk the grounds. There's also a separate barn which houses eight boutique bedrooms for overnight stays.
The Star has undergone a major refurbishment courtesy of the team behind The Woodspeen in Newbury - another restaurant with a stellar nationwide reputation. Like the menu at The Woodspeen, the menu at The Star is heavily tied to seasonal produce, and it ebbs and flows with the seasons, celebrating the best of what grows locally in Oxfordshire and beyond.
Dishes are typically modern British, and executed with precision. Starters include dishes like crispy pork with celeriac and mustard remoulade and caramelised apple puree, Devon white crab and gin pickled cucumber tart with horseradish crème fraiche, and chicken liver parfait with pickled blackberries, malt crumb and brioche. Mains follow a similar vein, with dishes like roasted venison haunch with beetroot, maitake mushroom and black garlic, and monkfish tail with roasted Jerusalem artichoke, tenderstem broccoli, and caper and hazelnut dressing.
There's talent in the pastry kitchen as well, as shown by desserts like coffee parfait with bitter chocolate and tequila ganache and mascarpone sorbet, and muscovado sponge with blackberry fool, pickled blackberries and sorrel sorbet.
The Star also offers reasonably-priced set menus, as well as a dedicated children's menu and a Sunday roast menu.