The Oxfordshire

The Oxfordshire’s renowned Rees Jones-designed championship golf course is an established fixture of the local scene, but the recent addition of a top-flight hotel & spa has proved an equal success, drawing tourists, locals, business folk & golfers off the nearby M40. The look is a chic rather than chintzy take on a classic country house hotel, & the in-house Sakura restaurant echoes the mood with crowd-pleasing vintage European ideas & the odd oriental flourish. Twice-baked cheese soufflé with walnuts & tomato chutney could be offered alongside crispy duck with cucumber & sweet chilli sauce, & there are mains of monkfish baked in Parma ham with char-grilled Mediterranean vegetables, oven-dried tomatoes, sautéed potatoes & salsa verde or braised blade of beef with horseradish mash, glazed carrots, broad beans & red wine. Favourite desserts include sticky toffee pudding & warm chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream.