We get some fascinating invites over here at Bitten Oxford, and this one from Bentley for a driving experience and lunch at Aynhoe Park was hard to beat!

To give you a brief history of Aynhoe Park, it was originally built in 1615 and has undergone multiple reconstructions and renovations over the centuries due to war, changing ownership, and artistic vision. Initially home to the Cartwright family, it was nearly destroyed in the Civil War and rebuilt. Architect Thomas Archer expanded it in 1707 with Baroque elements, and Sir John Soane remodelled it in 1798. In 2006, James and Sophie Perkins restored the estate after it had been divided into flats, blending historical integrity with modern creativity. Aynhoe Park became a sought-after venue for weddings, events, and fashion campaigns, earning the title of the world’s best venue in 2021 (you can see why!).

RH England now has the property in their portfolio, showcasing RH Interiors collections alongside rare art and antiques. You can explore gardens by renowned landscape Architect Capability Brown and enjoy diverse dining options, including the Orangery, Loggia, and Conservatory, as well as a Wine Lounge, Tea Salon, and Juicery.

We were welcomed into the tea saloon room for light refreshments and pastries, this was the old dinning room of the house, where we then met the fantastic Joe, who provided a tour of the ground floor of the house. He talked about the building and some of the changes that have occurred over the years, and gave some amazing details on the architectural detail as well as the usage of the house.

Pictures do not do the venue justice, so I would suggest you pay a visit as it is an open house.

Following the tour we were welcomed to the Orangery, which is an amazing space, with huge windows to make use of the natural light (something we always love to have when taking pictures of food!). It has simple yet elegant furniture with natural colours, that really let the venue speak for itself. We had a great choice of 3 choices for each course, making it a difficult decision on what to go for.

That being said, when I am given the choice of seafood followed by steak, you know that’s the route I am taking!

The prawns were nicely charred with a hint of chilli and had a good amount of melted butter to poured over them. Mixing that with the lemon gave them a lovely zing. By a lucky accident, we had an extra burrata ordered, so I had the chance to sample this dish as well. The tomatoes were firm and sweet, complemented well by the nutty pesto. The cheese itself was oozy and creamy – this dish, no matter where it is served, is always a winner!

The fillet steak was cooked well to my liking, medium-rare, and had a good crust – I really hate it when it’s internally cooked well, but no Maillard reaction has taken place to give you the full favour! Luckily, no such problem with this one. This was complimented well by the herb butter and rich, smooth béarnaise sauce.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get time to have dessert as we needed to get to the cars. As much as I love a dessert, it’s not everyday you get the chance to drive Bentley, so I wasn’t too worried to be honest!

We were taken through to the Juice room for our briefing before choosing our cars to go out in, this again was a fascinating room which was the old kitchen of the home.

Now the fun bit! I am a massive petrol head and owned a few quick cars and motorbikes in my time, so getting the opportunity to stand by a brand new Bentley and pick the one you want to drive was amazing.

I had the ability to drive 2 cars as part of the experience. The drive was split in 2 halves, where you switch over on Stow Avenue at the Corinthian Arch, and drive a different car back to Aynhoe Park. I went in the new Flying Spur for the first part of the drive, which is their sedan car, that feels a lot smaller than it looks when you get behind the wheel. I won’t geek out at this point and overload you with stats and specifications, but I will say both the cars have close to 800 BHP and will see off 0-60 in 3.3 seconds and under.

After the change over, I drove the Continental GT back. If I win the lottery, I am getting one of these! The power delivery and smoothness was unlike any car I have ever driven, so refined, so smooth and with incredible performance.

They have hybrid engines, so all can be very sedate and serene for getting around town at low speed, with the V8 kicking in above 60 mph or if you bury the throttle. The noise from the V8 when it kicks in is lovely, not being too loud but lets you know what you have under the bonnet!

As you would expect from a Bentley, the build quality and refinement in the cabin is second to none, with features such as acoustic glass to make sure you never have to raise your voice to speak with passengers in the car – a nice touch!

The final element to the day was a scent workshop, where I had the chance to combine all sorts of oils and scents to create your very own fragrance. This was a great end to the experience.

The combination of fantastic venue, great food and amazing cars made this an amazing day out. I would highly recommend a visit, and if you have a spare bit of cash, I would highly recommend a Continental GT as well!

Aynhoe Park & Bentley
Aynhoe Park, Aynho, Banbury, OX17 3BQ
Open: Mon-Sat 11AM-6PM & Sun 11AM-5PM

Bitten were invited as guests, all views are our own