The Turnpike has undergone a major refurb and recently re-opened. We made a visit to the long-standing pub to check out the new look; expect gorgeous wooden beams, stone walls, and lots of hints to its original heritage and the city it resides.

The Turnpike has some beautiful snug areas, including a lovely open bar area, plush furnishings, and a really amazing private dining area at the back of the pub.

Located just off the A40 roundabout, the pub has plenty of parking and is very happy to welcome dogs. It’s an ideal place for a business meeting or travel stop-off, with lots more personality and charm than other limited options in the area.

Visiting to try their brunch, served every day from 9am, we ordered Eggs Royale (£9.75) and the Full cooked breakfast (£11.25). There were plenty of options for those wanting a lighter/healthier breakfast, and some great veggie options too. There was even an option for a smaller breakfast for those with less of an appetite.

As self-confessed coffee connoisseurs, we were delighted to see Coffee Collaborative coffee being served, which has been commended with a gold taste award. Coffee in pubs can be very hit and miss, so this was a great addition, priced at £2.95.

The eggs for the Eggs Royale were poached perfectly, the salmon subtle, and both sandwiched between a toasted English muffin and a healthy dousing of hollandaise.

We were glad to have ordered some delicious hash browns on the side (£1.50), as the Royale was on the lighter side of breakfast options.

The full English consisted of two British pork sausages, bacon, hash browns, plum tomato, baked beans, free-range fried egg, and sourdough toast. Meat has been cooked perfectly, with a lovely flavour, and the egg was lovely and runny – I was glad I went for the larger breakfast, as I polished it off!

I personally liked that the baked beans came in a small bowl. The toast was a bit flavourless, considering it was sourdough, and would have been better if served with some salted butter. This was a very good classic full English, everything cooked well and tasting nice!

It was interesting to hear someone on the table next to us, who had gone for the veggie option, raving about the beetroot hash cake – perhaps one to try for the more adventurous bruncher. The pulled beef brisket hash might also delight the tastebuds of someone looking for something different.

The cocktail menu also looked tempting – we’ve already heard good things from another member of the Bitten team, so think this will do very well. We think it’ll be particularly good for larger parties, or someone looking to work remotely with decent coffee and food options.

It felt like the pub was trying to attract a younger audience, but we still think the older audience will be their biggest draw.

The Turnpike
2 Woodstock Rd, Yarnton, Kidlington OX5 1PJ
vintageinn.co.uk

We attended as guests, all views remain our own