Open 7 days a week, the newly refurbished Crown at Church Enstone is the sister pub of the legendary Kingham Plough. Matt Beamish, the brains behind “The Potted Goose” group of three ‘gastro pubs with rooms’, has certainly excelled here. The Hare at Milton-under-Wychwood is the third eatery in the group.

The pub has been transformed

With the help of Matt’s wife Katie. It oozes conviviality and cosiness, helped by low ceilings and a roaring fire. The classy, contemporary dark colours offset the exposed stone walls beautifully; the richly coloured oriental carpets and the sizeable potted olive tree all add to the sumptuous and classy Cotswolds chic. The new Spanish Chef Jose manages to enhance this with his simple innovative menu. The old lean-to conservatory is now a beautiful, plant-filled garden room. French doors lead directly onto a walled, cottage garden with mature plants and climbers.

From an inviting hotel-like front entrance, you step into a welcoming bar with locals sat enjoying the selection of choice cask ales at the beautifully smooth stripped oak bar. There is a proper fire blazing away in a huge fireplace. The young staff are friendly and experienced. Daniel has worked at The Hare for many years and is now focussing on getting things spot on here. The pub relaunched on November 1st. We swung by at the end of the month and Daniel’s team is certainly hitting the mark already. There are now five refurbished rooms all finished to a high specification if you want to overindulge and stay over!
 
There were many details to notice and savour – neatly folded linen tea towel napkins under the cutlery, classic candlestick holders and eclectic and interesting artworks adorning all the walls.

The Crown offers a different menu each month depending on the fresh local and seasonal ingredients. November’s lineup was divine! December has a Beef Wellington and Turkey Pie on the menu. The Sunday roasts are legendary too.

The cured antipasti meats come from ‘Salt Pig’ in Chipping Norton and the sourdough bread from Marks Cotswold Bakery – in my opinion easily the best bakery in the region.

If you want a naughty nibble with your aperitif, why not try the appetisingly named Marcona almonds or the Mammoth Gordal olives. What ever next!?

As starters, the roasted butternut and coconut and chilli soup were both perfect autumn warmers. The gin-cured salmon and avocado rolls were a novel way to mix two of life’s wonder foods.

The mains (between £16 and £30 for the steak) were well-delivered classics, like the homemade Chicken Kiev served with sautéed new potatoes and a delicious roast cauliflower purée. The giant garlic tiger prawns served with chips and a well-dressed leaf salad was a sizeable portion and excellent.

The desserts were my personal highlight. An extremely good example of a dark chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream oozed hot chocolate sauce. The Millefeuille with berries and chocolate sauce was zinging with freshness. Other options include apple & cinnamon crumble with custard, local cheeses, affogato, ice creams and sorbets.

The wine list is extensive. The house white was a decent cheeky French Colombard priced sensibly at £22 a bottle. If you fancy pushing the boat out, there’s a Margaux at £85 or Pouilly-Fuisse at £70.

Do try to get yourselves out to Church Enstone soon and bag a table before the pub builds a stellar reputation like that of The Plough. In Kingham, it’s virtually impossible to get a table without weeks of planning.

The Crown at Enstone
Mill Ln, Church Enstone, Chipping Norton OX7 4NN
crowninnenstone.co.uk

Bitten were guests of The Crown, and all views are our own