One of our favourite country dining pubs from the last two years is The Greyhound in Letcombe Regis, just the other side of Wantage and no more than a half hour drive from Oxford. We’ve enjoyed their excellent “Lunch For Less” offer before but we’ve been dying to stay overnight on a Wednesday night for the chance to enjoy their legendary “Midweek Fix”.

You get two delicious fixed courses – mains and dessert – for £24.

There’s always a good value recommended red or white wine to pair with the dishes, available by the glass or bottle. Chef Martin Sherriff changes it up every week to create some scintillating, innovative dishes. It’s always very well attended by the locals and fans of this fantastic culinary establishment come from far and wide to enjoy the relaxed vibe and the hospitality of Catriona Galbraith the owner and front of house James Cameron. Do try to get along there this summer on a Wednesday evening for some of the best value, highest quality gastro food in our region. It’s advisable to book ahead and do give yourselves time to enjoy the village and its stunning surroundings.

We arrived early afternoon and took the opportunity on such a beautiful sunny day to get up onto the Ridgeway path and stretch our legs for two hours. The Ridgeway is an ancient drovers & military road and official national footpath that crosses a surprisingly remote part of southern central England. From its start in Avebury, it follows a ridge of chalk hills in a north-easterly direction for 87 miles to reach Ivinghoe Beacon near Tring. The trail sits about a mile away up on the downs above the pub. Here’s a sneaky tip – drive out of the village and up the steep hill and park where the tarmac road runs out and the chalky road starts, before you get to the farm. This sets you right onto the Ridgeway’s crest and allows hilltop walking for miles along the broad flat terrain with unrivalled views over the whole of the Lambourne Downs and the Vale of the White Horse.

The walled pub garden with its comfy chairs and tent-like awning is the perfect spot to unwind after such a gorgeous walk. The bar is open all afternoon to serve you the CAMRA award-winning range of real ales and more importantly refreshing pots of tea!

Prizing open the pub door to enter the cosy dining area for our “Midweek Fix”, we were greeted with a gentle murmur and the warm hubbub of contented diners being served by the team of young, smartly dressed wait staff. James Cameron – fresh from the golf course – holds court over the dining room, working his maitre d’ magic to deliver a slick, seamless service of over 50 covers.

Portions are generous and the “Midweek Fix” is ample food in two courses but you can always top up with the famed Greyhound seasonal cheeseboard to finish or add an impressive starter from the long list. Potential starters include heritage beetroots from the pub’s own vegetable garden topped with Cerney ash cheese, aged cashew nut purée, radish and beetroot vierge. So clean, summery and fresh tasting. There is also a hearty, warming pork cheek & root vegetable bourguignon served in a metal ramekin with potato mousse, pork & parmesan crumble.

The main dish for our “Midweek Fix” was pan-roasted stone bass, potato rosti, smoked oyster velouté and monk’s beard. The portion of fish was far more substantial than I’ve seen anywhere. With a firm texture and a mild, sweet flavour, the stone bass was pan-roasted to perfection. The fish comes with a golden, crispy skin while remaining tender and juicy inside and sits atop the crunchy potato rosti. The smoked oyster velouté added a luxurious, creamy sauce containing the subtle smokiness of oysters, all perfectly complementing by the fresh green crunchy monk’s beard. Wow!

The Fix’s dessert was an equally as perfect pistachio sponge with cherry sorbet, white chocolate crumb and pickled cherries. Martin and his kitchen team really do know how to surprise and create inspiring dishes. The light and airy pistachio sponge with its subtle nuttiness, perfectly complements the refreshingly tart cherry sorbet. Scattered atop are white chocolate crumbs, adding a satisfying crunch with the pickled cherries bringing tangy acidity to balance the whole dish. Another total Wow!

The house wine recommendation for our Wednesday was a fresh and balanced Venetian cracker from Cantina del Garda, available in white or red.

If you’ve the time, do try to stay over as the breakfast is pretty darn good too. There are 8 tastefully appointed upstairs bedrooms decorated in a muted, modern country cottage style complete with wonky beams, smart fabric headboards and Roberts radios reached via higgledy-piggledy back stairs. Each of the eight rooms is named after the geography of the area – monikers such as Lambourn, Oxford, Uffington and Ridgeway capture the relaxed country inn vibe perfectly. The wine list is extensive so you don’t want to have to worry about driving either. They’ll order up the daily paper for you at breakfast – a pleasant treat from almost a bygone era. Nothing better than relaxing into the pages versus scrawling on that darn phone.

All the breakfast classics are on offer: Cacklebean Eggs from Cacklebury Farm, a full cooked breakfast, vegetarian breakfast, kedgeree, french toast, Eggs Florentine/Benedict/Royale, scrambled eggs with smoke salmon and even an awesome shakshouka. You name it, they’ve got it!

And if you’re lucky enough to have another sunny day, why not visit the White Horse at Uffington or get up on the Ridgeway again and walk in the other direction! The rolling countryside of south Oxfordshire is seriously worth a visit and the drive out to The Greyhound will not disappoint, even if it’s only for Martin’s outstanding cuisine and Catriona’s warm welcome!

The Greyhound Inn
Main Street, Letcombe Regis, Wantage, OX12 9JL

Bitten were guests, all views are our own