Katie and Matt Beamish took over The Hare in Milton-under-Wychwood during the height of the pandemic in August 2020. It was their first move to expand on from the hugely successful Plough at Kingham. The Hare has been tastefully transformed very much in their own inimitable style. Matt and Katie have previously worked with renowned chefs Raymond Blanc and Jamie Oliver so they definitely know how to deliver both classic and innovative.

Milton-under-Wychwood is your quintessential Cotswold village and lies just north of Burford. Even Jeremy Clarkson pops in for lunch from his nearby farm in Chadlington. As with The Crown at Church Enstone, the Beamishes realise a good pub is the heart of every village and you just have to bring the locals on the journey with you. The locals have certainly embraced the changes wholeheartedly. There’s a dedicated, separate bar area with three hand pulls of the local Hook Norton beers and a roaring fire. The front bar is crammed with walkers and their dogs. The back room offers more of a pet-free, restaurant-style vibe. There’s an all-day seasonal bar snack menu, Sunday roasts and children’s menus.

The reception rooms have had Katie’s trademark makeover. Eclectic framed maps, dark paints and recovered, retro velvet dining chairs to go along with the stripped wooden bar tables.

The Hare under its previous ownership won ‘Pub of the Year’ at the 2018 Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards and had built a respected reputation as a restaurant with a daily fish specials board. This tradition has been retained in addition to a strong à la carte gastro pub menu. Fresh seafood is brought up several times a week from St Colomb, nr Newquay in Cornwall. It’s all ethically and sustainably sourced from Flying Fish Seafoods. They just happen to supply Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir, Tom Kerridge at The Hand & Flowers and the Waterside Inn at Bray. Not a bad bunch of bedfellows! Flying Fish pride themselves on ‘Ship to Plate’ in 48 hours.

Under the artistry of head chef, Matt Dare takes his fish cooking seriously as he too is originally from Cornwall.

The manager Andrea, originally from Romania, has been integrally involved with the success of The Kingham Plough. She’s also married to the general manager, JJ! So it’s a real family affair and serving staff get moved between the pubs to spread skills and knowledge, as we saw at The Crown at Enstone in December.

So now to the food……The starters we chose were the roasted spiced parsnip and apple soup and the legendary antipasti meat platter. The soups are creative, delicious and perfect for these cold rainy days. And the trademark charcuterie board from Salt Pig Cured Meats, adorned with Marcona almonds, gherkins, olives and Mark’s sourdough bread was exquisite.

There’s a 26oz aged Hereford T-bone steak to be shared for two at £80 if you’re feeling you need serious red meat or there’s something lighter like a classic Caesar salad at £15.50.

The Fish Specials board on the day we visited offered a remarkable choice:-

St Austell Bay Mussels in white wine and garlic cream; with fries as a main £18

Potted Morecambe Bay Shrimps & sourdough £9

Whole dressed Perran Sands crab, gem lettuce, aioli and fries £28

Whole grilled skate, samphire, new potatoes, lemon and parsley butter £18.50

Salmon, cod, hake fish pie, cheddar mash and smashed minted peas £17.50

We tried the dressed crab and the skate. Simply stunning!

The wine list is selected by the pub team and there’s a change-up compared to the wine lists at The Plough and The Crown. Five different whites and reds are served by the glass.

Bottles start at £22 for an Italian Pinot Grigio and a Merlot Pays d’Oc for £25.

The desserts were the absolute winners – dark chocolate mousse, griottine cherries and honeycomb at £8 and a warm plum, almond & blackcurrant tart adorned with clotted cream ice cream. Heavenly!

It’s not a cheap menu but it’s very much priced comparably to other premium Cotswolds pubs. The quality of the ingredients and cooking is unquestionable. The service is impeccable. And there’s plenty of fine walking country in the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Burford, Stow and Chipping Norton to walk off any dietary excesses.

The Hare
3 High Street, Milton under Wychwood, Oxfordshire, OX7 6LA
www.themiltonhare.co.uk