The Lamb Inn, Little Milton opened a few years back when Ben and Charmaine Moss took over, fulfilling their life-long dream of buying and running a pub.

And what a pub it is! A gorgeous thatched roof, old wooden beams, a roasting fire, dog friendly …It ticks all the boxes of a proper country pub.

I was very lucky to be invited along to eat on a Saturday afternoon. Chef Nat (who used to work at Le Manoir) has worked his magic on the menu, so after ogling the menu online and stalking their Instagram (I am unable to allow myself any surprises when it comes to food, always obsessing over menus weeks in advance) it was safe to say I was pretty excited for this meal.

We took our 4-month-old puppy Moose with us, and so to tire him out a little, we found a short loop walk very close to the pub which was also a lovely way to get our appetites going. Moose can’t walk too far yet but I have it on good authority that there are plenty of longer walks in the area too.

On arrival we were very warmly welcomed by owner Ben, and showed to our table which was right by the roaring fire which Moose soon became acquainted with, dozing in and out of sleep throughout our meal.

The pub is the epitome of cosy.

The fire alone is enough to call it this, but the brick walls, low ceilings, small tables and various trinkets spread around really add to the vibe. It already felt like somewhere we could spend hours and we hadn’t even had a drink yet. Speaking of drinks, they have a lovely selection of beers and ales on tap and staff were very knowledgable, letting indecisive me try a few before settling on a pint of IPA.

The most dog-friendly place I’ve ever been?!

This place really goes above and beyond when it comes to our little floofy pals. Water bowls for every pup, humungous jars of treats left on the table (is this the equivalent of when Italian restaurants leave the bottle of Limoncello with you to finish..?) A whole menu is available just for dogs, thanks to Sir Woofchester’s (what a name – branding done well). Moose was in his element!

Right, if you’ve made it this far I will now start talking about the human food!

‘Shall we just have a bit of fun with this? I’m just going to bring you a selection of our starters so you don’t have to choose.’ suggested Ben, the owner. Who were we to argue with this? What a treat to try the:

• Crispy Aromatic Pork Belly (£9.50)
• Salted Cod Fishcake (£11)
• Pan Roasted Orkney Scallop (£13)
• Pear and Radicchio Salad (£13)

HEAVEN!

The pork belly bites melted in the mouth, cooked to perfection with a gorgeous crunchy finish. The fish cake was lovely and smooth and sat on a bed of charred red pepper puree, we later found out the Lamb Inn use Flying Fish for all their fish, who deliver every morning. It’s super exclusive and you have to be invited to get on their delivery list – so this is a big deal.

The pear salad was a welcomed fresh element to our starters, the pear was soft, juicy and sweet and contrasted well with the crunchy and bitter radicchio. The toasted hazelnuts on the top were a welcomed added texture and gave me slightly festive feels.

The star of the show was the scallop. Creamy, salty, crunchy, rich and light at the same time. The cauliflower puree was like a warm hug and and the capers twisted in a little tang. Absoluetely stunning.

None of the starters were too heavy, so we felt surprisingly ready for our mains (although we must declare we didn’t finish everything, and were kindly offered doggy bags to take our leftovers home).

I opted for the Wood-Fired Ribeye (£32) and Charlie chose the Pork Tomahawk (£27). Both served with Julienne fries. The steak was perfectly cooked and the flavour that came through from the wood was unmatched. Ben explained that their wood-fired oven uses only British oak, mainly from Oxfordshire. I tried both the Chimichurri and Peppercorn sauce (only fair – so I can give you all the info!) and both were gorgeous. If you’re wanting something to cut through the fat, adding a tart and zesty finish to your steak – go for the Chimichurri. If you’d rather a cosy, creamy, lick-the-pot-clean sort of vibe – get on that Peppercorn sauce baby! I wanted to drink it – enough said.

Charlie enjoyed his Tomahawk – the pork was cooked very well, as was the fried Quail’s egg and it looked beautiful on the plate. The slaw was a welcomed added crunch to the dish. A fresh zesty sauce or something green might’ve helped to break this dish up a little.

No, we didn’t have room for dessert. Yes, obviously we got one anyway.

Ben recommended we share the ‘deconstructed Banoffee Pie’ (£11) and aren’t we glad he did! We ogled as he shaved Ecaudorean chocolate generously over the top before leaving us to dive in. It was divine. Caramelised banana, mascarpone cream and salted caramel chocolate, served on a salted oat biscuit. After all that food we didn’t want anything too rich and this was perfect – not too sweet, a lovely salty thrum throughout, an ideal mix of textures. 10/10.

Don’t forget the vino…

Before I finish and before you run off to book a table (if you haven’t already), a quick one on the wine list. Ben really knows his wine and his passion shone through as he brought over various options to match our dishes. If you like to be surprised or are stumped by the menu, I highly recommend asking Ben to help you choose. All were delicious, but my favourite was the ‘Il Rosso di Ludovico’ Riserva, exactly my type of red. Full-bodied but fresh, and complemented the steak beautifully. This has reminded me to Google where I can buy a bottle/case for home!

To sum it up, as you can probably tell, we had a horrendous time. Sarcasm – it was the best. Fab pub, fab staff, fab food. A full three courser may set you back a little, but perfect for a celebration or ‘treat yourself’ situation. If you want something a little lighter on the purse strings, I’d highly recommend just sharing a few starters and sides. A cheaper option but would in no way impact your experience – the starters are what blew us away most. The Wheatshef Kitchen also pop up here every Tuesday from 5pm, so if pizza is your thing – get on it!

I’d love to hear if any of you have been, or if you’re planning to go, let us know in the comments. I’d recommend booking in advance, especially for Sundays as they get booked up almost a month ahead.

The Lamb Inn
High Street, High St, Little Milton, Oxford OX44 7PU

Bitten were invited as guests, all views are our own