Pub with rooms Oxfordshire | The Feathered Nest Inn

Overview

Built as a malthouse in 1641, this fine-looking Cotswold-stone inn is perfectly positioned to make the most of the stunning views over the Evenlode valley and its nature reserve.

Transformed into a dining destination of some repute over the past decade, the decor and furnishings have been finished to an incredibly high standard - with no compromises. Adam Taylor took over in summer 2019 and with former Michelin starred head chef Matt Weedon they have developed an informal country inn, welcoming locals and walkers, while offering hearty dishes within an innovative, locally sourced and seasonal à la carte menu, as well as a 6-course evening tasting menu.

The classic bar is a picture with its stone floors, log-burning stove, cosy alcoves and 'leather saddle' bar stools. Otherwise, enjoy the lawned gardens and stone terrace before heading to the dining rooms for a delicious dinner. Whether you're here for a quick pint, a light lunch or a weekend stopover in one of the stylish rooms or the cosy cottage next door, incredibly helpful, knowledgeable staff will pamper you from start to finish. If you fancy a walk, the four-mile downhill hike to Bledington is truly special.

Rooms from

4 doubles: £160; Cottage: £495 (2-night min stay)

Good to know

All credit cards taken
Private & alfresco dining
Cottage
Parking available
Dogs welcome in Cottage only

Alfresco

Head for the large lawned area and stone terrace out front, with classy wood furniture, easy chairs and sofas under the natural shade of an old sycamore tree. Summer BBQs and outside bar too.

Quiet romance

The perfect Cotswolds retreat - escape for cosy rooms with views and roll top baths, fine wines and sublime food, and the stunning summer garden. Book The Cottage and stay a few days as beautiful Burford and Stow-on-the-Wold are a short drive away.

Rooms

The four en suite upstairs bedrooms are well decorated and attractively fitted out with sumptuous large beds, crisp linen, natural fawn carpets, colourful scatter cushions, throws and upholstered easy chairs, plus a few pieces of antique furniture.

Creature comforts include Nespresso machines, Smart TVs, fresh fruit and homemade biscuits, and retro radios tuned to Classic FM on arrival - a nice touch. Some also enjoy wonderful views over the Evenlode valley. The bathrooms are equally luxurious with roll-top baths, walk-in showers, Bramley soaps and lotions, fluffy bathrobes, natural stone floors and white tiles. Wake up to fresh croissants, yoghurts with mixed berry compote, or home-smoked salmon and scrambled eggs… just add a glass of bubbly.

Adam has painstaking restored the adjoining 17th-century cottage (The Cottage) into a fabulous Cotswold bolthole sleeping 4 (double bed & sofa bed), replete with original features - flagstone floors, old beams, stone fireplace with wood-burning stove - and a cosy country-chic decor. Minimum 2-night stay and dogs are welcome too.

Restaurant & bar

Having headed up the kitchens at nearby Lords of the Manor Hotel and the Lamb at Crawley, Matt Weedon brings a dash of continental flair to the kitchen. His elegant food is built around locally sourced seasonal produce plus fish from the West Country - all supplemented by home-baked breads and some home-grown herbs and vegetables.

Daily specials bolster the seasonal 'Nest' menu, which offers the likes of saddle of lamb, braised onions, pea puree and rosemary lamb jus. Steaks are shown the charcoal grill, while dessert might bring raspberry, pistachio and tellicherry soufflé. You can eat in the stone-floored Costwolds Restaurant overlooking the grounds or the glass-fronted 'garden room' by the terrace. Classic afternoon teas and wood-fired pizzas on the terrace too.

Beer and wine vie for the limelight in the cosy log-fired bar. Real ale buffs might home in on Hooky from Hook Norton or Sap Sucker - brewed especially for the inn. Also check out Aspall's Harry Sparrow Cyder and Chiff Chaff - the house lager. The inn also boasts an epic 250-bin wine list with a terrific 25-strong selection available by the glass in the bar.

Things to do

Situated in remote countryside in the vicinity of the upper Thames south of Burford, Kelmscott Manor was the home of William Morris, a renowned idealist and founder of the Arts & Crafts movement. The Elizabethan house includes many examples of his work.

During its heyday in the 4th century, Chedworth Roman Villa was home to some of the richest people in the country. It's one of the largest Romano-British villas in the country, with fabulous mosaics, some only excavated very recently. The museum explains the discovery of the site by the Victorian gamekeeper who unearthed the first clues to what lay beneath an apparently ordinary field.

Let the train help take the strain and enjoy a combination of bike and rail, completing a day's cycling coupled with a train journey or two on the pretty Cotswold Line. The nearest station is close by at Kingham. Elsewhere the Cotswolds region offers many miles of exhilarating and scenic cycling along a safe network of quiet lanes and off-road routes.