The Greyhound, Beaconsfield

Quality food, fun decor, passionate staff and a seriously good value set lunch menu – two courses £40 and three courses £49! The Greyhound in Beaconsfield is a Grade II listed 17th century former coaching inn, offering a top-notch menu of modern British food. Two time Muddy Awards winners Owners Daniel Crump (front of house) and wife Margriet (sommelier) have a Michelin-starred pedigree and were named ‘Best Restaurant in England’ in the AA awards last autumn , and that quality shines through here. Lunch is available Tues – Sat with three dishes to choose from in each course – think cured sea bream ceviche, Wood Pigeon with Oakchurch cherry, white beetroot and lavender, and blackcurrant tart with clotted cream and blackcurrant sorbet. Quality stuff.

Read our review of The Greyhound

Artichoke, Amersham, Bucks

It’s not every day you can indulge in a Michelin-starred lunch with accompanying wine, and still have change from £100. Former Muddy Award winner Artichoke, run by culinary dream team chef patron and owner, Laurie Gear, and head chef Chris Chegwin. Their set lunch menu is available Thurs to Sat, and will set you back £65 for three courses and £35 for accompanying wine flight (or £25 non-alcoholic pairing). There are two course to choose from (plus a third option on the vegetarian menu) including delights such as courgette flower with basil pesto and Old Winchester cheese, confit leg of chicken with white asparagus and tarragon pickled Romanesco, and English raspberry mousse with white chocolate jelly and chocolate sponge. Hungry yet?

Read our review of Artichoke

The Alice, Oxford

The Alice Randolph Hotel Easter stays — The Alice restaurant at the Randolph Hotel

There’s nothing else like The Alice in central Oxford with its ginormous chandeliers, out-there pink banquette seating and unparalled position opposite The Ashmolean museum. Head in between Mon – Fri 12pm – 9pm to experience the set menu created by Chris Godfrey (ex Native Feasts with a Michelin star from his time at The Sir Charles Napier) – the likes of pea and asparagus soup, chicken schnitzel with wild garlic buttered leeks, and elderflower, apple and gin granita – all for the pocket-friendly price of just £35, or two courses for £29.

Read our review of The Alice

Restaurant Dominic Chapman, Henley-on-Thames

This namesake eatery, in the iconic riverside Henley Relais hotel, offers up a great value two-course set menu lunch for £20, or £25 for three. Chapman, whose Michelin-starred CV includes Heston’s The Fat Duck and The Hind’s Head in Bray, presents British classics with an elegant twist. Previous dishes have included rabbit and bacon terrine with prune ketchup and toasted sourdough, Cornish cod fishcakes with creamed spinach and coconut sauce, and bread and butter pudding with custard.

Read our review of Restaurant Dominic Chapman

Orwells, Henley-on-Thames

It’s all about championing British ingredients at this Oxfordshire restaurant, where owners Ryan and Liam are partners in life and in the kitchen (and on screen too, as both appeared on BBC’s Great British Menu). Together, they’ve built a 4 AA Rosette-winning establishment with local ingredients, including from their own veggie patch and beehives, and a Sunday Roast set menu to die for. Hampshire pork belly with peas and pickled onion, roast pork loin with crackling, Mill Lane honey sponge with yoghurt ice cream, lemon curd and toasted oats. This deliciousness is a steal at £55 for two courses, or £65 for three.

Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton

Can’t lie – Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin-starred manor is pricey. However, its three course summer lunch, served Thurs-Fri, is a steal (relatively speaking!), with a triple delight of confit Loch Duart Salmon with yoghurt, yuzu and elderflower granita, Herdwick lamb, courgette, sheep’s curd and basil, and a season strawberry dessert for £150, including a glass of Veuve Clicquot, coffee, tea and petits fours. There’s also a fixed-price daily a la carte lunch menu (£215pp, plus add-ons), a six-course and a plant-based lunch, both £230, from Thurs-Sun, and a daily seven-course and a plant-based dinner, both £255pp.

The Yurt at Nicholsons, North Aston

festive set menus — The Yurt at Nicholsons

We already loved the down-to-earth vibe of this earthy eatery, but the set menu lunch – two courses for £25 and three for £30 – is ticking even more boxes, offering the likes of homemade soup with freshly baked focaccia, Courgette flatbread, with labneh, red onion and ewes’ milk cheese, chocolate mousse with North Aston Dairy yoghurt and boozy cherries. Where do we book?

Read our review of The Yurt at Nicholsons

The Oarsman, Marlow

If you fancy another place to add to your Marlow must-do list, the set menu here is £19pp for two courses, or £25pp for three. Bargain! You can book for dinner, Mon-Wed, and for lunch and dinner on Thursdays. What to expect? The likes of smoked salmon and pickled fennel, Thai-spiced mussels with charred sourdough, and sticky toffee pudding (sides can be added at an extra cost). Check out The Oarsman’s Wed steak night too – £20pp gets you steak (choose from bearnaise or garlic butter), fries, rocket, and a small glass of house wine. .

Read our review of The Oarsman

Killingworth Castle, Wootton

With a triple AA Rosette under its belt and a current spot in Estrella Damm’s Top 50 Gastropubs list, this countryside pub with rooms is well worth a punt. Head chef Adam Brown trained under Gordon Ramsay so the quality is there – but hey, check for yourself with his Summer set menu, available only with group bookings and /or the pub’s Summer 2-Night Midweek Dine & Stay offer. The set menu will set you back £75pp with wine pairing an additional £35.

Pompette, Oxford

You’ll find a very merry menu awaits you at Summertown’s French bistro Pompette (French for tipsy). Husband and wife duo Pascal and Laura Wiedemann nail it with the convivial bistro vibes. Pascal sorts the food (cheffing at Racine and setting up Terroirs previously), and Laura works the front of house and wine lists. There’s a three-course prix fixe for £28, available Tues – Fri for lunch, or between 6-6.30pm in the evening. Think devilled eggs with Collioure anchovies, half a poussin with beurre de Pompette and watercress, and a sweet finale of chocolate crémeux, créme fraiche, caramel and glazed hazelnuts. You can afford to get tipsy at that price!

The Hand & Flowers, Marlow

gastropubs — The Hand and Flowers, Marlow

If you can snag a lunchtime reservation (Mon – Fri) at Tom Kerridge’s double Michelin-starred gaffe, the fixed-price lunch menu is a steal, with offerings like spring lamb pudding with courgette puree, feta and red pepper lamb gravy, Cotswold White chicken breast with sweet lemon butter sauce, peas and green asparagus. Considering an à la carte or Sunday lunch menu will set you back £175 per person, paying £55 for two courses or £65 for three courses is a total steal.

No.1 Ship Street, Oxford

A lovely brasserie, hidden down a side street off Oxford’s Cornmarket. Grab the offer of a taste of No1 for a fraction of the price with its set lunch menu – two courses for £17pp and three for just £22. Expect modern British brasserie offerings, such as chicken, bacon & tarragon terrine, with onion jam and toast, battered Haddock & chips with tartare sauce, and lemon posset with local raspberries.

La Table d’Alix at The Haseley Plough, Great Haseley

Another French fancy? Make a beeline for La Table d’Alix in the pretty Oxfordshire village of Great Haseley. Foodie couple Antoine and Camille Chretien (formerly of The Swan at Tetsworth) serve up a lip-smacking à la carte menu full of creative delights – bonjour, five cheese soufflé – but it’s the Deal Day menu we have our beady eye on. Available lunchtime on Wednesdays and all-day Thursdays you can get an award-winning Aubrey Allen 28-day dry-aged beef fillet with salad and frites, a crème caramel and a glass of French shiraz, Rebellion beer, or Kicking Goat cider for £33 a head.

Cherwell Boathouse, Oxford

Known for its riverside location, fairy-lit terrace and spot-on wine list, Cherwell Boathouse has previously scored an AA Rosette for its seasonal, classic British menus. Treat yourself to their set menu for £31 for two courses, or £38.75 for three. Cotswold chicken breast with orzo pasta, baby spinach, lime, caper and basil is calling my name.

The Five Arrows, Waddesdon

This elegant restaurant has a double rosette under its belt – and the set lunch menu is where you get the most bang for your buck with two courses at £28 and three courses at £33.50. They’ve not scrimped on the choices either – black truffle hummus, followed by BBQ glazed duck breast with salt-baked celeriac, charred shallots & pak choi will do nicely. It’s all sourced from local suppliers and veg is picked from the Waddesdon Manor on-site gardens.

Read our review of The Five Arrows

The Hind’s Head, Bray

As you would expect from a Michelin twinkler, the food at Heston’s pub is outstanding. Hop across the border to Berks for the three-course Sunday set lunch, £55 for two courses or £70 for three – which is well worth your money considering the quality of the food and the skill coming out of the kitchen. It comes with a glass of champers too. Did someone say lapsang souchong tea-smoked salmon, followed by roast loin of Jimmy Butler pork? Yes, they did. *Dabs napkin*.

Read our review of The Hind’s Head

Any brilliant ones we’ve missed off? Let us know!

Let’s do lunch! Great value Summer set menus near you

You may also like