It takes quite a pub to edge past the likes of the Daylesford estate’s The Bell at Charlbury and Tom Kerridge’s The Coach in Marlow to snatch the Muddy Award for the Best Destination Pub, but The White Hart at Fyfield managed it in 2024 – and quite a pub it is!

Owned by Kay and Mark Chandler for 20 years come 2025 and occupying a 15th Century former chantry house near Oxford, The White Hart has some serious wow factor with its vaulted dining room, cosy bar and minstrel’s gallery – a characteristic space overlooking the restaurant. While outside you’ll find a terrace, a vegetable garden and an outdoor kitchen with wood-fired oven (hello fresh sourdough pizza!). The vibe is cosy home-from-home yet its unique layout makes it ideal for events as well, from intimate weddings and family celebrations to business meetings.

Expect a sustainable approach to cooking here – all ingredients are sourced from local farms, suppliers or lovingly picked from its very own kitchen garden. Provenance is high on the agenda and the cooking is guided by their own seasonal produce, with both British and Mediterranean influences on the menu – think goat’s cheese mousse, roasted figs from Mark’s tree, goats cheese bonbon, fresh honeycomb and 12 hour slow-cooked belly of Kelmscott pork with apple, celeriac, carrot, baby spinach and foot-long crackling, finished with a cider jus. The bread, pasta and ice cream are made on site everyday – no surprises at Muddy that The White Hart has held onto its two rosette-status for the last 18 years.

There are handpicked wines from independent vineyards, cask-conditioned real ales from indie breweries and seasonal specialty cocktails using home grown garnishes – Happy Hour on a Friday is not to be missed if starting your weekend off with a chilli infused tequila or seasonal Bellini is your idea of heaven.