Hot plates

new owners outside The Three Tuns — Barry Wagney and Nigel Sutcliffe, owners of The Three Tuns

The Michelin inspectors have been busy eating their way around the globe and Bucks & Oxon have gained some spangly new foodie accolades. New in the Michelin Guide for 2025 is The Three Tuns in Henley, which won acclaim for its “high quality meats” (it’s co-owned by Henley butcher Barry Wagner after all). Order the bavette steak frites and that new Michelin gong certainly won’t seem a mystery.

Also gaining a place in the guide is the Bat & Ball in Cuddesdon, run by the dream team behind The Lamb Inn in Little Milton. The owners were praised for “injecting new life into the village local” and “making it a community hub for drinkers as well as diners.” The Scottish cod with caper butter and beurre noisette slipped down a treat with the inspectors.

Next in the lauded lineup is Wild in Burford, which achieved a Michelin mark of approval for its unique location (in a courtyard marquee at The Bull Hotel) and refreshing cooking style – almost everything is cooked over flame in front of diners. The vibe is ‘less is more’ rather than overly showy, which appealed to the judges. Over in Woodstock, The Nest at The Feathers Hotel is also on the new Michelin team sheet – the inspectors loved the unfussy service, “chic dining room” and “terrific crispy layered potatoes with truffle salt and parmesan” in particular.

Grab your keys

The Michelin excitement doesn’t stop at supper – the esteemed inspectors announced the winners of the Michelin Keys hotel awards this week, and Bucks & Oxon were rightly honoured for the fabulous hospitality across our counties. In surprise news to no one, Raymond Blanc MBE’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Great Milton was awarded the top gong of three Michelin keys (“an extraordinary stay”). The inspectors are clearly on the same page as Muddy, noting that “no matter what time of day, a bottle of Champagne awaits”. We hope there’s one on ice for the staff too.

Grand dame Cliveden House, meanwhile, secured two Michelin keys, with Estelle Manor near Witney winning a key for both its design and conviviality. Artist Residence, just a few miles down the road, also earned a key for combining high-end comforts with a blend of antique and modern style. The Feathers Hotel in Woodstock picked up a key (“a countryside classic, with a knowing wink”), as did The Bull in Burford – a stay is worth it for a place at Idris Elba’s poker table alone.

The Old Parsonage Hotel Oxford — The Old Parsonage Hotel

Oxford wasn’t left off the bill either. The Old Parsonage scored a key for being “colourful, contemporary, and eminently tasteful” on the inside and “charmingly weathered” on the outside. The afternoon tea was deemed a particular highlight. If you’ve been planning a staycation, why go further afield? There’s winning stays right on the doorstep.

Tour de force

Baros, Maldives (sadly not Beaconsfield)

What Beaconsfield’s Turquoise Holiday Company don’t know about globetrotting isn’t worth knowing, and we’re not the only ones to think so – the tastemakers and travel bookers have just won ‘Best Tour Operator’ at the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards for the eighth time. They first won in 2015, so they’re leading the pack by a country mile.

Co-Founder and Managing Director James Bell described the win as “truly humbling, and proof that our values still resonate with travellers today.” He’s bang on the money too – 2024/2025 was Turquoise’s most profitable year to date. The business may be a quarter of a century old, but they continue to innovate and inspire. The Maldives will be a particular focus for the rest of the year and the Turquoise team jets there regularly to ensure they’re giving clients top notch recommendations and truly handpicked stays. It’s a tough gig, but someone’s got to do it.

Back to nature

The Kingsbrook Meadows site – image by Matt Hulme

On home soil, there’s a new nature reserve taking roots to the east of Aylesbury. Buckinghamshire Council has just approved plans for a 250-acre wildlife haven with wetlands and woodlands and developed in partnership with the RSPB. Work on Kingsbrook Meadows will begin in spring 2026 and as well as more greenery and tweeting birds than you can shake a stick at, there will be walking trails, a wild play area, visitor centre, café and shop, all built with accessibility in mind (there will be a car park onsite too). Polish your boots for the grand opening in 2028, and until then, head out on one of these family-friendly walks in Bucks & Oxon.

Meet you down The Burrow

More green shoots in Bucks & Oxon, this time over in Berinsfield near Wallingford, where they’ve just cut the ribbon for a new community run eco-café. The Burrow will not only serve up delicious breakfasts and lunches from Weds-Sat (make ours a Burrow Benedict), but cook Laura also plans to run cooking workshops and seasonal events to make healthy eating more accessible. Built with sustainable materials and powered by solar panels and an air source heat pump, it’s green through and through, with food locally sourced wherever possible too.

A royal welcome

Fortnum and Mason Bicester Village — @bicestervillage

More ribbon cutting last week, this time at Fortnum & Mason in Bicester Village. Founded in Piccadilly in 1707, the luxury food purveyors have been serving the monarchy ever since, and now Oxfordshire residents and visitors are in for a treat. Muddy favourite Dame Prue Leith nipped over from her home in Moreton-in-Marsh to officially open the new foodie outpost, where you’ll find bespoke hampers curated for Bicester Village shoppers – the Banbury honey is an especially sweet nod to the local area. Stop by for gourmet recommendations and tastings from the famous red-coated staff and don’t miss the hot crumpets from the Fortnum & Mason To Go stand. That’s your Christmas shopping and sustenance sorted.

It’s all gone a bit Pete Tong

At least it will do at The Fox at Daylesford Farm on Sat 1 Nov, when the iconic DJ will host a Mexican fiesta at the chi chi Cotswolds outpost. Tong will bring some guest DJs and mariachi bands along for the fun and the dress code is ‘dead chic’. To fuel the fun, there will be tacos, ceviche and other spicy bites sourced straight from Daylesford’s Market Garden, and the tequila and Dom Pérignon will be flowing. Tickets cash in at £155 so start saving.

Is Tom Cruise moving to Charlbury?

He’s the latest star reported to be fleeing Hollywood for the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Apparently he recently sent his personal assistant over our way to seek out a luxury house or plot of land for a future home near Charlbury, following in the footsteps of Beyoncé’s soon-to-be retreat in Wigginton and Ellen deGeneres’ house flipping near Burford. He’ll have to hold his horses for Muddy’s Best Places to Live 2026 list before he makes a final call.

A new culture club

The Great Hall at The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. Photograph © Hufton + Crow.

The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities at the University of Oxford is ready to throw open its impeccably designed doors to the academic community on 13 Oct but you don’t need to wear a gown to benefit. In April 2026 the architectural marvel will open to the public, boasting a 500-seat Sohmen concert hall, a 250-seat theatre, an immersive performance space, dance studio and cinema, an exhibition space, a museum, café and bar, all set in extensive gardens. It’s the hot spring ticket and we can’t wait to see you there.

It’s nearly Christmas menu o’ clock

A Wandering Kitchen Christmas meal — A Wandering Kitchen Christmas feast

Napkins at the ready – festive feasts are already in the works across Bucks & Oxon and our tastebuds couldn’t be more ready. Plan a lakeside stroll over in Wallingford to work up an appetite for The Wandering Kitchen’s recently released offerings. The Christmas menu is Thurs – Sat evenings from 29 Nov and includes such delights as smoked salmon tartine and breaded brie with a pear and walnut salad alongside turkey with all the trimmings. By day there’s festive cakes, mulled wine, the famous Wandering Kitchen Christmas pie (turkey, bacon, sausage and carrot, aka, the works) and the ever-popular gingerbread latte. Stoke the fire and get set for cosy season.

Tune in

Ending with more cosy season fodder, this time of the TV variety. Down Cemetery Road, an adaptation of Slow Horses author Mick Heron’s original Oxford-based novel, will debut on Apple TV+ on 29 Oct, starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson. Wilson’s no stranger to filming among Oxford’s dreaming spires after her role in the BBC’s production of Phillip Pulman’s His Dark Materials series, except that in the case of Down Cemetery Road, the majority of filming took place in Bristol, despite much of the action being set in suburban Oxford. We’ll wait and see whether Bristol is a convincing stand-in but if the success of Slow Horses is anything to go by, the series will fly.

Hot gossip! Michelin wins and Fortnum & Mason’s landed at Bicester Village

You may also like