heat welcome from The Greyhound nestled in the Vale of the ...

visiting east from Swindon, throughout the slanting evening easy of a mid-August night alongside the edge of the Berkshire Downs, it starts to feel like a different nation.

we are heading for Letcombe Regis, within the Vale of White Horse, a small village in Oxfordshire. despite the fact our vacation spot is barely 18 miles away, the villages are altering. The light, honey-colored stone of so a lot of Wiltshire's villages gives strategy to warm pink brick, with lots of thatch and timbered partitions.

high on our appropriate loom the smooth chalk hills, after which the Uffington White Horse gallops into view. The roads slim, and eventually we attain the village, its quiet, curving streets filled with late, syrupy sunshine.

The Greyhound pub is convenient to find, right within the heart of the village. we are staying the evening, and escorted upstairs in the course of the higgledy-piggledy stairs and corridors to our room. The 18th century lodge has eight in total, each named for the geography of the enviornment, reminiscent of Lambourn, Uffington and Ridgeway.

we are, lucky us, staying within the Oxford suite – and i can't assist however draw a breath with satisfaction after we step through the door into a quirky, attractive room framed by historic timbers, with a sloping roof and a major bed made up with soft, white linen. A view via a small lounge area past the room results in the bathing room, and an attractive roll accurate tub, painted in a sumptuous turquoise. In calm, impartial colorings of cream and grey, with dark wood furnishings and luxurious accents of velvet and pretend fur, it is barely excellent.

The Oxford will also be used as a household room, napping up to 4, however husband and that i have it to ourselves for one glorious evening.

in the counsel folder, we find several very easy leaflets describing native walks – with clear guidelines and an aerial image of the foundation – so with half an hour to spare earlier than dinner, we head outside to peer the village and work up an appetite. one of the most walks is a brief stroll round Letcombe Regis, with its neat cottages, the clear and swift-running Letcombe Brook, and views to the downs escarpment. The parish church of St Andrew stands within the core of the village, roses clamber over historical porches and in the gardens, timber are weighted with apples and plums. It's like a village from an image book.

returned for dinner, we settle at a desk within the bar area. Smaller eating areas, one a prosperous crimson, one teal blue, lead off. The menu offers a tantalising choice. Meat-eating husband chooses a starter of duck ham, local beetroot, heritage potatoes and pickled blackberries (£7) and that i have a vegan edition of the same (ie no duck ham). I'm intrigued by way of the chance of a pickled blackberry, however earlier than the starters arrive we are handled to a board of home-baked bread, meltingly sparkling and scrumptious, and a bottle of eminently drinkable house red.

The starters are delicious – a mix of crunch and softness, and the pickled blackberries are a pleasant burst of bitter and sweet.

Our main lessons are free latitude fowl breast with garlic buttermilk puree, roast lettuce, wild mushrooms, and lemon and tarragon Dauphine potato (£16.50), whereas I actually have roasted Romano pepper filled with wild rice, spinach, rocket puree, roast garlic, pine kernels and herbs (£13.50). it is fantastically presented and tastes as good because it sounds, prosperous with flavour.

The cakes seem to be promising too. Husband chooses peaches and dream with heat lemon fritters and that i have the vegan poached peaches, raspberries, raspberry sorbet, thyme and black pepper honeycomb (each £6.50). prosperous yet gentle, they have been the superb conclusion to a delicious meal. The meals at the Greyhound is in reality a reduce above the leisure. The fine of the materials, the concept and invention behind the dishes and the stylish presentation make this an adventure to bear in mind.

The Greyhound is owned with the aid of husband and spouse Martyn Reed and Catriona Galbraith, who have lived in the enviornment for round two decades. The pub became closed in 2014, and when they purchased it, the grade II listed constructing become desperately in want of some restoration and d they completely redesigned the interior.

"We wanted it to be the kind of pub we would are looking to go to, and we might be happy with, with first rate meals and a extremely heat environment," Catriona stated.

The renovations took a yr, and work began in June 2015. the use of native gurus, they created the new appear pub and the eight bedrooms, all of which might be distinctive. Now the Greyhound is thriving, with around a dozen full time workforce, in addition to some half-timers.

the pinnacle chef is New Zealand-born Phil Currie, who joined the Greyhound team after years honing his expertise and cooking style in nice country condo hotels and lodges. He clearly has a real passion for cooking and an inventive take on contemporary British cooking. His partner Lidia Dhorne runs the entrance of house and extends a really warm welcome to guests.

The Greyhound is a free residence, and serves a big range of actual ales, craft beers and ciders, primarily selected from local brewers, and changed into named country Pub Of The 12 months by using the CAMRA White Horse department closing 12 months.

It's busy with locals looking respectable meals, however also gives accommodation to families touring relatives at the retirement village group within the village, as well because the many walkers who hike the size of the Ridgeway, which passes close to the village. simply forty minutes' pressure away, the Greyhound is also close sufficient to Swindon for those wanting an additional particular lunch or evening dinner too.

We go away the following morning after an expensive soak in the roll-true bathtub, a pretty good evening's sleep, and a scrumptious breakfast. It's been a treat from birth to finish, and we ask yourself how lengthy it will be till we make a return visit. definitely, what are the weekends for?

Lunch for much less off is available Tues-Friday and charges £18 for 2 courses and £22.50 for three.

For greater assistance and to booklet, visit thegreyhoundletcombe.co.uk.