The Fox Inn, Brackley

Cased the joint quickly while making myself known and it seems unchanged from B's visit, with necessarily more outdoor seating. It remains a Charles Wells pub but now Marston's related beers, Hobgoblin and Pedigree didn't tempt so we enjoyed rather pricey eurofizz in the afternoon sunshine. Covid regulations observed, but unemptied ashtrays suggest a bit more attention to detail required. A nice spot for an hour in the sun.

Official site of The Fox Inn - www.foxfarthinghoe.co.uk

Official site of The Fox Inn - www.foxfarthinghoe.co.uk

An old, attractive pub just off the main road through the village, this cannot get much in the way of passing trade but it seemed busy enough on a recent Tuesday evening visit, perhaps helped by the curry night and the war weather. It’s clearly had a makeover at some point, but seems to have nonetheless managed to retain much of it’s charm and character. There is a small but pleasant garden and patio at the rear. It’s essentially a U-shaped pub divided in to three or four rooms clustered around a central bar. Whilst the décor is similar throughout, they each had their own identity, and all were quite pleasant. The first room when coming in from the rear garden has a bit of a farmhouse kitchen feel to it with chunky pine furniture, and this leads through to an area that is perhaps more geared up for dining with wood boards on the floor, some rustic exposed stone wall and khaki green paintwork elsewhere. The next bar is perhaps marginally larger and is presumably more aimed at the drinkers, although there is of course no reason why you couldn’t eat here, as I did. There are some attractive mottled tiles on the floor, as well as some green carpet nearer the rear. There is a large brick built fire-place at one end, and this looks as though it is used to burn logs in the colder weather. Walls were a mixture of exposed stone and a combination of wood panelling and plasterwork. The bar counter looked to be solidly made from planks of wood too. Seating was a mixture of tables and chairs and a few leather armchairs, many of them clustered around the fire-place. There were a few board games on a shelf, as well as an old clock and a few black and white photos of the local area. A small TV was on the wall opposite the bar which perhaps looked slightly out of place, but fortunately this was not in use. The menu managed to strike a good balance between traditional pub grub and the urge to go more upmarket. Most of the mains were around the £10 - £15 mark, so a cut above your usual pub prices, but not excessively so. Options included the usual suspects such as Ham Egg & Chips, Fish & Chips, Burger, etc., as well a few more adventurous dishes such as Duck stir fry with caramelised plums and a Trio of Pork. Since it was Tuesday, I took advantage of their curry night which consisted of a curry and pint for £8. The landlady described it as medium hot, creamy and very tasty. It turned out to be a decent dish, with a generous quantity of tender chicken, rice and poppadoms. I couldn’t really describe it as creamy or tasty though – don’t get me wrong, it was a decent quality dish and I’d no complaints, but it wasn’t the flavoursome option that I had anticipated. Beer choices appeared to be just Young’s Bitter and the local Pit Stop from Silverstone, although a third pump was not in use so there may be another on occasions. The solitary cider was Aspall’s Suffolk. All in all I really liked this pub, with it’s sympathetic refurbishment, decent menu and friendly staff.

we had our anniversary meal there last week in the terrace bar and it was really lovely, staff were attentive and the steak was absolutely delicious washed down with a bottle of red wine so my husband says.

The pub is owned by Wells/Young, Situated on A422 between Banbury and Brackley, close to M40 Junction 11. ring 01295 713965. Opening times 1200-2300 Monday to Thursday, Friday/Saturday 1200-0000, Sunday 1200-2230. Lunches and evening meals, a choose of 4 real ales, from Wells/Young range up to Cask Marque standard as to beer quality.