Driving through the rolling hills of Woodstock, I felt a stirring of that déjà vu feeling in my bones. I love returning to spots that I’ve had wonderful experiences at.
Over sixteen (!!) months ago, we popped into The Killingworth Castle for lunch. It was a time just before the world stopped turning, when pubs were still busy and we were only beginning to hear the rumblings of the world on the precipice of change.
The Oxfordshire pub is just a 10 minute drive from Blenheim Palace (which we popped to prior to our visit) in the idyllic village of Woodstock. Pulling up to The Killingworth Castle felt like a symbolic return to a life we’ve missed so incredibly much.
Owned by Claire and Jim Alexander, the venue has undergone some changes over the past year as well. The gorgeous pub has expanded, converting the old barn attached into additional seating. It’s beautiful. It’s probably at this point I should mention this is a rave review and I will continue to rave about my experience from here on out. With The Killingworth, it’s easy to.
Visiting the pub a year ago, I was immediately struck by the visuals around each and every corner. From the outside, the pub is built of that beautiful light Cotswolds stone (I have a thing for stone colours and textures and yes, I find it varies from place to place around the United Kingdom). New details include additional outdoor seating which is perfect for pub garden days – and we were so incredibly lucky to get a pocket of beautiful weather to enjoy it.
Stay at The Killingworth Castle
There are eight luxury rooms at The Killingworth Castle which you’ll find in the adjoining stable block right across from the pub. We stayed in the King Luxury Ensuite which of course sold me immediately with the gorgeous roll-top tub.
The rooms are a mixture of countryside rustic meets modern luxury. You’ll find wood furnishings, comfortable cushions and a gorgeously modern tiled bathroom.
The bed is also impossibly soft and cosy where you just want to snuggle into the sheets forever. We may have spent our night in bed watching Celebrity Googlebox with cups of tea. Like I said, a mix of country style meets my poor reality TV choices.
A personal bonus point is absolutely the fact that there is a French Press in the room for making your own coffee. One of my great pet peeves of travelling is the fact that I need coffee almost immediately upon waking up and I’m always a bit disappointed when rooms don’t find a way to nail this for me. So thank you to The Killingworth Castle for understanding my Lorelai Gilmore levels of coffee tendencies.
Drinks at the pub
Upon our arrival to The Killingworth Castle, once room photos had been taken we immediately beelined to sitting outside on the picnic tables at the front of the pub. You’ll find additional garden seating as well around the corner that is slightly more secluded too. Actually, there are quite a lot of great outdoor seating options at the pub. It’s surprisingly larger than you’d think!
I stuck to a classic large Pinot Grigio (I know, I am who I am) and Joe went for an organic beer from Stroud Brewery. While we took advantage of the pocket of sunshine that had descended through Oxfordshire – clearly a sign for us to spend plenty of time outdoors with drinks – we also tested out our drone! I was pretty grateful to the pub for letting me play around with our incredibly limited drone skills, but I think they turned out pretty cool. You can view more over on my Instagram for now, but stay tuned for a Youtube video to come.
Inside the pub there is also a gorgeous bar area for drinks too – be sure to give it a visit. I’m already planning to head back here in the autumn to sit around with a glass of wine and to enjoy the cosy fireplaces.
Dining at The Killingworth
As I described on my Instagram stories, Head Chef Adam Brown is a culinary wizard. His menu is absolutely genius, the pairings so perfectly crafted. Dining at The Killingworth Castle is a true delight for your tastebuds.
From breakfast, Sunday lunch and dinner, there’s literally something amazing for all hours of the day. If you’d like to read about our lunchtime experience a year ago, you can visit my previous post. Today I’m talking dinner and breakfast. Let’s start with our evening.
Adam Brown was previously the head chef at their former sister pub, The Ebrington Arms, which was awarded the UK’s number one pub for food in The Telegraph. Adam hails from a Michelin background including Gordon Ramsay & Le Champignon Sauvage. Unsurprisingly, if you’re at The Killingworth Castle for food, you’re in for an absolute treat.
The menu is seasonal and changes with what is locally in season and incredibly fresh. For foodies please note that it’s a 2 AA Rosette & Michelin recommended seasonal menu. They’ve also joined a handful of other UK pubs and restaurants in achieving 3 stars or more in the ‘Organic Served Here’ awards by The Soil Association. It shows a commitment to at least 50% organic produce on the menus.
Basically it feels like a London style experience, you could be in Mayfair dining but you’re actually in the countryside experiencing such excellence at incredibly affordable prices. I also had someone message me on Instagram saying that this was like a fantasy novel kind of menu, the way each dish is written and displayed. I actually feel like the food probably deserves an entirely separate blog post, but we’re in the thick of it now. Here’s what we tried…
Starters
For starters Joe had the Tartar of Cornish Monkfish, cucumber, radish, parsley emulsion, keta caviar and I had the Pea Custard, peas, broad beans, asparagus, hazelnuts. Both were fantastic dishes and the fish was incredible. But I’m going to rave about the Pea Custard. I had no idea what to expect from this dish. It may have been one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tried. I wish I could reach through the screen and give you all a plate. Please, PLEASE order this when you go. Who knew pea custard could be downright exciting?
Mains
For our mains Joe had the Peking Duck Breast, turnip, apricot, shoots and grains with malted barley sauce. And I had the Sirloin Shorthorn Beef & Shin, sweetheart cabbage, black garlie, with morel sauce. I can’t comment on the duck as I realised post-meal that I didn’t even try it. Joe confirms its excellence. I can however, attest to the beef. Each dish is so thoughtfully presented and plated for serving. It’s obvious how much passion goes into the creation of this menu and these dishes.
I can’t possibly find a flaw because there aren’t any. I’m confident that you could order anything from the menu and it would be delicious. Our sides at dinner included the beef dripping chips, buttered spring greens and Jersey royal potatoes.
And lastly we had to have desserts because with a dinner so incredible, dessert would undoubtedly be as well. Of course, it was.
Dessert
Joe tried the 54% Dark Chocolate Delice, salted caramel cream and I had the Iced Elderflower & pine nuts, mousse with English strawberries. Both were wonderful… but I preferred my Iced Elderflower. Only because I like something a bit more fruity for dessert.
We were lucky to chat with Adam after the meal where we essentially just raved to him about how great the food was and how talented he is. It was quite cool to hear about the ins and outs of the kitchen and working on planning the menu based around local produce.
This is not a pub to pop into for a burger or fish and chips. There’s definitely a time and place for those dishes but at The Killingworth Castle… you need to experience this menu. You’re getting an entirely luxury meal within the comfort of a cosy, beautiful countryside pub. It’s so brilliant and I’m sorry I can’t stop raving.
And the next morning you get to do it all over again… kind of!
A full breakfast offering is available at The Killingworth Castle served to guests Wednesday through Sunday. Though there is also an in-room continental box offered on Monday mornings.
I am always and forever obsessed with ordering veggie breakfasts whenever we travel, so I picked the Full Vegetarian. Vegetarian sausage, mushrooms, baked beans, grilled tomato, with poached eggs. Joe of course, picked the Blueberry Pancakes and maple syrup. Both were exactly what we were after. I’m probably a terrible person… I can never order pancakes for breakfast because I can never finish them. So luckily I can always snag a few bites of Joe’s! They’re so good but I can never eat all of it.
Also worth noting, I had an actual dream last night about eating the Natural Yoghurt and blueberry compote again. So that should probably indicate how good it was.
And endless coffee or tea awaits you as well. Coffee for me, obviously.
We had such a wonderful night away at The Killingworth Castle. It felt like such a treat to escape to the countryside for a little overnight stay. Only an hour and a half drive from London, it’s ideal as a lovely getaway. Settle in for a night of truly incredible food and drinks, excellent service and waking up to the sound of birds chirping outside your window. It’s seriously relaxing.
I’d also like to mention the COVID safety measures in place right now too. Currently guest rooms are available for contactless check in. And during your stay no one will be entering your room for daily cleaning unless requested. I’ve found has become the standard over the last year – I like it. You can also ask for anything you may need, like more towels of course.
They also have two dog friendly rooms available which is lovely – I do love a good dog in a pub! And last but not least, they also have a vegan menu offering available as well. Truly, there’s something for everyone. Rooms start from £99 on weekdays and £149 on the weekends.
I hope you enjoyed coming along with me on my visit to The Killingworth Castle. I can’t wait to visit again soon!
Kelly xoxo