An Oxfordshire gastropub has been named among the best in the UK.
The Bell Inn at Langford came in 46th place of the top 50 gastropubs, according to the Estrella Damm Gastropubs Awards.
The awards were judged by an academy of several hundred judges spread throughout the UK who voted for who they think are the must-see establishments.
The academy is made up of food industry experts, chefs, operators, food writers, and journalists, all of whom keep a close eye on the market and the trends within.
The Bell Inn was chosen because it “focuses on good simple pub food with a straightforward wine list. It is a modern country pub that aims to showcase the duo’s love of hearty, classic British food with the addition of wood-fired dishes. Seasonal, local food is a focus at the pub."
The modern country pub was opened in December 2017 by business partners Peter Creed and Tom Noest, both born and bred in the Cotswolds.
In 2019 it was listed in The Times 100 Best Places to Stay and has been raved about by food critics Giles Coren, Marina O'Loughlin and Tom Parker Bowles.
Before opening they spent a year viewing several different pubs in the area but felt The Bell with its amazing traditional features, eight hotel rooms and outside space, best fitted the bill.
Peter previously worked with The Lucky Onion Group, setting up design-led hotels and restaurants, operating all their sites and managing all the buying of the beverages.
He said: "I have developed a passion for natural wines; these are made by hand with minimal chemical intervention and one of my favourite importers are ‘Les Caves de Pyrene who I have been sourcing from for years.
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"It means our wine menu has a nice balance of our favourite wines with a few natural options to match our wood-fired food."
The menu serves a variety of modern style dishes from a wood-fired oven such as Cotswold IPA rarebit with pickles and soldiers, rabbit, bacon and prune pie for two to share and delicious freshly prepared artisan pizza.
Peter said: "As typical men, Tom and I do enjoy our meat and two veg with a large glass of our favourite red, but we have designed the menu with a variety of light meals or alternatively you can indulge in a three-course dinner. My favourite dish is sea bass with cannellini beans and Swiss chard with a glass of Macon Prisse."
Watch out for Poppy, aka Mrs Bean (the pub dog) on your visit.
More information from thebelllangford.com
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