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UK: A gastronomic treat

UNSPOILED: Fallowfields Country House

A shortish drive from the city of Oxford, the village that goes by this name is quiet, unspoiled and home to Fallowfields Country House Hotel, charming, handsome and 300 years old.

Set in 12 acres of countryside, Fallowfields was our base for a weekend exploring some of Oxfordshire's gems, using a recent guide, Classic Locations Oxfordshire, which gives a glossy magazine treatment to attractions as diverse as Blenheim Palace and Deddington farmers' market.

After a Friday night, post-work haul down congested motorways, Fallowfields offered a welcome haven for jaded spirits and tired limbs.

With just 10 guest suites, the hotel retains the air of a gracious family home, but doesn't stint on comforts you would expect in larger premises - our tastefully decorated accommodation boasted a king-size bed, wide-screen satellite TV and Jacuzzi-bath.

There was a bonus we were only to discover next morning . . . a bedroom-window view of classic English countryside. But before the feast for the eye, came one for the stomach.

We settled in the elegant bar for a Plymouth gin while perusing the menu.

Fallowfields prides itself on the quality of its food, and the diners during our stay were a mix of guests and local customers, lured by the cooking.

The top chef strives to prepare his dishes from local fare. Fallowfields also has a near-organic kitchen garden and orchard, keeping the restaurant supplied with vegetables, herbs and a variety of fruit.

The dishes we enjoyed that night were Gressingham duck leg terrine; pumpkin and orange soup; venison fillet with parsnip mash, roasted beetroot and woodland mushrooms; Oxfordshire beef fillet with artichoke heart, oxtail ragout and roasted vegetables, and a selection of desserts. 

Latest menus have included roasted beetroot and star anise soup, cumin and roasted onion dumplings; slow cooked and marinated beef, butternut squash, red wine syrup and duck liver confit; organic salmon poached in olive oil, horseradish foam, vanilla dressing, crushed goose fat celeriac; raspberry sherbet.

Next morning it was time to select some sights to see from Classic Locations.

We tried to avoid the nearby city, as we knew it well, but the chance to take a look at the new Oxford Castle development meant we found ourselves using the park-and-ride service to see what was happening.

Transformation 

The centrepiece of the development is the transformation of the old stone castle into a five star Malmaison Hotel, with a good choice of bars and restaurants surrounding it. La Tasca and The Living Room are both familiar names to look out for, while TV chef Antonio Carluccio also has premises there.

Next it was off to Woodstock. Unspoiled, unmarred by new development and glowing in honeyed local stone, Woodstock is a little treasure and we lingered there, before heading back to Kingston Bagpuize and the cossetting of Fallowfields.

Once again, dinner proved a delight and the range and quality of dishes a credit to the hotel.

Next day it was time to delve once more into Classic Locations, and we chose to take a look at North Parade, lying close to St Hugh's College, between the city centre and Summertown.

It may be just one shortish street, but it boasts an eclectic mix of small, specialist shops, a couple of pubs, cafes and restaurants. One of the pubs lays claim to the civilising touch of being a mobile phone-free zone.

It's a short hop by car to Jericho, an area immortalised by featuring in the pilot episode of Inspector Morse, a former-student habitat, now very trendy.

Therein lies Le Petit Blanc, with its simple, wholesome take on French cuisine.

Sunday lunch proved delicious and atmospheric, the place buzzing with families and the menu prix fixe for two courses providing admirable value for money. By this time we had bade farewell to Kingston Bagpuize and the comforts of Fallowfields - once a home to no less a figure than the Aga Khan - and it was time to hit the road back to the north west.

There was much, much more of Classic Locations to explore, but no time to do it in. Still, that's a great excuse for another visit . . .

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