This weekend we had the enormous pleasure of an invite for a family meal at The Feathers Hotel in the beautiful town of Woodstock, Oxfordshire, home of the world famous Blenheim Palace. This review is in exchange for our complimentary dinner in The Feathers restaurant.
The Location
Nestled in the picture perfect countryside on the outskirts of the culture packed city of Oxford, Woodstock is on the Cheltenham side of Oxford, making it an easy one hour drive from Cheltenham and just an hour and a half from London and Birmingham. One thing to note is that the hotel doesn’t have its own parking however there is free parking around the town and a free carpark a short walk away, just call reception for details and they will advise you.
We also noted that there were many buses running in and out of Oxford meaning that it would also be very straightforward to get to using public transport too, one of the benefits to having a major tourist attraction on the doorstep.
The Feathers Hotel
The building itself is a gorgeous red brick delight, perfectly placed right in the centre of town and boasting a fascinating history. It is made up of multiple buildings added over the years making it a bit higgledy piggledy in the best possible way with little nooks and crannies to explore. We had a warm welcome from the all the staff and found them to be so friendly and helpful. I loved the mix of cultures and it was great to chat to Italians, Parisians and the nicest Romanian receptionist! It was clear everyone loved their job and was really passionate about customer care.
The interior of the hotel, bar and restaurant is a lovely amalgamation of styles, tying in the older feel of the outside with beautiful antique pieces of furniture but mixed up with bright modern rugs and sofas, gorgeous artwork everywhere you looked and eye catching jewel coloured accessories scattered everywhere. It really is an aesthetic dream. The multi roomed layout of the hotel means that there are lots of different areas, cosy sittings areas with log fires, a relaxed bar area and a slightly more formal dining room, all with the same cosy, bright feel. Pink is a recurring theme around the soft furnishings and lamps and I for one approve highly!
Dogs at The Feathers Hotel
Best of all? The Feathers is a dog friendly hotel and Hendrix was made so welcome in the reception and bar! There are a selection of dog treats in jars all around the hotel and in the bar there are two huge boxes of dog toys. He had such a greeting from everyone and dogs are allowed everywhere apart from the dining room. We had dinner in the bar which was so lovely and cosy and Hendrix was given a bed and water!
Dinner at The Feathers
We had dinner at the hotel and it was one of our eating out all time highlights. It was absolutely incredible, the menu was varied, with pub ‘classics’ like my vegetarian pie above, but with a really upmarket twist and more a la carte options too. The pie had the perfect ratio of filling to pastry, sometimes I find it disappointing when you cut into them but this was exactly right, the chips were crisp and fluffy inside and the veg was cooked perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
My meal highlight was the starter though, I was blown away by the artichoke and hazelnut salad, it was one of the most delicious dishes I’ve ever eaten, in fact, I’d go as far as to say it was the best! As a vegetarian it can sometimes be a bit boring when you go out and there are the same things on the menu every time but this was so different and absolutely incredible. I’d go back just for this in fact!
We were lucky enough to meet Head Chef Ben Bullen and it was clear how passionate he is about the menu creation and using in season and locally produced ingredients. He even told us that during wild garlic season they go out foraging for it as it grows in abundance nearby and about their seriously delicious sounding wild garlic mash. Yum!
With 18 years of experience in the industry, Ben previously worked his way up to a 3AA Rosette restaurants and even competed on Masterchef, The Professionals, a fantastic accolade for any chef and he got to the quarter finals. The menu changes regularly and there is also a children’s menu with colouring in on the back to keep them busy, there wasn’t a vegetarian option on there, but when we asked they offered 3 extra pasta dishes they could do. There are also games in the bar to borrow to keep the whole family occupied and we felt very welcome at all times.
As I mentioned above, waiting for us when we sat down was a bed and water for Hendrix, two big boxes of toys to keep him entertained and not one, not two but three choices of dog treats for him!
There was also an enormous selection of drinks available, including an extensive gin list, and the bar staff are all very knowledgeable. The also have a delicious alcohol free gin which is perfect for anyone who is driving or avoiding alcohol.
Let’s talk pudding! Probably one of my favourite courses ever, we all opted for the sticky toffee pudding and we were all so happy, they came beautifully presented with the ice cream carefully balanced on top in a delicate brandy snap basket. It was absolutely delicious!
In Conclusion
I love how dog friendly they are, not just dog tolerant but positively open armed welcoming, similar to what you get in many parts of Europe and it really is lovely when your canine companion is as welcome as your human family members. It is also exceptionally child friendly, during dinner a little girl from another table dropped a game with many pieces and the waiter very patiently helped her to pick up all the pieces, no-one was made to feel bad about it and that is so important when you are travelling with children as accidents do happen!
We also had the most wonderful night in their sister hotel in The Cotswolds, read our review on Lords of the Manor Hotel here.
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