With it being half term and Daddy P’s birthday on Tuesday we decided to celebrate by having a meal out at The Fox Inn at Boars Hill. Situated some six miles south of Oxford City Centre on the outskirts of Boars Hill village the pub dates back to the 1930’s.
There’s ample parking and a seating terrace outside which would be very inviting on a nice sunny day. Less so on a wet October afternoon, so we headed inside. I always think you can get a good sense of a place as soon as you walk through the door and The Fox Inn at Boars Hill didn’t disappoint. It felt cosy, warm and inviting and children were clearly welcome. Just looking around the pub we could see a real mix of ages and groups, it’s clearly a popular eatery.
The Fox Inn at Boars Hill has recently re-opened with new management, offering a range of meal options for all the family. Their children’s menu has actually been created with the assistance of a nutrition advisor with a strong emphasis on the use of fresh and seasonal ingredients. What would my fussy eater make of their efforts?
Children are provided with a menu they can colour in and keep along with a little activity pack and crayons. We visited on a Sunday so my son could have had a smaller version of a roast dinner if he’d have liked. with the children’s menu you can select one course for £5, two courses for £8 or £3 courses for £10, drinks are extra.
For starters he could pick from mini corn on the cob, soup, hummus and crudités or nachos. My 7 year old can be a bit of a nightmare when it comes to eating out, but hummus has always been a winner and he’ll eat carrots and cucumber all day long. I was really impressed with the quantity although if anything there was a little too much hummus for one. But it definitely got the big thumbs up from him.
Daddy P was pretty much guaranteed to go for soup, in this instance it was Roasted Cauliflower Cheese Soup served with Cheese and Onion Fritters.
Even I was allowed a little taste, very good and full of flavour. The fritters provided something different and again, were very tasty.
I was going to opt for the Venison Scotch Egg when I spotted the Whipped Somerset Brie served with Grilled pumpkin, Chervil and Hazelnut Pesto. Well it is nearly Halloween after all, and pumpkin isn’t something I normally eat.
It was so good, the pumpkin and whipped Brie work perfectly together. Very unusual but delicious.
On the children’s menu for main meals my son could choose from Fishcake, Crunchy Chicken Nuggets, 5oz Rump Steak (£5 supplement), Meatballs and Pasta, Build Your Own Pizza Wrap (I may not have told my son about this option just to get him to try something else!) or roast dinner. In the end he opted for Fishcake served with Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli and Zesty Herb Mayo.
We did nearly have a disaster when my son spotted a pea as he cut into the fish cake, but mother soon stepped in and picked them all out and he was happy. In fact, he ate everything and half way through, asked when we could come back so he could eat it again. Trust me, that’s high praise.
Daddy P loves his roast dinners so he opted for the Dry Aged Rump of Beef with all the trimmings which also went down very well. We were recommended the Cauliflower Cheese side dish, which we both love, and because of my fussy (I only eat cheese on pizzas) son, never cook at home.
I was tempted by Pan fried Seabass Fillet but then I spotted the Specials Board. There was no contest, and I opted for the 5oz Venison Fillet with roasted beetroot, cauliflower and blackberry jus. It didn’t disappoint, perfectly cooked to medium rare, full of flavour and perfect of a cold autumn afternoon. I can thoroughly recommend.
On the children’s menu desserts options are Build your own Pancake, Strawberry and Banana Milkshake Lolly or Knickerbocker Glory. My son would have gone for the lolly, but that wasn’t available so he had Vanilla Ice cream, he could have had sauce, but he likes his ice cream plain.
Daddy P is a sucker for a crumble, so as soon as he spotted the Apple Crumble on the Specials Board, he was sold. Served with custard, he was in seventh heaven.
My favourite pudding ever is Sticky Toffee Pudding and when I saw Sticky Date and Stout Pudding served with Toffee Sauce and Salted Caramel Ice Cream, that had my name written all over it. Oh boy, it was totally devine, I could eat that every day of the year. If you visit The Fox Inn at Boars Hill, you must try this dessert.
We really liked the atmosphere at The Fox Inn at Boars Hill and the food was really rather good. I’m sure we’ll be back again in the future.
disclosure: we were given a complimentary meal and drinks in exchange for an honest review
I’ve teamed up with The Fox Inn at Boars Hill to offer a meal out for the family. One lucky reader can win a three course meal for a family of 4 with a bottle of wine. Please note that the prize must be used by 30 November 2017. Enter via the Gleam form below for your chance to win. Good luck.
Terms and conditions:
(Please note that all entries will be checked against comments for validation).
Only the first step of this form is mandatory, all other steps are optional. Only one entry per person is allowed.
This giveaway is for UK residents only.
Once a winner is randomly picked, I will check if the winner has done what was requested and I will contact them, if they do not reply within one week, the prize will be allocated to another person. The prize is a three course meal for a family of 4 with a bottle of wine. Please note that the prize must be used by 30 November 2017.
The giveaway will close on 1st November 2017 at midnight.
Don’t forget to visit my Giveaways page for more great prizes on offer!
The Fox Inn Boars Hill – win a three course meal for a family of 4 with a bottle of wine
I’d probably have the 8oz Dry-aged Ribeye! Looks like a lovely restaurant.
definitly steak x then something chocolatey!
I would order the slow cooked lamb shank as it’s my favourite
Really tough choice as the menu looks great! But I would have the Venison Scotch egg to start, the full rack of pork ribs for main and the lemon curd cheesecake for dessert.
The Sea bass Fillet sounds good
It all depends on the starter and can’t seem to find them on the website but I love the idea of seabass, chicken supreme, any of the steaks or lamb shank… pudding would be the poached pear, sounds delicious and looks really nice there too. visit oxford regularly so may have to pop in on a sunday for a spot of lunch and a few drinks with the family 🙂
Steak , hope this counts as an entry forgot to write my answer in gleam
, nice menu
Pan fried sea bass fillet
Slow-cooked lamb shank (can’t fail with a lamb & spinach combo) preceded by Whipped Somerset Brie or shredded ham hock, although the cheese & onion fritters that accompany the soup sound great too, decisions, decisions!
Steak!
Wow, we’re only 20 minutes away but never heard of this place – will have to try it! I’d pick the Prime Beefburger, or a Rump Steak.
Salt and pepper squid followed by a Ribeye steak with a side of mustard mash and honey and thyme glazed carrots and would finish the meal off with a cheeseboard and a glass of red!
I would choose the soup, then maybe the steak and ale pie then cheese board
I would order the slow cooked lamb shank
Sea Bass fillet….yum! 🙂
The Camembert to start and the steak of the day for the main!
Prime Beef Burger or Rustic Pizza , depending what mood I was in. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.
pan-fried sea bass fillet
I’d love the slow cooked lamb shank. Lamb is my favourite. Thank you.
I would choose the pan fried sea bass fillet
I would order the slow cooked lamb shank.
Steak & Ale Pie
I’d go for the Crispy Falafel Burger – sounds delicious!