Being a Mum is extremely rewarding but it’s also flipping hard work.  I’ve loved having my son home with me over the summer holidays, but he’s full on from the minute he gets up until the second he falls asleep.  I was totally frazzled by Monday.  I admire all working Mums as I have no idea how they juggle everything and remain sane.  My friend L is one such Mum, she works really hard and is a single parent.  I figured we were both in need of a treat.  It was time to be ladies that lunch, relax and have some time to ourselves when we visited The White Horse at Duns Tew this week.

Located within easy reach of Banbury, Bicester and Chipping Norton The White Horse at Duns Tew was the perfect place for us to unwind.  We left our Mum mantles at the door and entered the 17th century pub looking forward to the lunch that awaited us.

A warm welcome greeted us, and we decided as the weather was being kind, we’d sit outside for our lunch.  There were various seating areas inside and I can imagine on a chilly autumnal day they’d have felt really cosy.  Everywhere looked absolutely spotless, clean and fresh.  The sort of place you’d want to spend time.  First impressions were very favourable.

We’d arrived early so we could take our time over our meal and just enjoy some down time.  There was a full wine list available but we were both being good and decided to stick with our soft drinks before deciding on our starters.  We were also provided with a bottle of water and glasses without even asking.  A nice touch.

My friend opted for the Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Pesto whilst I couldn’t miss out on the Half Pint of Shell on Prawns with Mayonnaise.  Both arrived with some toasted rustic bread for us to share.

Both options were really good, tasty and provided a good start to our lunch at The White Horse at Duns Tew.  I’d been given a side plate for my prawn shells and a finger bowl too.

For our main meal option, L decided on the Half Roast Chicken with Aioli and Fries, whilst I just had to try the Soy & Ginger Pork Belly with Asian Salad. Were we in for a treat!

Apparently the chicken was really rather good and full of flavour.  Mine was excellent, I , didn’t want it to end, it was that kind of good.  The pork belly just melted in the mouth, full of flavour and the Asian Salad was the perfect accompaniment, crisp and cleansing.  I just loved it.

Could we be tempted with a dessert?  Well it would be rude not to wouldn’t it?  There was a lovely selection and we were struggling to decide. So in the end we picked two and shared.  We opted for Passion Fruit Pot with Shortbread and the Chocolate Truffle with Salted Caramel.  I do love my puddings.  The first two courses had been so good, would we be let down at the last hurdle?  Oh no, and in fact we both agreed, a bit of both worked really well together.  Apart, they were both quite rich, but a bit of both, and they somehow balanced each other out.  We were both rather surprised that the shortbread was quite soft, but that’s just nit-picking frankly. Top marks on the yum ranking.

I can honestly say that our lunch at The White Horse at Duns Tew was one of the nicest experiences I’ve had eating out, in a while.  The pub itself was inviting and somewhere you just felt comfortable being in.  The service was good, timely, but at no point did we feel rushed.  The food really was excellent and we both said we’d return, together for a girls lunch, and with family and friends.  In fact as soon as I got home, I was raving about it to local friends on my personal Facebook page.  If you are in the area, go, I really don’t think you’d be disappointed.  We certainly weren’t.

disclosure:  we were given a complimentary meal in exchange for an honest review.