You’re sure of a friendly welcome & fantastic food at The Crown in Church Enstone which has lots of December delights on the menu…

This year the news has been mainly doom gloom, debt and rising prices. But the good news is that nothing feels as though it’s in short supply at The Crown in Church Enstone.

From the moment you step inside the flagstone bar you feel your shoulders dropping, especially once you’ve cosied yourself up next to the roaring fire with a perfectly mixed cocktail in your hand.

The Crown, a picture-perfect honey-hued pub dating back to the 17th century, is as charming and gorgeous as a tourist’s dream but it’s been lavished in modern luxury, with all mod cons and stunning details. It it now under the new ownership of Matt and Kate Beamish, who also run the two acclaimed dining pubs with rooms The Kingham Plough and The Hare at Milton-under-Wychwood.

As you’d expect from these gastro geniuses The Crown’s food offering is top-notch, featuring a monthly changing seasonal and locally sourced a la carte menu offering modern British dishes with innovate twists and re-imagined pub classics.

To whet your appetite, here are some of the December delights from the menu… How about a starter of oysters with apple and horseradish dressing (healthy and punchy) or else chicken liver parfait, cranberry, fig marmalade, with chef Mark’s brioche?

If you can tear yourself away from the very tempting rib-eye steak (with peppercorn, red wine or chimichurri sauce) other main course specials for this month include turkey pie with mash, greens and red wine jus or else, a rare vegetarian treat, beetroot wellington with chestnut puree, greens.

Pudding fans… The desserts are too tempting, so here’s a head start to mull over. French lemon tart with meringue; Christmas pudding with brandy sauce; chocolate tart with double cream; sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce & vanilla ice cream; Greek yoghurt with white chocolate ganache, passionfruit pulp; Baked Alaska; affogato with vanilla ice cream & espresso; Black bomber mature cheddar, house chutney, Membrillo & crackers; chocolate, vanilla, mint choc chip, or pistachio ice cream or mango, lemon or raspberry sorbet.

I’ll leave that conundrum with you.. Or maybe make a few return trips?