Stonor Restaurant Guide

In November 2022, after 15 years at the helm, Stephen Luscombe dramatically handed over the reins of this pretty former pub with a foodie reputation to local boy Ben Watson (whose CV includes the acclaimed Core by Clare Smyth) and Priya Arora-Watson (a former FOH at London’s famed Gymkhana). By all accounts there is “little to suggest any adverse change” now it‘s running under an abridged name – and indeed, for fans, the local, seasonal food is “even better” now, with the “brilliant set menu” (£23 per person for two courses, £28 per person for three) representing very “good value given that prices everywhere have gone stratospheric”.

This romantic, high-end dining room has brought a slice of Italy to Henley’s waterside since the mid-1990s; “the space is not large, but the extensive use of mirrors makes it feel airy” while the crowd-pleasing menu is always “reliably good”. Given its popularity, it can get “very noisy” – particularly during the local Regatta, which lends its name to one of their many specials (the latter “significantly more expensive than the standard menu offerings”, which are a bargain).

“An excellent and attentive spot by the river with a fantastic brunch in the morning sun”, whose all-day menu is produced by a small team run by owners Shaun & Gemma Dickens. “I came here for brunch ahead of my nephew‘s wedding and enjoyed it so much I returned the following day!” Top Menu Tip – “recommend the full English and the smashed avocado with poached egg on sourdough toast”.

This “fabulous” and “colourful” Chilterns gastroboozer “consistently delivers” – even well into its fourth decade in business. “Look out for the music nights” combining “imaginative pub food” with “live performances by artists far beyond what you’d expect from a rural pub” – but then again, this isn’t just any pub: it’s famously run by chef-proprietor Paul Clerehugh (ex-of glam rockers Sweet), and Kate Winslet hosted her wedding breakfast here.

“The cheese toasty eaten in a cowshed is excellent” at this “Home Counties middle-class rural equivalent of street food” on a family-owned dairy farm, with hay bales to perch on. It’s pretty basic, so you need to “wrap up in cold weather as it’s in an open-sided barn” – and you’ll “need to navigate around the Audis, Volvos and Mercedes in the car park”.

“The lamb to share was beautifully cooked and the bar, beer and surroundings are great!” – this smart pub with nine guest rooms near Henley-on-Thames was relaunched by Sika Inns in December 2023 and is already winning plaudits. Run by a former Harwood Arms duo, its menu features game from the estate, prepared in a kitchen headed by ex-Claude Bosi exec chef Dom Robinson. In summer the “lovely garden” comes into its own.