Greener getaways from London: The Fox at Oddington, Gloucestershire

This article is part of a guide to London from FT Globetrotter

It is a clear autumn evening in Oddington. The narrow road running through the Cotswolds village is flanked by honeyed stone cottages, with immaculate front gardens and regulation grey-green windows and doors. It is a biscuit-tin perfect scene — that is, apart from the snake of 4x4s parked up on the curb. This is Daylesford country, and word has got out about the group’s newest hostelry, The Fox at Oddington — a chichi country pub with rooms that opened in July and has been full ever since. We stroll past the Chelsea tractors towards the pub entrance, tucked back from the road down a pristine gravel drive, its newly scrubbed exterior glowing in the light of a full harvest moon.

Daylesford, for the uninitiated, is a 2,500-acre organic farm, lifestyle emporium and temple to wellness in the Cotswolds, owned by Carole Bamford, who is to Anthony Bamford, chair of JCB. Her empire expands beyond this sizeable area of countryside to four London outlets all selling Bamford’s world of organic produce, natural fibres and fabrics, and things you didn’t realise you couldn’t live without, such as a special knife for picking mushrooms with a brush at the other end.

The Daylesford brand has become a beacon of sustainability, and so it felt wrong to drive from London with my family for a night at The Fox (and, let’s face it, we were also keen to avoid Saturday traffic on the A40). Instead, we took the 1.5-hour train from Paddington station to Kingham, a Cotswolds honeypot where Bamford’s other pub, The Wild Rabbit, has been a culinary destination since it opened nearly a decade ago. After a short taxi to Oddington, we settled inside The Fox for dinner, where the atmosphere in the bar and restaurant area was familial and relaxed. I was relieved to see several families with young children, and ours were handed a kids’ menu immediately.

The Wild Rabbit, which I had been to a few years ago, is a more upscale offering; its excellent fine-dining restaurant may not have starched tablecloths, but it is certainly a special-occasion place which you need to book far in advance. While far from your average village boozer, The Fox caters to more of a pubby crowd who might pop in for a pint of Hop Drop Organic Pale Ale, and some of head chef Alan Gleeson’s homemade pork scratching sticks or an ’nduja Scotch egg. From our central table in the dining room, we had an excellent view of the clientele streaming through the front door — an intriguing and well-heeled mix of locals in long boots with dogs at their heels, Daylesford groupies in felt fedoras and gilets, and the odd man-bun.

As is to be expected these days, The Fox’s menu is constantly evolving according to what’s in season, and the team were proud to tell me that half of the ingredients come from within 15 miles of the pub. Most of the meat hails from Daylesford farm, but Gleeson sources any extras from other local suppliers. Fish is line-caught from Brixham, a coastal town in Devon, and the menu is updated according to whatever is fished that week.

As we tucked into some smoked lardo flatbread with salsa verde, I asked Gleeson if there are certain dishes or ingredients that diners expect, which may not necessarily be local or seasonal. “Sometimes, yes,” he said. “Our hyper-seasonal blackberry crop was over early, but diners expect blackberries in August and September, so we had to source some from other UK producers.” 

The taps behind the bar showcase mainly local brews, with some exceptions. “It’s Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham, Bristol, Stroud . . . As well as Dublin and Barcelona.” A fulsome by-the-glass wine list ranges from a white, red and rosé from Bamford’s organic Provençal wine estate, Château Léoube, to Nyetimber English sparkling wine, now de rigueur on any posh pub menu.

The Fox has not always been posh. A Grade II-listed property with parts dating back to the 1600s, it was an inn since the 19th century and latterly a straight-up country pub needing a bit of love and attention. During the extensive, yet sensitive, restoration project, the Daylesford team used original, sustainable and local materials where possible. Walls are insulated using sheep wool from the farm’s flock, flooring is from reclaimed timber, and metalwork is all done by local craftsmen. The leather seats are from the farm’s hides, treated by a local tannery with vegetable tans. A living roof on the dining-room extension has been planted with perennial herbs, wild flowers and succulents, all designed to attract pollinators. The whole building is powered by 100 per cent renewable energy thanks to a mix of solar, wind, hydro and biomass.

There are playful touches and witticisms — “For Fox Sake” written below the bar, to “Foxy Lady” or “Fantastic Mr Fox” on staff T-shirts — and lashings of equestrian charm: one end of the dining room appears to be constructed from a stables, while another, the Tack Room, is bedecked with brightly coloured rosettes, fronds tickling diners’ heads as they duck the low beam. On our visit, all three wood fires were lit. Sustainability manager Will Dennis said the majority of wood burned is from felled trees in the Daylesford estate. “It’s better than oil heating, which is what we have in these parts,” he added.

The pub has only six rooms (although expansion plans are afoot across the road), all decked out in Daylesford’s signature palette of muted creams, beiges and natural materials with splashes of textile colour. The downstairs “Den” room, which I peeked into, has a terrace and a gorgeous trompe-l’oeil autumn-leaf design on the floor that made me briefly wonder if housekeeping had slacked off that day. Our two-bedroom suite, the Hunting Lodge, is the only one set up for families, and has a freestanding bath in the master bedroom. Toiletries are, naturally, all from Carole Bamford’s eponymous range — which is not certified organic, but is 95 cent natural, and packaged in recycled plastic.

The next day we manage to sandwich in a short stroll between a leisurely breakfast and lunch, along a bridle path towards the Daylesford farm shop, which bears more resemblance to Selfridges’ food hall than a purveyor of muddy vegetables (although it sells those too). It draws visitors from far and wide and is, in essence, a sort of Disneyland for grown-ups — the kind of place that makes you want to throw out all your old tea towels and start again. The car park is already full, and queues are forming at the till.

Seeing the consumerist glint in our children’s eyes, we turn back towards The Fox, where despite the mild weather, the fire is lit for the Sunday-lunch crew. “We are busy all the time,” says manager Nathan Walker-Unwin. “The demand for this kind of place is amazing.”

Rebecca Rose was a guest of The Fox at Oddington, High Street, Lower Oddington, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 0UR. Double, from £225, including breakfast

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