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Sunday roasts are non-negotiable. That’s our view and we’re not going to pretend otherwise. A proper Sunday lunch — the kind built around open-fire cooking, good beef and a pudding you don’t technically need but order anyway — is one of the better ways to spend a few hours in the Cotswolds, and we think ours is worth the drive from wherever you’re coming from.
The Double Red Duke is in Clanfield, Oxfordshire, just under half an hour from Oxford. The Sunday Times called us one of the best pubs in the golden era of pub-restaurants. Harper’s Bazaar described the kitchen as a serious culinary destination. We’re not going to argue with either of them.
The kitchen works over an open flame, which is not a detail that stays in the background. It gives the beef a depth that roasting in a conventional oven simply doesn’t produce — a proper char on the outside, the right give when you cut into it. We work with suppliers we know by name, and the Sunday menu follows what’s good rather than what’s convenient.
The Sunday lunch menu runs to roasted meats, carefully chosen accompaniments and the kind of sides that earn their place on the plate. Expect the cooking to feel considered without feeling fussy. This is Cotswolds pub food at its best, not a restaurant trying to be something it isn’t.
The kitchen takes puddings as seriously as the main course, which is the right approach.
The Double Red Duke is a 17th-century coaching inn, reworked without losing what makes it worth visiting. Honeyed Cotswold stone, timeworn details, a bar that has clearly been used for a long time. On a Sunday, the restaurant and garden rooms fills steadily from midday. It gets a lively atmosphere, warm rather than noisy, the kind that makes it easy to lose track of the afternoon.
In summer, the terrace under the red and white striped parasols is the better option when the weather behaves. It faces the front of the building and fills up early on a good Sunday, which is worth noting when you’re deciding between a table inside or out. We don’t take bookings for the outside tables but can always move you outside if that is where you prefer.
Whilst we’re talking about the open-fire kitchen: the same cooking that makes Sunday lunch worth the drive also runs on Tuesday evenings. Steak, chips and a glass of wine on a weekly changing menu. If Sunday’s don’t work, there’s always Tuesdays.
The Double Red Duke has 19 bedrooms. Picture roll-top baths and 100 Acres toiletries. If Sunday lunch at the pub is going to be the centrepiece of a weekend away, the obvious arrangement is to arrive on Saturday, eat dinner that evening, sleep in a good room, and come back down for Sunday lunch without having to think about a drive home afterwards. The shepherd’s hut treatment room is available for the Saturday afternoon if the weekend needs further justification.Dog-friendly rooms are available, just be sure to mention it when you book.
From 22nd July to 2nd August, Fool’s Delight returns to Bampton with it’s new show, Tyger.. Founded and run by The Mason’s Arms Lil Rice s with a new show, Tyger. One of the UK’s most intimate circus experiences. It’s worth combining with a Sunday lunch if you’re planning a July or August visit.
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