The King's Head Inn Cotswolds

Back in this 16th century, this was a local cider house – now it does duty as a prestigious & pretty inn overlooking Bledington’s idyllic village green, complete with a brook and ducks. Popular with ramblers and cyclists, the place has ample room whether you want to warm up by the fire or stretch your legs on the patio out back. You can eat at antique pine tables in the bar or the main dining room from a menu that depends on intelligent sourcing – be it fish from Cornwall, locally shot game, supplies from the Upton Smokery or Aberdeen Angus beef from the owner’s family farm in Fifield. Typical offerings might include fillet of line-caught mackerel with fennel and orange salad, roast haunch of venison with red cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli or sirloin steak with fries, rocket and peppercorn sauce. The 50-bin wine list has some decent drinking at fair prices.

Whether you're a passionate local or an out-of-towner looking for a taste of the countryside, The King's Head Inn is an authentic Cotswolds restaurant and rooms with a menu that celebrates its surroundings. Nestled in an idyllic spot opposite Bledington's green, this gastro-pub sits in the heart of the village and is much loved by those who live there. 

Take John and Anthony, for example, a pair of farmers championed on the website as lifetime regulars, born and bred in Bledington. They also happen to supply the kitchen with everything from pork and game to poultry and eggs from the farm down the road, which gives the term 'local produce' a whole new meaning. But this is very much the beauty of The King's Head Inn and no doubt one of the reasons it was awarded Inn of the Year 2021 by The Good Pub Guide. 

The menu is where the fruits of these sentiments are really enjoyed, focusing on dishes crafted from organic, free-range and seasonal ingredients. This doesn't, however, interfere with the amount of choice - there's lots to get stuck into. To start, devilled lambs kidneys on toast or twice baked double Gloucester souffle are bound to catch your eye. Highlights from the mains section include Hook Norton beer battered haddock fillet and chips; confit belly pork with Jerusalem artichoke and new potatoes; and roasted hispi cabbage, smoky bean cassoulet and purple sprouting broccoli. 

We'd advise leaving room for dessert, too, seeing as there's raspberry bread and butter pudding; sherry panna cotta with macerated strawberries; and apple with mixed berries crumble on offer. The wine menu is longer still with a brilliant selection of ports, sweet wines and sherries, alongside some delicious bottles of English sparkling. When it comes to spirits, locality still rings true and there's a whole section dedicated to gins from the area, as well as some speciality cocktails. We like the sound of the Cherry Bakewell martini which mixes Illmington cherry and almond liqueur, sloe gin, lemon juice and cranberry with, of course, a cherry on top!