The first thing to know about the Harcourt Arms is that rooms start from about £100 a night. Remarkably cheap for the Home Counties, not least considering this is for a large double, comfortably done up and with breakfast included.
The pub is a big old place in the village of Stanton Harcourt, sandwiched between Oxford and the Cotswolds. There are roaring fires and board games, good local ales and well-made cocktails. The food is good, too: snacks include a Scotch egg with curry sauce at £9 and cheese and pickle croquettes for £6.
The set weekday lunch menu, at £23 for two courses, shows a care for locals as well as London visitors. This is a warm country pub: somewhere to bed in, play a game of chess and get quietly drunk after a ramble among the hedgerows.
Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, theharcourtarms.com
