The Fox

The story

The Fox in Donnington: Michelin-Recommended Modern British Pub Dining

The Fox

In the quiet Cotswold village of Lower Oddington, The Fox is a pub that does things its own way. It brings people together over great drinks and vibrant cooking, with a menu that champions reimagined pub classics and the best of the season’s produce. The kitchen, led by Head Chef Alan Gleeson, focuses on Modern British food that is rooted in the land around it.

Ingredients come first. The team sources from Daylesford Organic farm, just a mile down the road, and from Wootton estate in Staffordshire. Many other suppliers are within fifteen miles. Seafood arrives from Kingfisher at Brixham Fish Market, a partnership built on shared values around sustainability and seasonality. The kitchen works with underused fish like whiting and grey mullet, guided by what is abundant and responsibly caught.

The menu is a mix of pub classics and wood-fired pizzas, all made with care. Gleeson’s own favourite is a flatbread with whipped smoked lardo, cured pork belly and anchovies. A three-course meal he would recommend starts with heritage beetroots, goat’s curd and hazelnut salad, followed by whole roasted Yorkshire grouse or Wootton estate venison Barnsley chop, and finishes with a warm plum frangipane tart made with damsons from the Daylesford orchard. Sunday roasts are a proper feast: slow-cooked pork belly, organic Aberdeen Angus sirloin, Yorkshire puddings, and seasonal vegetables from the market garden.

The bar serves craft beers, a carefully curated wine list, and cocktails inspired by the local produce. Upstairs, the pub rooms combine the building’s original character with contemporary design – saddle-toned leathers and subtle equestrian references nod to the region’s riding heritage. Coachman’s House, a four-bedroom self-catering farmhouse opposite, offers space for larger groups.

The Fox has earned a Michelin recommendation, recognition that reflects the quality of its cooking and the integrity of its sourcing. It is a place where you can pull up a stool for a cocktail, settle into the dining room for a seasonal dinner, or stay overnight after an evening downstairs.