The story
The Greyhound Inn anchors a reputation for Modern British cooking inside an 18th-century free house at the centre of Letcombe Regis, a downland village near Wantage. The kitchen team draws on classical techniques and local suppliers to maintain standards reflected in two AA Rosettes and a Good Food Guide Top 100 ranking. Recent reviews note the dining room combines light wood decor and primary-coloured walls with white-clothed tables, creating a space that feels both relaxed and refined. Parties may request a garden table, taking advantage of the outdoor seating available during warmer months.
This dedication to Modern British cuisine drives the daily prep, with the kitchen preparing every dish on site using ingredients like Wookie Hole cheddar and Barkham Blue cheese. Menus shift with the seasons, showcasing precise work in mackerel rillettes served with cucumber, dill and melba toast, or a composition of soused and scorched mackerel partnered with beef-fat crumpets and grated horseradish. Hearty plates include a harissa-fired pork tomahawk steak with Guinness-infused onion purée and pearl barley, while plant-based options feature Crown Prince squash dressed with hazelnut dukkah, pistou and pickled walnut. The meal often ends with a curated selection of British and Irish cheeses served with spiced pear purée.
A lunch-for-less menu brings the same standard of Modern British fare to midday, featuring items such as roast guinea fowl and Camembert with black garlic aïoli for under £35. Sweet endings include banana pain perdu with torched banana and peanut-butter ice cream, or chocolate nemesis accompanied by vanilla mascarpone and cocoa nib tuille. The beverage program offers a wine list with tasting notes to guide pairings. As a free house, the inn serves as a community hub where visitors can enjoy a quick drink or linger over a multi-course dinner, supported by warm service throughout the day.
Recognition
Details
History
2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Set in the picturesquely named Vale of White Horse, in a village not far from Wantage, this Greyhound is a thoroughbred if ever there was one. Its interior spaces have been fashioned in accord with best modern style, with plenty of light wood, walls in primary colour schemes and a dining room that boasts white-clothed tables. A couple who found the place bathed in unseasonal February sun after a fogbound 50-mile car journey had their spirits lifted – especially when presented with the ‘lunch for less’ menu, enjoying Camembert with black garlic aïoli, and then sensational roast guinea fowl from a three-course deal that comes in at under £35. The principal menu deals in ambitious modern British food full of enticement from the get-go, with preliminary nibbles such as venison croquette with gribiche dressing and watercress to consider. For an opening salvo, mackerel might be soused and scorched, partnered with rillettes of its smoked version, and energised with a beef-fat crumpet and grated horseradish – a spectacular composition of flavours. The vegan main course is hardly lacking in imagination, either – think Crown Prince squash accompanied by dressings of hazelnut dukkah and pistou, along with Swiss chard, apple and pickled walnut. Otherwise, look to Cornish skate wing with smoked leeks, cockles and capers in beurre noisette, or harissa-fired pork tomahawk steak with Guinness-infused onion purée and pearl barley. There are the almost-obligatory pub classics too (when only a plate of fish and chips will suffice), and proceedings conclude with, say, banana pain perdu, torched banana, peanut-butter ice cream and butterscotch. British and Irish cheeses are top-drawer selections served with spiced pear purée and boozy chutney. A wine list with helpful tasting notes adds to the cheer.
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