A slightly random question...

[stevewestern]

My wife will be 60 in a few weeks and I'd like to have a bit of a surprise lunch party for her.
The question is where?
We are in Cornwall, friends are in Yorkshire, London, Midlands etc so I'm thinking maybe the Oxford area as it's fairly easy to get to from most directions.
It'll be for 15, maybe 20 people and food needs to be good, not wildly expensive. We all eat pretty much anything.
Nearby accommodation will be needed too.
Has anyone got any recommendations based on experience ?
Doesn't need to be Oxford area as long as it is fairly central and not too far north!
Many thanks.

 

[ancient_mariner]

How exclusive a place do you want to eat and how much money would you like to spend? Would you be staying overnight or travelling home afterwards?

Woodstock is a nice little olde worlde town with some decent-ish restos:

Brothertons https://www.brothertonsbrasserie.co.uk/

Chef Imperial (no website) https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...f_Imperial-Woodstock_Oxfordshire_England.html

There's the orangery at Blenheim palace, though you might need to buy tickets for palace entry too https://www.blenheimpalace.com/visitus/cafes-restaurants/orangery/


Bicester is at a major junction of various A roads and motorways and might be a good meeting place.

There's a Turkish resto on the outskirts that has decent food, although the atmosphere isn't 'intimate': https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta..._Restaurant-Bicester_Oxfordshire_England.html

I'm not sure what's open these days in the way of country pubs doing decent food, but The Falkland Arms seems to still be going: https://www.falklandarms.co.uk/food

That's probably enough for a start

 

[stevewestern]

How exclusive a place do you want to eat and how much money would you like to spend? Would you be staying overnight or travelling home afterwards?

Woodstock is a nice little olde worlde town with some decent-ish restos:

Brothertons https://www.brothertonsbrasserie.co.uk/

Chef Imperial (no website) https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...f_Imperial-Woodstock_Oxfordshire_England.html

There's the orangery at Blenheim palace, though you might need to buy tickets for palace entry too https://www.blenheimpalace.com/visitus/cafes-restaurants/orangery/


Bicester is at a major junction of various A roads and motorways and might be a good meeting place.

There's a Turkish resto on the outskirts that has decent food, although the atmosphere isn't 'intimate': https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta..._Restaurant-Bicester_Oxfordshire_England.html

I'm not sure what's open these days in the way of country pubs doing decent food, but The Falkland Arms seems to still be going: https://www.falklandarms.co.uk/food

That's probably enough for a start

A very helpful reply, thank you!
I'll pass this all on to my daughter who seems to want to take over the planning (maybe she knows me too well..)
Some will want to stay the night, so a pub with rooms and nice food seems logical.
As for price, I guess cheaper rather than expensive, exclusivity isn't a thing, a relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff is much more important.
I'd actually forgotten about Woodstock - I grew up in Ducklington, went to school in Witney and worked for an antique shop in Woodstock for a while, and a furniture removals company in Bicester about. 45 years ago..!

 

[ancient_mariner]

If you haven't been back for a while I hope it's not a big shock when you see how much it's changed. We've only been here since 1990 and it feels really busy now.

There's a place called Le manoir quat' saisons near Wendlebury run by Raymond Blanc, and that's nice but not 'free'.

 

[Pound Coin]

If you haven't been back for a while I hope it's not a big shock when you see how much it's changed. We've only been here since 1990 and it feels really busy now.

There's a place called Le manoir quat' saisons near Wendlebury run by Raymond Blanc, and that's nice but not 'free'.

It is closed for refurbishment until next year, I believe.

 

[ancient_mariner]

It is closed for refurbishment until next year, I believe.

You can tell how frequently I visit .

I've actually been twice (it was fantastic) but I now realise, not for about 20 years.

 

[stevewestern]

If you haven't been back for a while I hope it's not a big shock when you see how much it's changed. We've only been here since 1990 and it feels really busy now.

There's a place called Le manoir quat' saisons near Wendlebury run by Raymond Blanc, and that's nice but not 'free'.

A friend of mine was a chef there, but I'm taking about before you moved to the area.
I did go back a couple of years ago to see the house I grew up in.
I knocked on the door to ask if I could wander around the garden (we had an old farmhouse, so it was actually a field) and an elderly lady answered the door. I introduced myself and she said 'you had awful taste in wallpaper'
Turns out she had bought it from my parents, remembered so much about my family and invited me in for some soup!
I declined as I felt it might be a bit of an imposition so she told me to come back with my family next time and gave me her number.
While there I also visited Witney and go so lost although my old school was easy to find even after half a century..

 

[Pound Coin]

You can tell how frequently I visit .

I've actually been twice (it was fantastic) but I now realise, not for about 20 years.

We have been a few times too, in the early days there were good offers on!