For Christmas I bought my husband a weekend away at The Wild Rabbit in the Costwolds. We were meant to go in March but lockdown put stop to that so we finally got to go in June, which happened to coincide with our wedding anniversary.
Set in the small but picturesque village of Kingham, The Wild Rabbit describes itself as a modern British Inn. The Wild Rabbit is owned by the Bamford family and is part of the Daylesford Estate, which is one of the most sustainable farms in the UK – and just a short drive or a 30 minute walk from the hotel.
Most people who visit the Cotswolds have a car so they can explore but we arrived by train. They happily collected us from the train station and took us back when we left as well as giving us lifts to Daylesford Farm and also the nearby market town, Stow-on-the-Wold. It was a really lovely touch and we hugely appreciated all the lifts!
So what was our weekend away at The Wild Rabbit like?
The room
Each room is named after local wildlife and I booked The Fox, which overlooks the terrace and is above the bar. The room was a bit on the small side for what we’re used to but was perfectly adequate.

The bed was large and their mattresses are handcrafted, using time-honoured natural materials and traditional methods – and I can confirm the bed was very comfy!

The room is very light and airy with gorgeous exposed wooden beams. There is a small mini bar with complimentary still and sparkling water and also tea and coffee facilities. There were some delicious homemade flapjack bites too.

The bathroom was really nicely designed with a bath that was bigger than it looked (once you got in). I loved the stone feature too – reminded me of a countryside wall. The bathroom smelled like lavender, from the reed diffuser, which was lovely.

The toiletries are Bamford Bath & Body collection products, which use naturally sourced ingredients, and can be purchased from their nearby shop.

The room was lovely, however it was fairly noisy. It sits above the bar and you can hear music through the floorboards. It was noisier in the bathroom than the bedroom though. Also, we could hear the people in the room above us walking around. All in all though, the noise wasn’t that bad and we were told to let reception know if it got too loud. There was also no noise when we went to sleep, which is the main thing!
They also have nine cottages in the village that sleep between 2 and 6 people. I think we might book a cottage next time!
Room booking tip
If you’re looking for a bigger and quieter room, book either The Rabbit or The Boar. They are larger and also on the top floor so have no-one above them and are further away from the bar.
The restaurant
If you’re staying at The Wild Rabbit you absolutely have to have dinner at the restaurant! Headed up by Nathan Eades, the restaurant serves seasonal dishes using locally sourced ingredients, including ingredients from their own farm. I love how the kitchen is open so that you can watch the chefs at work.

The tables all have beautiful fresh flowers in gorgeous vases, adding to the country feel. There is also a fireplace which was actually lit as it was quite chilly the weekend we visited.
The bread with a little fresh salad from their farm garden was absolutely yummy. It was accompanied by a very delicious crunchy chickpea stick – at least I think they said it was chickpea flour!

We had a really wonderful meal. I had the scallop starter and my husband had the terrine. Both dishes were really good and beautifully presented. I then had the lamb and my husband had the steak, both cooked to perfection. We ended on a dessert of strawberry soufflé for my husband and I had the Valrhona chocolate délice. Both were fabulous!

If you don’t want to eat in the Dining Room, they also serve food at the bar and terrace. They also have some really cute food vans outside which make pizza and other delicious dishes that you can eat at the bar. Note that they won’t serve anything from the bar menu in the Dining Room.

Breakfast is served until 10am and there is a good selection of hot dishes. I chose the Eggs Benedict Florentine on the first morning and mushrooms on toast with poached eggs on the second morning. You also get some pastries, toast, yoghurt, tea, coffee and a fresh juice of your choice.


If you’re staying a few nights, I’d highly recommend The Kingham Plough for dinner too. Just a five minute walk up the road. The restaurant is really cute and the food was great! Little tip though, if you leave when it’s dark there are barely any street lights so you’ll need to use your phone’s torch light.


The area
Kingham is around 4 miles (less than 9km) from Chipping Norton and less than 6 miles ( around 12km) from the historic market town of Stow-on-the-wold. We took a taxi to Stow-on-the-wold as the jeep from The Wild Rabbit was busy, however they kindly collected us.
Stow-on-the-wold is small but very pretty with lots of places to eat, have a coffee and shops to peruse.

We had a coffee and then a wander around the town, stopping for lunch at a family-run Greek restaurant. Afterwards we called the hotel and they kindly picked us up and dropped us off at Daylesford Organic Farm so we could have a look around.

I wasn’t expecting it to be so big! There’s lots of space outside to eat and drink, with little food stalls and also a deli inside the store. Plus they have a restaurant too. The shop is huge inside, selling everything from fresh food to wine, homeware, children’s toys to beauty products.

There is also a spa and wellness centre onsite as well as cottages that you can rent. They really seem to have thought of everything! Personally I wouldn’t rent these cottages though as they are right by the store, which is really busy over the weekends.
Instead of calling the hotel to collect us, we decided to walk back. It only took about half an hour and we even got caught in a cow jam, which was quite fun!
Overall thoughts
All in all we had a great weekend. The staff at The Wild Rabbit were so friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. Although our room was noisier than we were expecting, it didn’t disturb our sleep or anything. The food was fabulous and it’s worth a trip just to eat at the restaurant! From London to Kingham, it takes around an hour and 40 mins on the train so perfect for a weekend away from the city.
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