The White Horse Inn
More details
2
Quarto casal standard, suíte
Max. 2 adults and 1 child
2
Quarto casal clássico, suíte
Max. 2 adults and 1 child
1
Quarto casal superior, banheiro privativo
Max. 2 adults and 1 child
1
Quarto casal premier, banheiro privativo
Max. 2 adults and 1 child
Property Info
Check-out ends at: 10:30
Daisy Hill - Bicester, England - UK - OX25 6JS
Property Amenities
Check-out ends at: 10:30
Guest rating
TripAdvisor
Travelers rating
Excellent
126
Very Good
46
Good
17
Reasonable
12
Bad
4
Travelers profile
Business
20
Couples
92
Solo travel
10
Family
31
Friends getaway
24
Scores Summary
Cleanliness
Location
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Value
Very mediocre Sunday lunch
Reviewed 26 february, 2023
We are local to Duns Tew, and have been going to the White horse for years, and it is reliably good and deserves its premium reputation in the area. That being said, we had a very bad experience this Sunday at lunchtime. Summary points to the owner / manager and advice to rectify in future as follows : 1. When a party of 4 that has made a reservation walk in, don't leave them hanging at the bar like lemons for 5 minutes before a member of staff bothers to ask them if they have a table. 2. £28 for a Sunday Roast is expensive. I can feed the whole family at home with a quality topside fo beef or organic chicken for that, and I don't have to hang around until someone shows me to my dining room. If you are charging £28 for a Sunday Roast, you are sending a signal to the diner. That signal is: 'this is a premium price for Sunday Lunch. We get that. But you will be swayed by the quality'. The bar is set high, so be prepared that diners might be more prone to finding fault. 3. To point 2 above. In my humble opinion, Lamb Shoulder is not generally regarded as a premium cut. Fine. I love it. Slow cooked, in a pitta with tzatziki. Delicious. But if you are serving it as a roast option, at the same price as Sirloin Steak, provide a decent sized portion. And make sure your roast potatoes are crunchy not chewy, mange touts are not overcooked, and that gravy appears before the meal is served or at least simultaneously as opposed to as an afterthought. 4. To point 3. If your patron complains about the afore referenced meagre portion size and value for money, there are two options. Option (a) you could say is the commercial option : listen politely, acknowledge the complaint, apologise, and ask how you as an establishment might rectify the situation? Suggestions might be a free pudding, some drinks, or the simplest of all - take the dish back to the kitchen and top up. Problem solved, patrons feel they have been listened to, life goes on. Cost to the bottom ranging from £2-15. Option (b) - which is what your manager went with, is the 'alienate your customer' option. First he stared at us blankly. Very awkward. No 'so sorry to hear this', 'let me speak to the chef'. He went with, and I am paraphrasing, 'This lamb shoulder is the Louis Vuitton of lamb shoulders, locally sourced, from Deddington farm ...etc etc etc.' Basically making us feel small and not listening to our complaint. No apology, no offer to provide anything to resolve the issue. To save face we asked for some more vegetables, which duly came. But we really didn't want any more vegetables. My overall point is this. I get that it must be hard to run a restaurant. It's a tough business. But this is a service industry. And your pub was packed and we have always had a great experience. The rest of your menu is reasonably priced. I had the fish at £18 - delicious. And at that price point, no one is complaining. But if you are going to charge close to £30 for lamb shoulder, it better be amazing. And if a customer complains, you have a choice as a business. You can choose to listen, swallow your pride, make a concession that is of minimal cost to you, and your long time repeat customer goes away feeling happy. The bump in the road is just that. A small gesture goes such a long way, you have no idea. But if you decide to be rude, the commercial impact is immediate : wy wife has already decided to cancel her forthcoming booking for her book club dinner at the restaurant, maybe we thing twicxe about recommending your pub to friends, and suddenly you find your good customers are taking to TripAdvisor to share their bad experience with strangers. The bump in the road becomes a major faultline.
rk2289
New Year Celebrations
Reviewed 3 january, 2023
We live near the White Horse. Over the New Year some of our guest relations (from Australia) frequented the White Horse. They have asked us to pass on their complements and thanks to Michael and his team for making their stay so enjoyable.
Tbone2h
I have a new favourite place…
Reviewed 29 september, 2022
First visit to this pub/restaurant and I was absolutely delighted with everything about the place. The staff, the beer, the food were all excellent. Thanks to Michael, James and the rest of the team for making it such an enjoyable evening.
andrewmK2864RC
Excellent lunch
Reviewed 27 september, 2022
First-time visit and very impressed. Excellent ale, super tempura fish and chips, lamb open sandwich was terrific. A great spot, looks like a good evening place with the dark bar, wonderful timbers, playful wine list and good to see so many malts.
gordonw1296
Found by accident but what a find!
Reviewed 7 november, 2021
Just needed a pub lunch so took the 'brown sign' off the main road. Warmly welcomed on arrival and pointed to the open hearth fire for a table nearby. I can't improve on the pub's features description - all accurate - and we didn't stay there but what magnificent food at decent prices. Decent beer too. The White Horse doesn't need my review but I just wanted to give credit where it's due.
Richard E