The Fox Inn — Restaurant in Vale of White Horse

I was staying in the area, and when I saw “Gastro pub” on the board of the Fox Inn, I thought I would treat myself.

The dining room is nice and bright, and pleasant.

I ordered a medium-rare Rib-eye steak, with triple cooked chips and roast vegies, priced at £24.95. I noticed that a lot of the menu came with mushrooms attached to it, which is a bummer since I do not like them. The accompanying stilton sauce I chose sadly also had mushroom in it. To be fair, it was probably said to me, however, the combination of tinnitus and a French heritage might have impeded my understanding on that one. Nevertheless, stilton overrides anything, so that was fine.

Now that I admitted my French disability, I do not claim to know about food any better than anyone else, so the following will remain my opinion (and not an expert one either). I like food, and good food, full stop.

So for me, the medium-rare ended up being mostly a medium, but I felt that the meat was not as premium as it could have been. It was not especially tender or tasty, and I thought it was a let-down, as I was expecting the “gastro-pub experience”. Agreed, this remains pub food, but trust me, I have had amazing gastro pub food in the past, in the same price range.

The service / staff was very friendly, and showed concern when I voiced my disappointment about the medium-rare thing.

Finally, the nail in the coffin was the gut wrenching 90s dance / questionable music which spoilt the experience for me. When I think “gastro”, I do not think “Eiffel-65”, “ace of Base” or “Lou Bega”. Despite being a metal-head / rock-nut alleged “music-snob” (according to my girlfriend), I do not want to hear that stuff while I am trying to enjoy my food. Luckily, it was not too loud.

side note – I remain guilty of having owned (I might even still) the Ace of Base CD.-

But please, not in a gastro environment! I do not expect Chopin, but certainly not 90s worst offering (I might upset a few people but so be it).

The whole thing put me off getting desert, I decided to make my exit.

So overall, not a bad experience, but not a great one either, which leads me to question the “gastro” label. Ok, all of this is based on 1 night, 1 dish etc.

Remember, this remains my opinion. I do not claim to...

Really disappointing experience today at The Fox Inn. My mum has coeliac disease (a gluten intolerance) and upon arrival we made it known to the bar staff that she has this autoimmune disease before taking a seat. They reassured her and said they cater to coeliac disease and provide gluten free food but the caveat was that as all food is made in the same area they can’t be absolutely sure. This is a standard trade line to use and something we are used to hearing so it’s a problem as staff are just super careful. The worries began when my mum asked for fish & chips (advertised as GF on the menu) and asked if the waitress could speak to the chef as to whether they use a separate fryer for GF meals. The waitress came back and confirmed they did not, but they clean utensils between food prep. Anyone with qualifications in food preparation should know the basics of food intolerances and know that any cross contamination can cause adverse reactions. You can not advertise your food as gluten free, but then when probed, admit to using the same fryer for non gluten free meals too. Mum decided to play it safe and went for a burger and bun (as advertised as GF). The bun did not arrive with the meal, but then later did and twice the waitress confirmed it was gluten free (after much confusion asking the chef). We highly doubt it was as 1 hour later mum had a huge adverse reaction and was severely ill. The only positive thing about this pub was that the young waitress was so polite and caring and wanted to do her job well. In this instance she was let down by her catering colleagues. It’s shocking that in 2024 there are still places that have zero knowledge of catering to allergies. If you can’t provide a safe environment to cook food then do not advertise your meals as being gluten free. Massively...

Table booked for six adults and one child for 18:00, arrived in plenty of time and were seated by the agreed time. High chair for the child had to be found despite being advised at booking that one was required. Meals were eventually ordered after await of approximatly 30 minutes whilst the waiting staff stood around in the bar area. When the food eventaually arrived the childs meal was to hot to eat and the six other orders were all supplied incorrectly, when pointed out to the waiting staff they seemed disinterested in rectifying the matter. In view of the delay in getting the meals, a further 45 minutes had elapsed every one took the veiw it was better to eat what was available rather than have to wait even longer. At the time of leaving the whole process had taken nearly THREE HOURS during which time we had only managed one course. A request to speak with the management was greeted with they are not available but will contact you, to date despite frequent calls to speak with the restaurant manager and promises to return the calls no response has been forth coming and we are begining to feel that no one in the establishment cares enough to deal with this matter and to put things right to make what could be an enjoyable venue a plesant place for a family meal. Happy to take money for poor service and provision of meals. Not some where that could...