Ox Barn

If you are looking for countryside dining at its chicest, your answer is Thyme. In the heart of the Cotswold village of Southrop, this quintessentially English country destination is an enclosed collection of restored 17th-century farm buildings, houses and cottages. Collectively, they form a peaceful hamlet environment and evoke a 'village within a village' spirit that epitomises the natural beauty of the surrounding area. It has a 31 bedroom Georgian rectory hotel, The BAA (bar), Ox Barn (a 56 seater destination restaurant), Cookery School, Meadow Spa with pure water swimming pool and hot spring tub, yoga and pilates, tennis, working farm, a range of country pursuits and local walk and cycle routes. The Ox Barn has been meticulously yet sympathetically restored - a state-of-the-art piece of agricultural architecture at its conception, now a modern dining destination with soaring archways and original Cotswold stone rubble walls. In summary, dining at the Ox Barn at Thyme is a glamorous affair in a fully 21st-century context. Expect homegrown produce and British cuisine.