Bell Inn, Ducklingtonback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Worth the swerve off the A40 which separates this village from the market town of Witney. The Greene King livery unsettled, but a superbly well-kept pint of Ossett's Silver King and amiable service took the edge off, and the location to the left of a duck pond adds to the tweeness.
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Well, what can I say!?
A raving review from Smiler below and the experience must have affected them so much that they have not been able to bring themselves to review any other establishment since their only review.
Somehow I would be inclined to find Stanleys contribution more believable as he obviously visits several pubs locally.
As it was we visited before reading any reviews when diverting from the nearby A40 to find somewhere for lunch and a beer.
What I can say is that the good bergers of Ducklington are very fortunate to have two such good pubs in their village
We visited The Bell Inn first and no problem with the welcome for us and a very good exposed Cotswold stone wall interior.
The only thing that let it down for me was the beer choice as its a GK house and only the bland Bury St Edmunds brews were available with no guests.
In this respect the Strickland Arms was the preferred pub for us, especially as we caught them when they had a mini beer festival on.
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Well, what can I say!?
Myself and my girlfriend visited the pub over the weekend, we had heard great local reviews about the pub, since it has apparently undertaken new management earlier this year. I can only say that it's growing reputation did not fail to disappoint! First we were greeted by the barman, who as the previous reviewer said is the best barman around. A kind, friendly and talkative gentleman who greeted us with a handshake upon arrival, as well a smile and smart attire. The beer was well priced and cool; my girlfriend had a glass of wine which was equally as refreshing after a long journey and as equal in price. We only intended to stay for a while, to wet our whistles before heading back to my friend's house, but instead ended up staying for dinner, at which point we met the Landlady who introduced herself to us. She was only too happy to engage in conversation and talk to us about our journey down to Ducklington.
The food we ordered was delicious; I think it would be fair to say the best food I have tasted in a long time. My girlfriend had a homemade beef Lasagne and homemade chips; I had the Cajun Chicken which was cooked to my preference on spice. The food was delicious and fresh, the chef insisted on coming out of the kitchen to ask me how I found the food, what improvements could he make, showing fantastic personal skills and contributing to the warm atmosphere of the pub. Later after the kitchen had closed and many beers later! The barman was only too happy to recommend taxi services, had we not already had accommodation sorted, I would have only been too happy to stay in the pub for the remainder of the week. During my time of staying in Witney for my friend�s wedding, I returned to the pub over the week and was greeted with the same kindness and courtesy.
Thank you to the staff of the Bell for making my visits so warm and welcome, I wish you the best of luck and I promise I will be back!
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Lovely pub, new management is efficient, entertaining and creates a lovely atmosphere. The barman is the best barman out there, makes you feel welcome and is very professional. The food is excellent and great price in a nice eating environment. The guest rooms are also lovely and well priced. Would recommend it for a very idyllic pub in west Oxfordshire
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Having heard that the Bell had recently changed hands I went in at lunchtime to investigate. The interior is an idyllic rural pub, with exposed Cotswold stone walls, wooden lintels and a wealth of old photos and other ephemera. Real ale, well-kept and reasonably-priced was available - Abbot, for example, at �2.90 per pint - but the welcoming atmosphere that should have been present was sadly lacking. Even the dog ignored me.
At one stage, I was alone in the bar with the landlady(?), but she made no attempt to make me feel welcome; no "Are you on holiday?", or "are you from the village?". In fact, she couldn't give a flying f**k" about me or anyone else. So I thought "sod you", and went to Duckkington's other pub - the Strickland Arms, which is by far the best pub in the village. I don't know why some of these people are in business; if they make bo attempt to make customers feel welcome, what is the point?
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Lovely atmosphere and a good range of vegetarian options! There are monthly folk music sessions here (1st Sunday of the month), but it's a shame that they only service Greene King (badged as Morland, usually) beers. I geniunely enjoy coming to this pub, but I do usually opt to drink something other than beer.
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I was pleasantly surprised that this pub was very reasonably priced as it looked like a tourist trap from outside. Quiet pub with small selection of good beers. Unpretentious.
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This is a good cheap and cheerful pub. We went on a Saturday in December with some friends who had children. The pub was quiet (though I understand it can get quite busy), but we liked that, and that they didn't mind children.
Our friends had the burgers (which are meant to be the pubs speciality) and they really enjoyed them. I had the bangers & mash in a Yorkshire pud - and it was the best Yorkshire pud I have had (and I don't always like Yorkshire pud). Straight-forward pub food, good value for money.
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