Helen Browning's Royal Oak

From the outset my queries were answered promptly, which is always a good sign. We weren't sure what time we'd arrive and thought we might be late. We received a call on our journey down from lovely Jo to see how we were getting on; she asked if we would require a meal. I said yes, Jo said not to worry if we missed the 8.30pm deadline for the kitchen as they'd make cold platters up for us. Thank goodness we made it time to eat there because what a surprise that turned out to be. The food was delicious! We were both very, very happy with our fare. The barman was lovely, a nice friendly guy. He took us over to our room after we'd eaten. Showed us a communal area, which was well stocked with various things for you to purchase, although we didn't make use of this as we were only there for one night, regrettably. Our room was just across from the communal area and again we were both very pleasantly surprised. The room size was great as was the décor. Nice big bed and big shower. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash supplied. There is lots of nice little touches at this place, that made it just that bit nicer to be there. Breakfast the next morning was fantastic. Lots to choose from and the cooked food was, again, delicious. Excellent value for money; excellent staff; excellent food. Can't recommend enough!

An oversight I'm sure but there was no milk for our tea in the room in the morning. We weren't too bothered as we were going for breakfast but I have no doubt they would have supplied it if I'd brought it to their attention. I have wondered if perhaps the milk was in the communal area but not sure. I will ask when we stay again because we definitely will be doing.

Amazing staff, super helpful and friendly from arrival to leaving. I was able to charge my car up overnight too which was a welcome bonus (you do have to pay for this, I’d recommend downloading the Electric Universe app to benefit from a cheaper rate). Our room was super clean and attention to detail was second to none. We loved the communal lounge and honesty bar, the food was among the best we’ve ever eaten anywhere, and the breakfast in the morning was also top notch (make sure you try the apple juice!). We will definitely be back again, honestly couldn’t have been any better.

Nothing at all!

On a hot day it was great to sit outside for a pre dinner drink with plenty of shaded areas. Eating outside was an option but we chose to eat inside. Lots of good walks plus the near by Ridgeway. Well stocked farm shop with a generous packed lunch options. We went partially due to the range of organic foods available. The availability of “The Wallow” a communal space for guests to sit and make tea/coffee plus fridge and minibar was a bonus.

My partner is vegetarian and would have liked more range with the main meals. It would have been nice to see some English organic wines on offer.

Loved every moment of our stay at Helen Browning. The accomodation had lovely facilities and beautiful decor. The communal area and set up of all the rooms was really well thought out. We loved that it also included both hot and cold air con (very very very rare for the UK). We had such a comfortable nights sleep. The staff went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect during our stay. The service and hospitality was really excellent. The whole concept of so much of the food and products used within the kitchen coming straight from the surrounding farm was really special as well. It was probably why the food was so excellent and tasty. Everything was fresh and made with love. We have been on a road trip across the UK for over a week now staying in unique little pubs and accomodations each night and Helen Browning was by far our favourite stay! We also thoroughly enjoyed going one of the walks they suggested and visiting the pigs, the scenery was just stunning. We can’t wait to come back for longer.

Couldn’t fault a thing.

The rooms were lovely and clean and very well equipped with kettle coffee machine and a selection of teas, we had dinner at the restaurant on site and it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. The staff were fantastic, very friendly and couldn’t have been more helpful - we had a delicious breakfast in the morning to us served by the owner of the property who was very personable. All the meat is sourced from the farm owned by the couple who own the rooms/restaurant or locally sourced which was evident by the great quality. This place is worth a visit and we will definitely be staying there again.

Nothing - just wish we had booked a longer stay

Lovely location, great little touches like honesty bar. Rooms away from the restaurant area so very quiet. Comfy bed, nice decor. Breakfast lovely- fresh,high quality food, lots of choice. Excellent breakfast. Organic products used in room; generous coffee/ tea and good coffee machine.

Room slightly small especially shower cubicle. The food we chose for supper was underwhelming- we had pizza and they were a bit soggy and under seasoned. Maybe should have tried the choices like burger or steak to appreciate the organic local food…luckily breakfast was excellent!!

Kate’s Folly room was very spacious with an inviting freestanding bath in the room, though there was thankfully there was also a separate shower in the bathroom. Great guest lounge with honesty bar across the courtyard. Ideally located for walking and set in a very pretty village. Dinner was really good and their own organic beef and pork had great flavour, even the wines are organic and good value. Breakfast again was tasty though lacked a tomato, but understandable as their ethos is locally sourced and I guess it’s difficult to get them in the UK in early Spring! The staff were lovely and friendly and went out of their way to give excellent service. There is also a little village store in the car park where you can buy their produce (and other things) to take home.

Pillows could be much better. There was a bit of noise ingress from the room above from someone taking a shower and a bit from the occasional passing traffic on road first thing (though it is a small village, so by no means constant).

The room was beautiful and the bed was very comfy. It was really nice to get a decent size towel too, this isn't the case with a lot of hotels. The food was exceptional and a credit to the chef and their team. The staff were all lovely and took a real interest in our stay and chatted to us quite a bit which made us feel exceptionally welcome. I would highly recommend this hotel for a get away.

There wasn't anything about our stay that we didn't like. It was all as expected from researching and booking this venue.

The wide range of fresh local sourced products from both in the restaurant as the store. The room was decorated creatively, someone really put some thought behind it. In addition, you also get acces to a communal living room with kitchen, which was a great bonus. The kitchen staff knew what they were doing and the people behind the bar were friendly and attentive.

This is completely out of the power of the host, but some construction workers decided to drive a loud cherry picker next to the building at 6:15 am. When I opened the curtain, I made eye contact with the driver, which was a quite unexpected experience considering my room was on the first floor.

Everything was up to my expectations, the checking in lady was excellent, very helpful and friendly, she showed us to our room and explained how everything worked with the honesty bar etc. The evening meal in the pub was also excellent as was breakfast. The small village the property is situated in is very pretty, with lots of walks as detailed in the plan left in our room. Really there was nothing I could fault- and I’m really fussy!

Everything was very good, can’t fault anything!