Helen Browning's Royal Oak

We stayed here for 2 nights. The place is busy, the food is out of this world. There are young staff members who very happily look after you and make it their mission to make your stay memorable and welcoming. We were staying for a nearby wedding. The pub and hotel are about 20mins out of Swindon. No problem, its under £20 in a taxi. But when you are there. Tim, looks after you. He drove us to the wedding, arranged someone to pick us up at 11pm to take us back to the hotel and drove us to the train station when we left. I think this is what the world used to be like, when people really cared about the experience of others and looked after customers. It was such a welcoming happy environment we are looking for reasons to go back.. The rooms are comfortable and our room was large and v comfortable by any hotel standards. Ask for anything and they will try and make it happen. Dinner was a set in a welcoming, rustic restaurant/ pub with more than enough staff to assist. Young bright polite people looked after us . THE best ribs ever - organic, from the farm and a gorgeous large mackeral. If you’re staying in the hotel, there’s an honesty bar and a lounge with fridge , milk , drinks etc andrea and coffee making facilities in rooms. Dyson hairdryers, room fans. It’s honestly difficult to know where to stop this positive review. The owners are passionate believers in the customer experience, organic food, and a wholesome friendly atmosphere. It’s really difficult to see how anyone could give this place a negative review. We loved it. PS the farm shop on site is superb. Thank you Tim and staff for giving us a bubble of wonderful memories for 48hrs. The world needs more of this

At a loose end in Bristol, so decided to return to this scenic pub which specialises in fantastic food. On arrival I could hear the strums of Careless Whisper , Jazz style being played by a Jazz band in the pub garden. Being a soup buff, I started with the splendid soup followed by an incredible beef burger which was just bursting with beef, the addition of cheese and bacon was immaculate. Jürgen the energetic and friendly chef and his band of helpers do grand job from their on location shack under the watchful eye of the entertaining Tim . An array of youthful waiters do a mighty fine job keeping the ale flowing and tables stocked with food orders to keep the punters happy. This is a must for people to visit , can't praise it enough, and I will be back.

You cannot fault the endeavour here which offers accommodation, entertainment/events, farm shop, cafe, organic produce and excellent heritage in a great location.The service and welcome was brilliant as well. Excellent drinks range and cask beer. My slightly lower rating is down to some of the lunch menu offerings and variety. Seasonal asparagus sings for itself but on toast? with dry cabbage? - didn’t really wow. You’d expect oustanding meat here but the gammon was underwhelming, some said ‘chewy’. Ok they do offer pulled pork and grilled mackerel (and of course pizzas and burgers), and they could be fantastic. I know I seem nit-picky, but the bill was above average for a wine-free offering and I hoped for a little more zing. Won’t stop a return visit though or a recommendation.

Haven after a days walking. Lovely room, bit cold, but extra blankets were available. Food was excellent and the staff were friendly and easy to find when needed. Brilliant hot shower after a day of walking the Ridgeway.

Delicious Sunday roast. I had the mixed roast, loin of pork and beef. Totally delicious. Very good Yorkshire pudding, rare beef and tender pork, crispy melt in your mouth roast potatoes, mixture of vegetables, broccoli,parsnips, leeks, carrots and great gravy. Very good service for a large family party. Lovely affogato for pudding