The best restaurants in Vale of White Horse South East

This is a franchise cafe as I learnt but the coffee is Costa, however, the coffee doesn't taste how it suppose to be, and they start to charge people for coffee cup-take away! The irony is that the cafe is in the middle of science campus and not everyone has the time to take their cup before getting to work!

Lunch! We went for a late lunch having booed quickly. Wonderful staff and service. Work so hard. Lots of choice and more so lots of choice for Coeliac’s - All food and drinks were great. Easy atmosphere and warm having just been in the cold for 3 hours.

I wanted a sandwich. Didn’t arrive for over 2 hours because one of your drivers didn’t want to do his job. I want a full refund. I don’t want to use your awful service again after this. I was trying to cancel my order well over an hour ago. But no.

The food was fine, not exceptional, but not bad. A little over priced for what was on the menu. The service, however, was dreadful. We were booked for 12.30 and our food didn't arrive at the table until 13.40. Similarly with the desserts - 30 minutes

We had a large family booking and everything about this venue was excellent. Everyone loved the food and it was better than most set menus. Service was very good and the pub was nicely decorated to be festive. I would highly recommend this pub for party bookings.

Went here for a wake so it's hard to rate it fairly. The 'cold collation' was good as was my cherry rum.

Awful service, landlady is very rude. If you’re not a local you will get treated differently even if your In the right!! Unfortunately a dog attacked one of my family’s dog in the pub not once not twice but three times! So obviously we have the right to react! And got kicked out!!! Also very pricey drinks! Not worth coming here useless you are a local and go regularly!

We had a very enjoyable birthday lunch here. However, it seems unsure whether it is a restaurant or a gastropub. Food quality and presentation were up to the standard of a high quality restaurant. So were the prices! The staff were very professsional (and we noticed that they close once a week for staff training). However, it still looks and feels like a pub, with a bar, wooden seating, no tablecloths, casually dressed staff, and they neded one or two more staff both in the kitchen and serving. They should either put in place the finishing touches for it to be a fine restaurant, or dial down a bit, particularly on prices, and present it as a really good gastropub.

We live quite locally to the Trout and have had ups and downs with change in management over the years. The pub itself is beautiful and the location is idyllic being riverside by the Thames. The potential is enormous but sadly the food was terrible. I booked a Sunday lunch online for my son's 25th birthday with a clear message that this was a special lunch (he has autism and was so looking forward to this celebration). Our booking was for noon. When we arrived the staff were friendly and efficient. One of my sons and I decided to have the 'Great British Sunday Roast' (it sounded so good) with my son choosing the pork with apple sauce and I chose the chicken. My other son chose the burger. We waited around 45 - 60 minutes to receive our food. No water offered but we finally got one of the staff's attention and got some water (half way through the meal). Belly of West End Farm pork, baked apple sauce 21.95 This was fatty, as expected, and tasteless. The gravy looked and tasted like a shiny Bisto pre-made gravy. The potatoes tasted, and had the texture of pre-cooked and frozen roast potatoes that had been sitting under a heated light for a while. Awful. There was NO apple sauce with the meal. Castlemead Farm chicken, sage and onion sausage stuffing, bread sauce 19.95 This too was... awful. The smell of the gravy (which was the exact same Bisto gravy that was used with the pork) was so strong and nauseating. The presentation was poor with the plate swimming in this Bisto gravy, potatoes (as above) pre-cooked and warmed up, a small spoonful of some sort of squash that was drowned in the gravy, a large Yorkshire pudding that was rubbery and tasteless, was plonked on top. The chicken was half a breast with bone and a tiny wing... it was unsightly, smelled awful and the predominant taste was a beef Bisto gravy that was so overpowering I felt sick. We paid and left as my son (who has autism) was stressed. I did not complain as it was his birthday and that would have upset him. Please don't call it the 'Great British Sunday Roast' as that meal wouldn't have qualified as the worst school dinner. How difficult is it to cook a Sunday roast?? I have since read other reviews (I wish I had read them before booking!) and I've seen that the general manager has answered with good intentions to get things right. They haven't... what a shame as it was a huge waste of money and disappointment all round.

I refuse to use this place as the owners obviously have no pride in the look of the place. Rubbish piled up near the entrance. I took the photo on a good day, usually it’s much worse than this. How do the customers not consider this an eyesore, unbelievable.

So Disappointing!!! Before I start, I should say we have been regulars at the Sparsholt (even when it was called The Star), however we had not been for approximately six months. We had a restaurant reservation for 19:00hrs for what was my granddaughters 13th birthday treat. We were excited on our arrival, but unfortunately that is where it stopped. We arrived to a virtually empty ( 1 table in use) establishment on a Saturday night, to be greeted by two front of house staff who looked as though they belonged in a local pub. Gone has the smart but casual dress code for the staff. After waiting an age to order our drinks, we then had to ask for the menus, and even then had to ask again to order. There was no ‘table checking’ whatsoever. Whilst we were waiting, another group arrived and went to sit in the restaurant area. When the time came to go to our table, to my astonishment we were asked if we minded sitting in the bar on a table that was just adjacent to us!! The place was virtually empty, we were dressed smartly and we certainly didn’t want a bar meal. The staff were very accommodating and showed us to a table in the main restaurant where there were now two other tables occupied. My granddaughter ordered the prawn starter, which resembled a portion of panco prawns from Iceland, whilst my wife and I had the ham hock. The starters had lost all their wow factor, where very little effort or time was spent on presentation. When the time came to clear the plates, we were even asked to pass our own plates across the table, to save the waitress walking around us. The mains followed, with little improvement. I had the venison pave, consisting of two medallions of venison which turned out to be so tuff I couldn’t eat it, with the whole plate overpowered by the sharpness of red cabbage. My wife and granddaughter had the cod main. As the was no table checking, and not a waiter/waitress to be seen, I ended up not eating my main (was refunded) as the rest of the table had finished their meals. Desserts followed, which were unremarkable. All in all, this was a disappointing evening. We had looked forward to treating our granddaughter but the whole Sparsholt experience has changed. I know times are hard in the hospitality industry but basic service and attention to detail doesn’t cost. We have cancelled our Xmas reservations and unfortunately won’t be returning soon. It’s such a disappointment because this was our destination restaurant (30 minute drive away) as we live in a town full of fast food chain eateries.

Great lunch with the ladies of our family xx so much choice and excellent service We will definitely be back Brilliant atmosphere in the pub and inclusive for all xx

Bostin Christmas lunch we had our lovely girls from the swimming pool outing today the food was all cooked fresh Donna a incredible cook everybody enjoyed there meal and the staff were fantastic fully recommend this. Place for a good roast.

Great delivery guy ... I accidentally put in wrong address and he still managed to find me.

It was a service station on the M6, so there was no atmosphere. Also, it was self ordering from electronic menu, so there was no service to speak of.