THE SLEEPOVER: THE SWAN INN, ASCOTT-UNDER-WYCHWOOD

If your thoughts have turned to escaping to the country after a hundred and something days in lockdown, you could do a lot worse than The Swan - the sleepy Cotswolds local of Blur bassist turned self-proclaimed ‘Chairman of the Cheeseboard’ Alex James.

Where is it?

Nestled in leafy Ascott-under-Wychwood, the honey-hued stone village you see in the Cotswolds of your dreams. Blissfully quiet, the silence here is only rarely broken by the rumble of a Land Rover or the clop of horse heels.

The Swan's wingspan covers all the Cotswolds haunts well-heeled hearts could desire, including Chipping Norton (15 minutes), Soho Farmhouse (20 minutes) and Kingham (10 minutes). The latter is best known for hosting the aforementioned Mr James’s ‘The Big Feastival’ but you’ll need to be quick off the mark if you want to kick back at The Swan when the foodie gathering returns in 2021.

What’s the vibe?

As country as they come. Expect head-skimming ceilings, sturdy beams, bucket loads of lavender and the emblematic log fires no self-respecting country pub lover could manage a winter without. The Swan is the quintessential countryside boozer with bedrooms, but while downstairs is 16th century cosy, there’s nothing twee about this eclectic hideaway and that includes its eight rooms. Each bedroom has a personality all of its own and ours came courtesy of British printmaker Molly Mahon. We know it’s crass but it’s nigh on impossible to stop yourself from Insta-bragging when a room looks this good; Mahon’s quirky block printed wallpapers colour-clash in a way that blows the ‘blue and green should never be seen’ school of thinking out of the water. Throw in a freestanding bathtub big enough for two and it’s hard to see why you’d even bother leaving the room.

What’s the food like?

God, it’s good. So, so good. With our stay falling precisely one day after hotels and restaurants reopened in the UK, this was to be our first meal out since lockdown began. No pressure then. Thankfully, the Sunday roast was everything a foodie appetite could hope for and more besides. A sweet, sticky caramelised red onion tart topped with a frothy Dorstone foam kicked off proceedings, before a good old fashioned ‘Leg of Kelmscott Pork’ roast with all the trimmings for the main event. Burnt butter cauliflower cheese, charred hispi cabbage and a toffee apple sauce were sides worth raving about in a meal that left absolutely no room whatsoever for dessert. We don’t live a life of regrets but there’s a part of us that still resents leaving that tonka panacotta with ginger parkin and honeycomb behind.

And what about the morning after?

Stays at The Swan include your morning cuppa and a couple of slices of locally-baked sourdough with salty butter and fresh jam. If you’ve worked up a bigger appetite overnight, there’s a hot breakfast menu that’s worth giving up a lie-in for; almond pancakes with lemon curd, strawberries and mint are the boujiest breakfast you ever did see and a sweet way to round off your stay.

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Selected images courtesy of @swan_inn_ascott