M40 Junction 2   Farnham Common  The Royal Oak  01753 642032  £  Back to M40

3 mins.  Take the A355 southbound towards Farnham.  Follow the road for about 3 minutes, The Royal Oak is on the right hand side of the road.

Large but cosy old pub, easy to find.  Excellent veggie and healthy choices. 

Food and coffee served all day everyday.

The Royal Oak was first established in 1846 and has kept many of its features, but it is now a modern pub with a warm welcome and a great atmosphere.  There is also a superb selection of food on offer, with an imaginative menu to suit any taste or budget.  The snack menu contains salads, sandwiches, baked potatoes and 'Hot Hobs', a hot filled baguette served with side salad and chips.  There is also a daily selection of main meals and deserts listed on blackboards, with a choice of three or four vegetarian offerings.  We had a Veggie Lasagne from the blackboard which came with Garlic Bread and Salad and a Hot Hob filled with Roasted Vegetables and Feta Cheese.  Also available were Corn Fritters with Halloumi and Baked Jackets with Goats Cheese, Red Pepper and Spinach.  The food was excellent - fresh and tasty, and although the pub was very busy when we were there, it was served quickly.  The combination of such a huge choice and the feeling that your custom was actually wanted, made our day.  Wonderful.

Debbie from Nottingham adds an update:

I was a little disappointed, as the pub was a member of the Chef & Brewer chain of pubs. Their food is OK, but sometimes is the same at pubs all over the country. I had the Wild mushroom pasta, which was plentiful and arrived  quickly, however it was the only special choice, the other choice on the menu was also pasta based, so not much variety. It was hot and filling, but I felt they could have flavoured the sauce more.

 

M40 Junction 5   Stokenchurch  Fleur de Lis  01494 482269  £  Back to M40

3 mins.  As you come off the motorway, take the right hand lane to take the A40 to Stokenchurch.  As you come into the village the Fleur de Lis is on the right, on the far side of the green, just past the Total garage and opposite the Kings Arms Hotel.

Stokenchurch is an attractive village with pubs, a restaurant, a chip shop and several shops, as well as the village green.  Fleur de Lis is an old fashioned pub with friendly staff.  Good veggie choices, and basic healthy choices.  Non-smoking eating area, children's menu and beer garden.

Food served lunchtime to 2.30pm and evenings to 9.30pm.

Despite its ornate exterior, the Fleur de Lis is a fairly standard pub on the inside without much atmosphere.  However, the friendly staff and the conversations of local drinkers do make up for it!  The large menu includes sandwiches, paninis, jackets, salads, omelettes, mains and freshly prepared specials, which offers plenty of choice for vegetarians, although is a little too reliant on chips, so healthy options are more basic.  Portions are large and satisfying, the vegetarian lasagne comes with chips, salad and several slices of garlic bread!  The food was nicely flavoured, especially the more imaginative choice of spinach and mushroom filo bake, which was very good, and potatoes were offered as an alternative to chips.  Not easy to leave room for it, but our dessert of profiteroles was excellent!

 

M40 Junction 5   Stokenchurch  Mowchak  01494 485005  ££  Back to M40

3 mins.  As you come off the motorway, take the right hand lane to take the A40 to Stokenchurch.  As you come into the village you pass the green on your right.  The Mowchak is on the right with the turn in for the car park before the building.

Mowchak is an Indian restaurant and bar in a converted pub, in the attractive village of Stockenchurch.  There is an excellent vegetarian choice and a good atmosphere.  Call at busy times.

Food served lunchtime 12 - 2.30pm (3pm on Sundays) and evenings 5.30 - 11.30pm.

A popular restaurant which filled up with customers in the short time we were there.  The food was lightly spiced, allowing the flavours to come through.  We had Vegetable Makhani, house special in a spicy sauce of garlic, ginger and coriander, and a Vegetable Biryani, a rice dish with a side of vegetable curry.  The Makhani was deliciously creamy, which was offset nicely by  the curry.  The rice and nan bread were both very good.  The menu had the full collection of the usual options, but the Thali and the five course 'Leave it to Chef' both sounded very tempting for when we have more time.

 

M40 Junction 5   Turville  The Bull and Butcher 01491 638283  ££  Back to M40

5 mins.  At the junction take the turning towards Ibstone.  Follow the road for 5 miles through Ibstone.  The hill declines steeply and there is a T-junction at the bottom.  Turn right towards Turville.  Follow this road for 1 mile to Turville and the pub is on the left as you come into the village.  Parking in the car park.

Turville is one of England's prettiest villages. The Bull and Butcher is a cosy gastropub with good veggie and healthy choices, though not so good for vegans. Very popular, so call at busy times.

Food served 11am to 11pm Mon - Sat and 12.00pm to 10.30pm Sun

The Bull and Butcher is an extremely attractive pub and restaurant with real fires, a non-smoking dining room and a garden.  The food is also delicious, we had goats cheese served on roast peppers and a vegetarian mushroom soup.  There is also a specials board for extra options.  Not a huge veggie selection, but the dishes are made with quality ingredients and attention to detail.  Hopefully you'll have the time for a wander round the village and the energy to walk up the hill for a glimpse of the windmill, famous from the film of 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'

 

M40 Junction 6   Lewknor  The Leather Bottle  01844 351 482  ££  Back to M40

3 mins.  Head South West on the B4009 to the village of Lewknor.  As you enter the village the pub is on the left.

Small and cosy old fashioned pub.  Excellent veggie and healthy choices. 

Coffee served all day, food lunch times and evenings.

Sample menu:  Stuffed Pepper with mushroom, Cheese and Broccoli Bake with Jacket Potato, Tomato and Mozzerella Penne with garlic bread.  Also vegetarian baguettes and sandwiches.

 

M40 Junction 10  Ardley  The Fox and Hounds  01869 346883  ££  Back to M40

2mins.  Take the B430 going south.  The Fox and Hounds is on the left hand side of the road very shortly after the junction, look out for the sign as it's on a bend.

As close as the nearby services, this is a friendly pub/restaurant with a good selection of veggie and healthy choices.  Also one vegan choice the day we visited. A lovely old building with wooden beams and a wood burning stove.

Food Served 12 Noon to 3pm and 6pm to 9pm except no food on Sunday evening or Monday lunchtime.

The big portions here ensured a good break and fortunately the food was good too!  A spinach and ricotta cannelloni came with a goats cheese sauce which gave an extra flavour boost and lifted this above the usual offering.  The dish came with chips and a side salad.  A Thai red curry was tasty and well made although the naan bread was disappointing.  The dessert list looked very tempting with a good selection of favourites, but sadly we couldn't linger!

 

M40 Junction 10   Fritwell The Kings Head  01869 346738  ££  Back to M40

From Gregor Stevenson, Bicester

3mins.  Leave junction 10 and follow the signs towards Silverstone. At Baynards Green roundabout turn left towards Banbury and within ½ mile turn left to Fritwell. At the crossroads turn left through the village, past the junction towards Ardley then past the village shop. The Kings Head is at the end of the village on the right. The signpost looks like a playing card.

Family run pub with a good vegetarian selection.  A pub since 1735, with plenty of original features, including wooden beams and an open fire.

Food served 6pm to 8.30pm and 12 noon to 3pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Bar open 12 noon to 11pm.

The manager's better half and daughter are both vegetarian, therefore he makes a variety of dishes based on what he has available fresh in his fridge!

Offmotorway adds: We visited this pub and a vegetarian meal was indeed rustled up on request!  Be prepared to discuss what you fancy based on the available ingredients.  We had a veggie wrap topped with a cheese sauce.  It arrived surprisingly quickly and was tasty and filling with a good selection of grated vegetables piled into a tortilla wrap.  The pub itself is rather run down, sadly, and our request was the subject of discussion in the bar!  The friendliness and the inventiveness of the manager/chef however, is without doubt, and the method of preparation means vegan and healthy meals can also be ensured!

 

M40 Junction 12  Gaydon  Gaydon Inn 01926 640388 £ Back to M40

Less than a mile from the junction.  Take the B4451 south-west to Gaydon.  At the T junction with the B4100, take the left turn and the Gaydon Inn is on the right opposite a garage.

Friendly local farmer's pub painted bright red, with log fire.  Basic veggie choice.

Food served 12 - 2pm and 6 - 9pm, Sundays 12 - 3 only.

Gaydon makes a good place for a break off the motorway, with a lovely village, way-marked walks, garage with shop and a couple of pubs.  At the Gaydon Inn the choices are basic for vegetarians and healthy eaters as there are no veggie main meals on the menu, but the jacket potato and sandwiches were tasty and well presented.  The log fire and farmer's gossip made up for lack of choice.  I did notice though that a nut roast had featured on the pub's Christmas menu - why not add it to the regular menu?

Nutty_mee adds : under new management, delicious food.  The lighter meals and sandwiches looked lovely. I would recommend the Gaydon Inn as it was lovely and clean and had a really warm welcome when we were all tired during our long journey.