Eating and Drinking
Steeple Aston is fortunate to have two public houses - The Red Lion and The White Lion. Both of them serve food, and both have a busy schedule of activities and events.
In this section, we give detailed descriptions of our two village pubs, along with contact details and sample menus. We also provide links to a variety of pubs and restaurants nearby.
The Red Lion
Opening hours:
9.30am - 3.00pm & 5.30 - 11.00pm (Sundays, 10.30am - 4.30pm & 7.00 - 10.30pm)
Meals served: every lunchtime and evening until 9.00pm (except Sunday evening)
For current menus please go to www.redlionsteepleaston.co.uk
Thought to date from the 17th century, the building on the corner of Southside and Water Lane became a pub in 1903. It is believed to have been the stables for the original Red Lion, which was located in the Corner House.
The pub was taken over in 1972 by Colin and Margaret Mead, who stayed there for thirty years and built up an enviable reputation for both food and drink in their traditional pub with a small restaurant attached. When they retired the pub was refurbished and a conservatory restaurant was added.
The Hook Norton Brewery Company bought it in October 2005 and Sarah and Mel Phipps took over the tenancy the following February. They have plenty of experience as they have been running pubs for over 20 years, most notably The Star Inn at Woodstock (1991-2004).
At the Red Lion, they serve Hooky Bitter, Old Hooky and Hooky Gold. You can also buy Czech Budweiser Budvar, Westons Stowford Press Cider, Draught Guinness and Carlsberg Lager. They have a wine list of around 12 whites and 12 reds to suit all pockets.
The Red Lion is open seven days a week at lunchtime and in the evenings. Food is served every lunch time and evening except Sunday evening.
Opening hours have recently been extended to allow them to provide morning tea & coffee and also biscuits, tea cakes and a breakfast menu. On Sundays you can now order a Sunday Brunch from 10.30am!
Mel and Sarah describe their style of food as good quality British pub! The prices, they feel, are exceptionally good value. Their Steak Club every Monday (including Bank Holidays) serves a char-grilled rump steak for £6.50, and their fish & chips on a Friday is also £6.50 but still only £5 to take away. The take-away facility is available every day and now includes a pie & chips also for a fiver.
They are very keen to serve local produce whenever possible, and have advertised in Steeple Aston Life asking to buy surplus vegetables from villagers’ gardens or allotments.
On Sunday evenings at 8.00pm they hold a general knowledge quiz, which lasts one and a half hours and is great fun and free to play. You can buy a raffle ticket for £1 at the quiz for your chance to "Turn The Joker". This is a cash prize game that takes place after the quiz and all you do is try to find the joker in a pack of playing cards that have been placed face downwards on a board. Once a card is "turned over" is stays this way so, week by week, it becomes more likely that the joker will be turned! Ten per cent of the winnings go to a to a registered charity, currently Steeple Aston Pre-School - the rest is for the winner.
Contact
Mel and Sarah Phipps
The Red Lion
South Side
Steeple Aston
OX25 4RY
Tel: 01869 340225
Email: redlionsa@aol.com
Website: www.redlionsteepleaston.co.uk
The White Lion
Opening hours 11.00am - midnight (Sundays, midday to midnight)
Food served 11.00am - 9.30pm
For menus, please click here.
The White Lion is a small, family run, village pub restaurant, located on Southside, just opposite the village shop. It has been a pub since at least 1870. There have been many changes to the ownership and layout over the years, but something remains a constant, the secret garden at the rear.
Since June 2006, the White Lion has been run by the Willatt Family. The licence holder is Dorothy Willatt. Roger, her husband, and their daughter Hannah are also involved. The family returned to England in 2002, after nearly 20 years in the United States. They fell in love with Steeple Aston and Dorothy soon had her eye on the White Lion with the dream of making it a family centre for the village.
They serve cream teas in the summer months, remaining open all afternoon through the evening dinner trade, which finishes around 9.30p.m. until last drink orders are called at midnight.
On Sunday, roasts are served from midday until 3.00pm. Bookings are preferred for this and evening meals. But a full English breakfast is available all day! They also do take away food between midday and 3.00pm and from 6.00 to 9.00 pm. Ring 01869 340307 to place your order.
The kitchen is small and their food is cooked freshly for each customer, so some delay should be expected. Vegetarians and those with special dietary needs are catered for. Desserts are all home made and include Daniel's well-loved White Chocolate Cheesecake. Other specialities are the White Lion Tom Burger and a wide selection of fresh fish.
The Real Ales presently on offer are Timothy Taylor Landlord, and Hook Norton Hooky Bitter. On Tap they have Carling Extra Cold, Marston's Smooth, Draft Guinness, Strongbow Cider, Stowford Press Cider, Stella Artois and San Miguell. They also have an extensive international wine list.
There are lots of special events and activities at the White Lion. Regular events include Coffee and a Chat on the second Wednesday of the month at 10.30am and "Aunt Sally" during the summer on Thursday evenings in the garden. They also have live piano music & singing every Sunday evening from 8.30pm. And in the summer holidays they have Family Friendly Fridays with cartoons, curly straws, games, toys and drawing. There are kids’ meals with free ice-cream for £5 and a garden to run around in every Friday from 4.30 till 8.00pm.
Dominoes, pool, darts and other games are also available.
Contact
The White Lion
Southside
Steeple Aston
OX25 4RR
Tel:01869 340307
Fax: 01869 349989
Email: dwillatt@aol.com
Other places to eat and drink nearby
Bengal Spice, Restaurant and Take-Away, Deddington
www.bengalspice-restaurant.com
The Crown Inn, Enstone
http://uk.geocities.com/crowncrown1@btinternet.com/
La Galleria,Italian restaurant, Woodstock
http://www.la-galleria.co.uk
The Lemon Tree, Woodstock Road, Oxford
http://www.thelemontreeoxford.co.uk
White Horse Inn, Dun’s Tew
http://www.whitehorse.tablesir.com