Stacey C Elder tells how The Masons Arms has become The Boxing Hare

After 18 months of extensive searching, my partner Antony Griffith-Harris and I settled on these premises as we felt it was a perfect location with huge potential.

Formerly The Masons Arms, our renamed Boxing Hare is on the Banbury Road (A361), just outside Chipping Norton within a stone’s throw of Soho Farmhouse.

There is ample parking, beautiful grounds and the space to add boutique accommodation in the near future. The garden provides the opportunity for weddings and alfresco dining with stunning views of the Cotswold countryside.

Having previously been a destination “go to” place, we aim to put the Boxing Hare firmly back on the culinary map. Having been open only seven weeks The Boxing Hare is already becoming THE place to be.

For this venture we have reunited, after 30 years, with Nick Anderson who together with his wife Kate are heading up the kitchen and the dining room.

Antony and Nick first worked together in 1987 at the hugely successful Canal Brasserie in West London. After four years and numerous accolades, Nick moved to Norfolk and opened his first restaurant gaining a Michelin star in 2001. He then moved to a hotel on the North Norfolk coast, where he was awarded a further Michelin star.

Following many years in Norfolk, Nick decided to head to pastures new which lead him to The Bell at Hampton Poyle, where he once again gained a loyal following of discerning foodies. This is where he met his wife Kate Anderson; who herself is a very talented chef, having worked locally at establishments such as The Old Parsonage Hotel and The Nut Tree at Murcott.

In the meantime, Antony, who had cut his teeth at Bill Bentley’s, the champagne and oyster bar in Beauchamp Place, London, and the Canal Brasserie, then took the eclectic First Floor Dining Rooms and Ground Floor Bar on Portobello Road, Notting Hill, which he successfully ran for 19 years before deciding to escape to the county for a new and exciting challenge, bringing his London experience to the beautiful Cotswolds.

We have already established ties with local food producers; rare breed pork from Paddock Farm, local foraged mushrooms, local game and fish from Looe in Cornwall through New Wave seafood in Fairford. Soon Blenheim Palace lamb will be featuring on the menu. We have our own dry-ageing cabinet in which we are ageing Longhorn Beef for 50 days and bread is baked daily.

Our ethos is simple – make everything, serve the best, and offer value.

Together we aim to bring country fine dining to the Cotswolds.

The idea is to provide the ability to pop in for a quick lunch or supper or take time over a sumptuous meal.

Most importantly is that The Boxing Hare should be a great place to eat wonderful food, looked after by a team of people who love what they do.

The Boxing Hare

Banbury Rd, Swerford, Chipping Norton OX7 4AP

01608 683212

theboxinghare.co.uk