This post is in collaboration with The Porch House but all views and opinions are my own.

At the start of our trip to the Cotswolds (read the full guide here), Sonny and I had the pleasure of visiting the Porch House Inn, in Stow-on-the-Wold, for a three-course lunch. We were both excited in anticipation of the experience, as the Porch House is the oldest Inn in England! In addition, this was our first stop in the Cotswolds.

Related: A 3 Day Guide to the Cotswolds

Stow-on-the-Wold is a picturesque, historic market town surrounded by rolling countryside, situated on top of a hill. Related: How to Spend 24 Hours in Rye

The Porch House embraces English tradition with its decor and cuisine. Breakfast, lunch and dinner each have their own dedicated menus, as well as a Sunday-lunch menu. The decor is beautifully traditional countryside style, with dark wooden furniture (chairs and wall shelving), antler-style chandeliers, with exposed vertical wooden beams in the walls, and exposed stone-work, warm in colour, for the other walls. To add to the allure of the venue, there is even a secret private dining room, where custom menus are available!

The bar is carefully designed to feel cosy. Candles centre the tables, under low ceilings with wooden beams exposed. The bar opens at 11am, however, one can take advantage of this cosy setting with coffee served from 8am.

While observing the menu for lunch, the dishes appeared to be British pub classics, with some modern twists and adaptations, all delivered with gourmet flair. We are pleased to say that we were not disappointed.

To start, Sonny had the pork and venison sausage roll, with beet ketchup and mustard coleslaw, while I had the day’s special, cauliflower soup. For the mains, Sonny had the Dexter burger with chunky cut chips (fries) and I had the ham, egg and chips. The ham came in two forms: thick cut honey roast slice, and ham hock. The duck egg was absolutely delicious. The egg white was crispy at the edges, while the yolk was slightly runny. We were both so full after the mains that we couldn’t fit in a dessert! Which was a shame because we were really looking forward to trying some. **As Sonny was driving, and I had recently taken antibiotics, we were also unable to try the alcohol. We hope to come back for a dessert and wine!