I kept seeing adverts for this hotel and restaurant everywhere so hubby and I decided to go for lunch one sunny Sunday in June.

The Dog & Badger is a luxurious bar and restaurant nestled between Henley and Marlow with six stylishly decorated bedrooms.

The building is Grade II listed and has undergone sympathetic but extensive refurbishment which was completed in 2015 after it was bought by Oakman Inns. The building now has a modern contemporary feel but still manages to maintain it’s beautiful original features and quirky charm.

The menu at The Dog & Badger has a lovely Mediterranean vibe to it with lots of gorgeous colours and flavours. It’s literally a food lovers and bloggers delight!

The restaurant is open for brunch which is served until 11am with a huge choice of popular brunch dishes such as; eggs benedict, avocado and smoked salmon on sourdough, sweet potato and chorizo hash, bacon or sausage brioche buns, a full english breakfast and so much more…the list is endless!

Some of the delicious items on the brunch menu continue to be available and can be found on the lunch menu along with sandwiches etc. served until 5pm.

There are a couple of salad dishes and also the opportunity to build your own salad which is fantastic option for any salad lover! If you fancy something more filling, there’s also a huge choice of pasta dishes.

For the meat and fish lover, there’s a grill menu where you can order your favourite steak, chicken or sea bass or opt for the beef or chicken burger. There is also a vegetarian beetroot falafel burger available for the non-meat-eaters.

If you’re looking for comfort food, they have a wonderful little section on their menu with a few dishes such as; fish and chips, vegetarian cottage pie, roasted pork belly and the fish of the day.

If you fancy a Sunday roast, you have a choice of beef, pork belly or chicken.

We went on a beautiful sunny Sunday and it was far too hot to sample the roast dinners, so I went for the smashed sweet potato salad from the build your own salad menu and Simon went for the chicken burger and fries.

The flavours in my dish were incredible! The salad was made up of grilled sweet potato, spinach, avocado, feta, toasted pumpkin seeds, tzatziki and chilli and every mouthful was literally a taste sensation. The freshness of the tzatziki and avocado against the earthiness of the sweet potato and the tangy taste of the feta is a perfect combination of flavours and the pumpkin seeds add a delicious crunch that would otherwise be missing. I didn’t want it to end and it must have taken me about 30 minutes to eat it. I was savouring every mouthful!

Simon absolutely loved his chicken burger and fries. He said it was the best he’d ever tasted, which is praise indeed! The chicken was so tender and every bite had so much flavour. He even commented that the fries were really delicious too!

The staff were professional, knew everything there was to know about the menu and took a keen interest in making sure we were comfortable and happy. Initially seated in their restaurant, we asked to be moved to somewhere near the outside area as it was such a beautiful day and they were extremely friendly and accommodating and quickly moved us to the bar area right next to the open doors so that we could enjoy the breeze.

Aside from serving gorgeous food in beautiful settings, I was really pleased to learn that Oakman Inns take their social and community responsibility very seriously and source the best produce from sustainable sources.

“There’s no grand philosophy here, we just do what’s right: source good food and drinks, serve them with a smile, and support our local communities. Our aim is to run a business that we’re proud of; leaving things a little better than we found them, for our neighbours, the environment, and our guests. Animal welfare plays a large part in that approach and so we use family-run butchers who source their pork, lamb and beef from farmers who care for their animals, the chicken on our menu comes from British farmers with the Red Tractor accreditation, and our eggs are all free range” Oakman Inns

Every single one of their restaurants has received accreditation from the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), an independent, not-for-profit organisation committed to promoting sustainability across the UK’s restaurant industry.

“The fish on our daily specials menu comes from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) approved suppliers making it traceable from ocean to plate, and our greengrocer, Reynolds, has not only supplied us with fresh, seasonal British produce since day one but they limit their environmental impact through the use of packing cases made with recyclable material and biodiesel.” Oakman Inns

Oakman Inns commitment to fantastic food and service has earned them many awards during their 10-year history and they have received two accolades in the past year alone at The Publican Awards. In addition to this, they were also most recently named ‘Best Community Pub Operator’ and have also ranked in the Top 20 Best Companies To Work For in the UK.

We had a wonderful experience at The Dog & Badger and would definitely recommend a visit to this lovely restaurant.

I can’t wait to visit some more of the Oakman Inns restaurants if this one was anything to go by. I’ve even heard that some of them have outdoor pizza ovens! Let’s go!! 

With love, Tash ❤ x