Kingham

Kingham is a village in the Evenlode valley in west Oxfordshire that has become one of the most talked-about destinations in the Cotswolds, largely on the strength of its food reputation. The Wild Rabbit, the pub associated with Daylesford Organic's Bamford family, brought serious food and national attention to a village that had previously been known mainly to those who used its railway station. That combination of outstanding food and easy London access has made Kingham the quietly fashionable address it is today.

The village itself is a handsome collection of Cotswold stone houses and farms grouped around a large green, with a church and a good range of houses from the seventeenth century onwards. Kingham station on the Cotswold Line gives direct services to Oxford and London Paddington, making it one of the most accessible of the rural Cotswold villages to arrive at by train — a fact that has not gone unnoticed by those looking for a country base within reach of the city.

The surrounding Evenlode valley is some of the quietest and most beautiful countryside in Oxfordshire, with the river winding through meadows and ancient woodland in a landscape that has changed relatively little over the past century. The nearby Daylesford Organic farm shop and cafe, a mile or so outside the village, draws visitors from across the Cotswolds and beyond. Chipping Norton is five miles to the north-east and Stow-on-the-Wold is six miles to the west.