You'll find it at the far end of the Whichford Pottery car park, built from straw bales and filled with the smell of good coffee and something freshly baked. It's the sort of place you stumble on once and then keep finding excuses to return to.
The Straw Kitchen sits quietly at the end of the lane that leads to Whichford Pottery, and the building itself is part of the charm: thick straw bale walls, a green roof, and a calm that makes the rest of the week feel very far away. The menu is short and seasonal, changing with what's good and what's local. Brunches are generous and unfussy. The bacon sandwich is exceptional (proper thick-cut, good bread, no need for anything else). Cakes are homemade and disappear quickly, so if something catches your eye, don't wait. Coffee is well made. It's open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and they don't take reservations, so just turn up.
What makes the Straw Kitchen worth the short drive from Well Cottage is the atmosphere. It's wholesome in a way that never tips into earnest. Families come with children who wander between tables. People linger over second cups of tea and leaf through newspapers. After eating, you can walk through to the pottery workshop and watch the potters at their wheels, or browse the showroom for a piece to take home. The whole place feels like it belongs to a slightly gentler version of the world. About twenty minutes from the cottage, mostly along quiet lanes through Hook Norton and the Sibfords.
“Honestly the most restorative lunch spot in the area. Bacon sandwich, a pot of tea, then a wander through the pottery. Simple and perfect.”
All of this on the doorstep, and your own thatched cottage to come home to. Sleeps seven, less than a mile from Soho Farmhouse.