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Located on Bishopsgate Road in Englefield Green, The Fox & Hounds is a traditional country pub and restaurant near Windsor Great Park. With its welcoming interiors, seasonal menus and terraced garden, it offers an inviting setting for leisurely lunches, relaxed dinners and Sunday gatherings.
The kitchen draws on British and French culinary traditions, combining familiar pub favourites with continental dishes and a carefully selected wine list. Its location makes it particularly appealing for a countryside outing within easy reach of Windsor and London.
A Countryside Setting with Character
The Fox & Hounds occupies a convenient position near the Bishopsgate entrance to Windsor Great Park, an expansive royal parkland celebrated for its historic landscapes, woodland walks and scenic surroundings.
Its location makes the restaurant a natural stop after exploring the park, while Windsor and the surrounding Surrey villages are also within easy reach. The pub retains its traditional English character, with an emphasis on relaxed dining and seasonal cooking.
Fireside Comfort and Garden Dining
The traditional interiors offer a comfortable atmosphere for casual visits and longer meals. A welcoming bar provides space for drinks, while the restaurant accommodates intimate dinners and larger gatherings.
Open fires add warmth during colder months, particularly after a walk through Windsor Great Park. In warmer weather, the terraced garden provides an attractive setting for outdoor dining, making the pub equally appealing for summer lunches and winter afternoons.
Seasonal Cooking with British and French Influences
The Fox & Hounds offers an extensive menu of British classics and French-inspired dishes, with occasional Mediterranean influences. Traditional preparations and familiar ingredients feature throughout, alongside more elaborate restaurant dishes.
A separate lunchtime set menu provides additional choices, while Sunday lunch centres on traditional roasts and seasonal accompaniments.
Starters and Lighter Dishes
French influences are particularly evident among the starters, with traditional French onion soup and escargot in garlic and parsley butter. Breaded Camembert stuffed with mascarpone, apricot and walnut comes with mixed leaves and cranberry sauce.
Seafood options include salmon gravadlax with mustard sauce, blini, lemon cream and a Parmesan crisp, alongside grilled mussels with a garlic crust. The dinner menu adds scallops in a creamy garlic sauce and pan-fried king prawns with garlic, chilli and pesto.
More substantial starters include foie gras ballotine with toasted brioche and pickled mushrooms, country-style pork terrine with pickled vegetables, and a goat’s cheese and red onion tartlet.
Lighter lunchtime choices range from croque monsieur and croque madame to roast beef and horseradish baguette. For sharing, Fondue Savoyard is served with charcuterie, new potatoes and crusty bread.
Main Courses and House Favourites
The main courses balance traditional comfort food with classic French preparations. Pan-roasted halibut comes with sautéed potatoes, confit shallots, tenderstem broccoli and citrus butter sauce, while duck leg confit is accompanied by green beans, caramelised onions and mushrooms.
Meat dishes include slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with bacon, peas, potatoes and lamb jus, alongside traditional slow-cooked beef stew. The dinner menu also features beef fillet Rossini, topped with pan-fried foie gras and served with truffle and port sauce.
Steak options include grilled dry-aged rib-eye and beef fillet, while the Côte de Boeuf, a dry-aged forerib served with green peppercorn sauce and fries, is intended for two.
Traditional favourites include fish pie with salmon, smoked haddock, scallop and prawn beneath creamy mashed potatoes, half roast chicken with fries and chicken jus, and a beef burger topped with crusted Brie, truffle mayonnaise and onion chutney.
Vegetarian and vegan options include pea, mint and green bean risotto with roasted butternut squash and pumpkin seeds, and a falafel burger with smoked tofu and cashew nut Thousand Island sauce.
The lunchtime set menu offers further choices, including roasted salmon with herb-crushed potatoes, tartiflette and homemade cottage pie.
Desserts and Traditional Comforts
Desserts feature French classics alongside familiar British favourites. Crème brûlée and chocolate mousse with Chantilly cream sit alongside chocolate and nut brownie with pistachio ice cream and lemon meringue tart with lemon sorbet.
For something more comforting, the apple, banana and pineapple crumble comes with vanilla ice cream. The Café Gourmand offers an assortment of miniature desserts served with coffee, while a selection of unpasteurised cheeses provides a savoury alternative.
Sunday Lunch at The Fox & Hounds
Sunday lunch follows a dedicated menu of traditional roasts, including beef with Yorkshire pudding, twice-cooked pork belly, roast chicken and shoulder of lamb, all served with traditional trimmings. A Portobello mushroom, sweet potato and spinach Wellington provides a vegan alternative.
Other main courses include pan-roasted halibut, duck leg confit, fish pie and vegetable risotto.
Starters range from leek and potato soup to venison terrine and potted crab with ginger, coriander and avocado cream. Desserts include crème brûlée, chocolate mousse and bread and butter pudding with chocolate chips and custard.
A separate children’s menu offers smaller portions of roast beef and roast chicken alongside other familiar dishes, making Sunday lunch suitable for family gatherings.
Wines, Cocktails and the Country Pub Tradition
The wine list has a strong French influence, complemented by selections from Italy, Spain, South Africa and Argentina. By-the-glass options include Picpoul de Pinet, Terre d’Or Sauvignon Blanc and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, while reds range from French Pinot Noir to Rioja and Argentinian Malbec.
Rosé selections include Château d’Ollières from Provence, Piquepoul Noir from Languedoc and Whispering Angel, particularly suited to warmer afternoons in the garden.
Sparkling wines include Chilcomb Valley Classic Cuvée Brut from Hampshire, alongside Champagnes from Ruinart, Laurent-Perrier, Dom Pérignon and Louis Roederer.
The bar also maintains the familiar appeal of a traditional country pub, providing a relaxed setting for drinks before dinner or after exploring the surrounding countryside.
Hospitality with a Relaxed Country Feel
The combination of restaurant seating, informal bar space and outdoor dining makes The Fox & Hounds suitable for different occasions, including intimate dinners, family lunches and gatherings with friends.
Families are welcome, with specific evening arrangements for children. Children may remain seated at tables in the bar until 6.30 pm and in the restaurant until 7 pm. Well-behaved dogs on leads are also welcome in the bar and garden, making the pub convenient for visitors exploring Windsor Great Park with their pets.
The varied menus offer everything from light lunches to more substantial evening meals, with traditional Sunday roasts giving another reason to visit on weekends.
A Countryside Escape Near Windsor
The Fox & Hounds is accessible from Windsor, London and the surrounding Surrey countryside. Its proximity to Windsor Great Park makes it particularly convenient for combining a countryside walk with lunch or dinner.
The restaurant serves lunch and dinner throughout the week, with a dedicated Sunday lunch menu and à la carte dining on Sunday evenings. Reservations can be arranged through its website.
With its traditional atmosphere, French-influenced cooking and attractive garden, The Fox & Hounds offers a welcoming setting for an unhurried meal near Windsor. Its varied menus and well-chosen wines make it a dependable option for countryside dining throughout the year.
Location: Bishopsgate Rd, Englefield Green, Egham TW20 0XU
