England is the home of many things. Fish & chips, punk rock, the Queen, and Soho House. So it only stands to reason that they now have seven of them. That’s right, seven—out of 14 worldwide. The latest one, dubbed Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire is perhaps the most picturesque of them all, fulfilling your deepest English countryside fantasies a mere hour and a half from London.
The 18th century farmhouse is set on 100 acres of beautiful, rolling land next to a lake. Aside from the farmhouse, which boasts seven bedrooms, there is also a four-bedroom cottage as well as 40 new guest cabins that have been constructed around the lake.
Of course, there are the expected amenities like a Cowshed Spa, which features a steam, sauna and ice bath is the centerpiece. It has nine treatment rooms, two soaks (a two-person spa bath), a mudroom and six mani-pedi chairs. Josh Wood is on hand at the Farmhouse to offer hair cutting, styling and colour, with an Atelier creative working between Farmhouse and Josh’s Notting Hill salon.
If you’d like to do something a little more hand-on give a try at softball, play on one of four tennis courts (two of which you can live out your WImbledon fantasies by playing on real grass) or take a lesson on one of the house’s 11 horses that live on site.
When it comes to dining, Soho Farmhouse covers those bases well. Tom Aikens is overseeing the properties food, much of which will be locally sourced or grown onsite by head gardener Anna Greenland on a one-acre garden.
The options are enticing. The Boathouse offers casual dining, with grilled fish, meat and pizza with a rotating menu. The Main Barn, with its two mezzanine spaces,opens early, and closes when the last guest leaves and serves up everything from breakfast to small bites to roast suckling pig.
The Farm Deli can be found in the central Farmyard buildings, alongside a Wine Cellar and, yes, a Pickle Room and Curing Cave where charcuterie will be made onsite. That’s in case you had any doubts about just how on-trend charcuterie was a the moment. Sundries, juices and coffees bought here can be taken to go back to the cabins.
If that’s not quite rustic enough for you, check out the Farmshack, where there will be a wood grill and smoke cabin with hearty stew, slow roast and ribs. Then there is The Mill Room, which believe it or not is Soho House’s first pub. It serves a selection of local beers, guest ales and ciders, plus classic pub bites that we’re sure will be far and away some of the best pub grub you’ve ever tasted. But that’s just a well-educated guess until we make the trip across the pond ourselves.
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