Restaurant in Armscote, United Kingdom
Proper pub cooking, Michelin-noted, no fuss.
A Michelin Plate-recognised village pub in Armscote delivering Modern British cooking at ££ prices — strong value for the region. The 'quack and chips' signals a kitchen that thinks beyond pub convention, while the rooms make it a practical base for a Cotswolds food trip. Easy to book, straightforward to justify.
Fuzzy Duck is the right choice if you want a genuinely well-executed pub meal in the Warwickshire countryside without the formality or price tag of a destination dining room. It earned a Michelin Plate in 2025, which is Michelin's way of saying the cooking is good enough to notice — and at ££ pricing, that credential carries real weight. If you're staying in the Cotswolds fringe or passing through the Stratford-upon-Avon corridor, this is a considerably stronger lunch or dinner option than most village pubs in a thirty-mile radius. Book it for a relaxed weekend meal, a countryside stop between sightseeing, or as a lower-commitment alternative to the full destination-dining circuit.
The Fuzzy Duck sits on Ilmington Road in the small village of Armscote, which places it squarely in the quieter, less-trafficked southern Cotswolds. The pub was, at one point, a boarded-up local — the kind of building that villages lose without much ceremony. Siblings Adrian and Tania, who built their profile through toiletries brand Baylis & Harding, took it on and restored it with care rather than concept. The result is a pub that feels genuinely inhabited rather than dressed for Instagram: attentive to detail, comfortable, and without the self-conscious rusticity that plagues so many country pub revivals.
The kitchen runs a menu that covers both ends of the Modern British pub spectrum. The anchors are the kind of dishes that make sense in this context , prawn cocktail, Scotch egg , executed with the precision that justifies Michelin's attention. Alongside those, the menu reaches for more considered combinations. The 'quack and chips' is the dish that signals the kitchen's real intentions: confit duck leg with spiced gravy and a carrot and sesame salad. That pairing , rich, slow-cooked meat against a sharp, textured salad , is the sort of balance that takes technique to achieve. It is not elaborate food, but it is thought-through food, and at this price point, that distinction matters. For a food and travel enthusiast who has eaten across the county, the Fuzzy Duck's approach represents the better end of what a Michelin-recognised pub kitchen can deliver: restrained ambition, clean execution, and a menu that doesn't overreach.
Pub also has bedrooms, which makes it a practical overnight base for exploring the area. Armscote itself is small, but the location puts you within easy reach of Stratford-upon-Avon, the Cotswolds villages to the south, and a handful of other dining options worth combining into a longer itinerary. If you're planning a food-focused weekend in the region, pairing a night at Fuzzy Duck with dinner at a more ambitious table nearby , Opheem in Birmingham is a reasonable drive north, and 33 The Homend in Ledbury covers the Modern British territory to the west , builds out a trip that uses Fuzzy Duck sensibly as a relaxed counterpoint rather than a destination in isolation.
Google rating sits at 4.5 from 540 reviews, which for a village pub with rooms represents a sustained level of satisfaction rather than a spike from a single good press moment. That volume of reviews over time is a more reliable signal than a handful of five-star responses. The combination of that rating and the Michelin Plate is a reasonable basis for confidence.
Cooking here is not trying to compete with Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton or Moor Hall in Aughton. It knows what it is , a well-run, well-resourced village pub with a kitchen that takes its work seriously , and it delivers on that with consistency. For the explorer who wants depth and context on a regional food trip, Fuzzy Duck answers the question of where to eat well without ceremony in this part of Warwickshire more convincingly than anywhere nearby.
For a broader look at where to eat, stay, and drink in the area, see our full Armscote restaurants guide, our full Armscote hotels guide, our full Armscote bars guide, our full Armscote wineries guide, and our full Armscote experiences guide.
Booking difficulty is low. Fuzzy Duck does not have the reservation pressure of a destination tasting-menu restaurant, but weekends in a popular countryside location fill up , book at least a week ahead for Friday or Saturday. If you're combining a stay with dinner, coordinate room and table bookings together.
Address: Ilmington Rd, Armscote, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 8DD, United Kingdom. Reservations: Recommended, especially for weekends; booking difficulty is easy. Budget: ££ , expect a mid-range pub spend, competitive for Michelin-recognised cooking. Dress: Smart casual is appropriate; this is a well-kept inn, not a formal dining room. Rooms: Bedrooms available on-site, making it viable as an overnight base.
The 'quack and chips' is the dish the kitchen is known for: confit duck leg with spiced gravy and a carrot and sesame salad. It demonstrates the kitchen's range better than the classic pub staples, though the Scotch egg and prawn cocktail are described as executed with care. For a food-focused visit, start with a classic and follow with the duck to get the full picture of what this kitchen does well.
Yes, at ££ pricing with a Michelin Plate, the value proposition is strong. You are getting Michelin-recognised cooking at pub prices , that gap between recognition and cost is exactly what makes this a sound booking. Comparable quality at this price point is genuinely hard to find in rural Warwickshire. For a special occasion on a tighter budget, or a countryside meal where you want quality without committing to a tasting-menu spend, Fuzzy Duck is the right call.
Armscote itself is a small village with limited dining options beyond the Fuzzy Duck. For alternatives in the broader region, Opheem in Birmingham is the nearest Michelin-starred option at a higher price point, while 33 The Homend in Ledbury covers Modern British at a similar tier to the west. If you want the full country-pub-with-serious-cooking experience and are willing to travel, Hand and Flowers in Marlow sets the category standard, though it sits at a higher price and booking difficulty.
Specific group capacity data is not confirmed in our records. At ££ pricing with rooms on-site, the Fuzzy Duck is a practical choice for small groups of four to six staying overnight in the Cotswolds area. For larger groups, contact the venue directly to confirm space availability before assuming a walk-in will work. Weekend evenings in particular are likely to fill the dining room, so advance notice for groups is advisable.
The venue is described as a pub and inn rather than a restaurant, which suggests bar-side eating is likely available in some form , but specific seating configurations are not confirmed in our records. If bar eating matters to you (for solo dining or a more informal visit), call ahead to confirm what the setup allows on the day you plan to visit.
There is no confirmed tasting menu format at Fuzzy Duck in our records. The kitchen runs a Modern British pub menu rather than a structured tasting format. If a tasting menu is what you're after in this region, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton or Midsummer House in Cambridge are the more appropriate choices, at a considerably higher price point. Fuzzy Duck is the better booking when you want quality à la carte without the commitment or cost of a tasting format.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuzzy Duck | Modern British | Siblings Adrian and Tania – owners of toiletries company Baylis & Harding – preside over this immaculately kept pub. It was once a boarded-up boozer, but these days a loving touch and keen eye have seen it reestablished as a welcoming, fashionably attired inn with bedrooms to match. The cooking mixes timeless British pub fare, like a prawn cocktail or a Scotch egg, with more modern and playful options like the 'quack and chips' – confit duck leg with a spiced gravy and refreshing carrot and sesame salad.; Michelin Plate (2025) | Easy | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
The standout on the menu is the 'quack and chips' — confit duck leg with spiced gravy and a carrot and sesame salad — which shows the kitchen at its most confident. Classic pub staples like prawn cocktail and Scotch egg are also on offer and executed well. At ££ pricing, the modern options give better value for money than the traditional dishes if you want to see what the Michelin Plate recognition is about.
Yes, at ££ it overdelivers for the format. A Michelin Plate (2025) at pub prices in the Warwickshire countryside is a straightforward win if you're in the area. You're not paying tasting-menu money, and the cooking mixes classic and modern British well enough to justify a dedicated trip rather than a convenience stop.
Armscote is a small village with limited immediate dining options, so most alternatives require a short drive. The southern Cotswolds and the Stratford-upon-Avon area have several other pubs and inns, but few carry Michelin recognition at this price point. If you want to stay in the ££ range with comparable credentials, Fuzzy Duck is the area's clearest call.
The venue operates as a pub-inn on Ilmington Road in Armscote, which typically suits small to mid-size groups better than large parties. For groups of six or more, contact them directly to confirm space and availability. Weekends fill quickly in this part of the Cotswolds, so advance booking is recommended regardless of group size.
Fuzzy Duck is a pub at its core, so bar seating is a reasonable expectation, but layout specifics are not confirmed in available venue data. Given its pub format and the fact that it was restored from a boarded-up boozer into a functioning inn, informal seating options are likely. Call ahead if bar dining is specifically what you want.
Fuzzy Duck does not operate a tasting menu format. The kitchen runs a pub menu mixing British classics with more playful modern dishes, priced at ££. If a tasting menu is your format, this is not the right booking — but if you want a well-judged, Michelin Plate-recognised pub meal in the Cotswolds without the ceremony, it fits well.
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