We’ve been dying to get down to The Mason’s Arms in Clanfield since it opened in October, mainly because if it’s anything like its older and more sophisticated sister The Double Red Duke, we were in for a treat.
And while The Double Red Duke over the road is superb, its more low key relative is even more of a gift, almost because it’s less refined and therefore more accessible.

Formerly The Clanfield Tavern, The Mason’s Arms‘ redecoration celebrates its 16th century history, while creating a truly hospitable atmosphere, thanks to new owners Sam and Georgie Pearman’s of Country Creatures, and reminded us of The Bull in Charlbury.
Busy on a weekday lunchtime, the diners there were enjoying the mix of small plates and more traditional fare with aplomb. And if our neighbouring table’s fish and chips, and ham, egg & chips, are anything to go by, we couldn’t fault them.


Instead, we concentrated on the tapas style offering, an intoxicating selection that begged to be tried. From the traditional – chips and curry sauce and the Salt Pig charcuterie plate (£10) with sharp little cornichons, to the more exotic – burrata, pumpkin, almond and chilli (£10).
Add in thick wedges of Blake’s sourdough with a whipped butter, and the white onion soup (an astonishingly good value £7), and we were good to go.


All of which sounds fairly innocuous, but what the chefs at The Masons Arms delivered raised the bar so high it was hard to reach.
Let’s start with the chips and curry sauce served in a tiny copper pan; the sauce was deep, rich, thick, spicy and flavoured, yet still velvety. It was absolutely superb, I could have drunk it straight down, except that the chips were so spot on their were equally as irresistible, as if they’d come straight from a chippies paperbag – n one of this triple cooked malarkey.


The bread and butter was another gift, the slices hefty and bitter, with a real depth of flavour in contrast to the fluffy light whipped butter piped like a Mr Whippy.
The burrata, pumpkin, almond and chilli was a revelation, the burrata so soft it almost melted, the pumpkin roasted and juicy, set against the crunch of nuts, pumpkin seeds and red onion and then that hit of chilli.


But it was the white onion soup that really took our breath away, nothing like its more stringent French variety, but delicate, creamy and topped with tiny diced capers, chives and croutons, another mix of texture and stunningly elegant.
There were two desserts, a sticky toffee pudding sundae and a vibrant rhubarb sundae with ice cream. We opted for the latter from the specials board which arrived in a metal cup, the fruit sweet and sour, against the cold creamy glacé and sugary gingerbread cubes.


And despite the expertise in the kitchens, it was all so relaxed and inconspicuous, such a wonderful place to kick back, eat, chat and enjoy without any of the sit-cup-and-beg atmosphere of a smarter establishment.
So yes, we fell head over heels in love with The Mason’s Arms, which is now our new favourite place.
But next time we’ll try the ham, egg and chips, as long as we’re allowed a side order of curry sauce.


The Mason’s Arms, Bampton Road, Clanfield https://www.countrycreatures.com/the-masons-arms/