Eat
Freshly prepared food with ingredients sourced from the very best local suppliers.
Welcome to the Trout Inn
A proper Cotswold pub.
A fish’s plop, waving reeds, bird calls, mature trees and empty golden fields … the sights and sounds around the upper part of the Thames, near Faringdon and Lechlade on Thames, couldn’t be more different from the busy thoroughfare of the capital. Here the river is a quiet winding narrow ribbon, beside which the hugely characterful Trout Inn has sat for 800 years. It’s a traditional Cotswold pub — one without a celebrity chef at the helm or a greige Scandi-rustic makeover; a grandfather clock and a 7kg taxidermy pike, caught here in 1902, are what stand for interior design.
The Times, May 23rd, 2025
Welcome to The Trout. Known by customers across the world and around the corner for warm hospitality, great food, excellent beer, fine wine and a total lack of pretension. And as we’ve been serving them since the 13th Century, we should know what they like!
Here we hope to give you a flavour of everything that you can eat, drink and experience at The Trout. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Drink
A great selection of non-alcoholic drinks, brilliant wines for every taste and occasion, chilled lagers and ciders, and an interesting and regularly varied selection of ales.
…and be merry!
From paddleboarding to pantomime, there’s always something to enjoy at the Trout.
A short guide to our long history
How it all began / today
How It All Began…
History
Back in 1220, the old wooden bridge over the Thames at Lechlade was replaced by a stone one. To accommodate the workmen building it, Peter Fitzherbert founded a hospital (or almshouse) dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Fast forward to 1472, and the main priory was dissolved by Edward IV, but the almshouse continued as an inn known as “Ye Sygne of St. John Baptist Head” until 1704, when it was renamed “The Trout Inn”.
The Trout Inn still holds ancient Fishery Rights granted by Royal Charter, controlling two miles of trout and coarse fishing waters. While you can’t fish directly from the Trout land these days, the stretch of water on the south bank between the lock and Lechlade is available during the open season, with a bailiff patrolling and collecting fees from the bank.
For over 700 years, the tradition of hospitality, good food, and drink has been faithfully maintained at this historic inn.
Today
Penny Warren has been the proud proprietor of the Trout Inn, our beloved pub in Lechlade, for over 36 years. Her mission has always been to keep the Trout Inn a traditional English inn.
We boast a riverside garden, and during the summer, we have a large marquee for dining. Along with the Creel bar, a garden bar separate from the main building, these spaces can be booked for your party or business function. In the winter months, enjoy a roaring log fire in the main bar, which features ancient wooden beams and stone floors.
We’re not a fast food or gastro pub, but a family-run country inn with a fine selection of real ales, ciders, wines, and spirits, all meticulously maintained by Scott. Our kitchen, run with great flair by Penny, offers traditional pub food, home-cooked to order. All our meat is locally sourced and fully traceable, and our vegetables and salads are always freshly prepared by a local supplier. We aim to offer a varied selection of dishes, with special boards alongside our main menu. We’re allergy-aware and fully compliant with all regulations, meaning we can inform you of the ingredients in any of our dishes. We offer gluten-free choices and can cater to most dietary requirements.
We proudly support the local community, allowing many local groups and charities to use our facilities free of charge. We also have a small jam shop selling jams and chutneys in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care that raises well over £3000 per year.
Penny and her late husband Bob have both been awarded the Harold Dowler award by the Fairford and District Business Club for their service to the community.
