* Locals will get an especially warm welcome at The Red Lion in Islip when it reopens its doors at 6pm on Wednesday, giving them a peak at the pub’s transformation and a chance to sample the new menu.

The Red Lion has been shut for seven weeks for a major refurbishment costing nearly £200,000 The pub has been redecorated and refitted from top to bottom. The adjacent skittle alley will have its own function room for events and parties, while the revamped dining room and lounge bar will provide high end dining. A specialist range of gins including Tanqueray, Hendrix, Plymouth and Fever Tree Tonic will now be on sale.

Outside, the new patio area has a fire pit, which will be lit on the opening night if the weather turns chilly.

Andrew Whittle took on The Red Lion at the end of May and his new food offer will be based on classic fine dining using locally sourced produce wherever possible.

The pub will also celebrate the best of British, with a ‘four-county breakfast’ on Saturdays, with eggs from Oxfordshire, sausages from Gloucestershire, bacon from Wiltshire and black pudding from Lancashire. Behind the bar there will be three cask ales on rotation and bottled craft ales.

Andrew said: “I’m delighted to be taking on The Red Lion and investing with Punch Taverns to bring it back into the 21st century, as an integral part of the local community. We want villagers and people from further afield to wine, dine and relax, as they enjoy our fresh, local menu.

“I’m looking forward to welcoming back our Aunt Sally team to their very own pitch and to creating a Red Lion Skittles team.

“We will also be introducing a Sunday quiz night and supporting three charities with fundraising events.”

The Red Lion, High Street, Islip, OX5 2RX.

* Soho House has opened a new restaurant, Farmshop, at Bicester Village, where Busaba used to be.

Founder Nick Jones said: “Farmshop is about serving a great all-day menu of British food to the table within about five minutes of ordering.

“So we have created somewhere to get great quality food – fast.

“We’ve got lots on the menu so there’s something for every time of day.

“Eggs, lots of salads, warm sandwiches out of the wood oven, heartier dishes like rib of beef, and proper puddings like Bramley apple pie.”

The restaurant has a countryside feel with lots of exposed beams and barn doors, together with a nod to 1950s ‘general store’ style with vintage chairs and a painted floor.