Warwickshire &amp; West Midlands


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lowdown">THE LOWDOWN</h2>



<p>In the pretty hamlet of Armscote, three miles past Shipston-on-Stour, sits great country gastropub with five rooms&nbsp;<a href="https://fuzzyduckarmscote.com/">The Fuzzy Duck</a>. It’s built up a strong reputation locally since opening more than ten years ago, and that time has scooped awards including two AA rosettes, a Michelin Guide listing and a coveted Muddy award for best boutique stay!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-1000x667.jpg" alt="fuzzy duck" class="wp-image-61878" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The pub is owned by Adrian and Tania Slater, founders of soap company Baylis and Harding. Unsurprisingly, you can find its products throughout &#8211; including more than 20 soaps to choose from in the loo! </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE VIBE</h2>



<p>It&#8217;s got that lovely country gastropub vibe, with twinkling fairy lights, candles, real fires, nooks and crannies filled with squishy chairs, and views for days. It&#8217;s a pub I visit pretty regularly, and the tables are always full with a mix of friends, families and couples. </p>



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<p>Decor is rustic with a healthy dose of country glam. Fresh flowers throughout, low beamed ceilings, leather-look chairs, moody wall lighting and flickering candles. In summer you might want to venture outside to the spacious enclosed garden with an orchard, centrally positioned gazebo, wooden benches and cushioned seating.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pillow-talk">PILLOW TALK</h2>



<p>There are five rooms at the Fuzzy Duck, each named after &#8211; you guessed it! &#8211; different duck species. It&#8217;s a sumptuous bolthole just outside Stratford, perfect to stay just out of town and just a short drive to the centre.</p>



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<p>Rooms have been done to the highest standard, with The White Company linens, his and her&#8217;s slippers and of course, snuggly bathrobes. It&#8217;s luxury, with a cosy country feel, light art-deco touches throughout and local photographs adorning the walls. Beds are super king size and promise a great night&#8217;s sleep before tugging on some of the free-to-use Hunter wellies downstairs and setting off on an adventure. </p>



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<p>A lovely touch is the communal pantry with free coffees, teas, snacks, homemade cakes and a well-stocked fridge filled with juices, water and every different type of dairy and dairy-free milk you could want. There&#8217;s also a basket of The Fuzzy Duck toiletries to help yourself to and take home &#8211; the Oud and Geranium shower gel was a personal favourite!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-5-1000x667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-61883" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-5-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-5-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-5.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SCOFF &amp; QUAFF</h2>



<p>It wasn&#8217;t my first visit to The Fuzzy Duck and it&#8217;s one of those places I always recommend to people when they have relatives visiting they want to impress, for a special occasion or just guaranteed good food. </p>



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<p>Staff are charming, attentive and knowledgeable, as always when it came to food and drinks. I went for a glass of the Argentinian Malbec which was rich and delicious, but if you like your cocktails make sure you try some of the ones here too, they&#8217;re always a hit!</p>



<p>The first thing I&#8217;m going to say about the Fuzzy Duck is you need to start proceedings with the homemade bread. It changes regularly and is always a triumph. The night I visit it&#8217;s a honey and oat mini milk loaf, served warm with local butter. As always, it was absolutely delicious. </p>



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<p>For starters the waiter recommended the goats cheese soufflé, and it was perfectly done. Light and fluffy, swimming in truffle cheese sauce and absolutely brimming with freshly shaved truffle on top. </p>



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<p>For mains it had to be the duck. &#8216;Quack and Chips&#8217; is a honey soy-glazed duck leg with truffle and parmesan fries and a carrot and sesame salad. The meat fell apart and there was a decadent sauce perfect for dipping. I polished off the lot! Mr Muddy was a bit more of a traditionalist and went with fillet of beef, with homemade hash brown, mushroom duxelles, roasted cherry tomatoes and a rich red wine jus. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-8-1000x667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-61886" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-8-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-8-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-8-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/06/Untitled-design-8.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>You can&#8217;t come to The Fuzzy Duck and not have pud. They do the best affogato here which I highly recommend with the local Cotswolds Distillery cream liqueur. Granny Baylis&#8217;s seasonal crumble is always a warming, tasty choice too, it&#8217;s a huge portion but I gave it my best shot (of course I ate it all).</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DOG FRIENDLY</h2>



<p>Dog&#8230;.and horse friendly. Yes you can take your horse (or pony) along here and there&#8217;s carrots and water outside for them. Don&#8217;t think they&#8217;re welcome in the bar area though, unlike well-behaved pooches. There&#8217;s loads of scenic walks to take in around here too so if you&#8217;re here early enough then head out on one first. If you&#8217;re staying overnight there&#8217;s lots of walk suggestions in a guide in the room. </p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">OUT &amp; ABOUT</h2>



<p>The village is also home to&nbsp;<a href="http://armscotemanor.co.uk/">Armscote Manor</a>, a 17<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;Century manor house and celebrated garden, or If you fancy flying the nest there are dozens of beautiful, quaint Warwickshire and Cotswolds villages on your doorstep. They include Admington,&nbsp;Ilmington, Larkstoke, Blackwell, Newbold-on-Stour, Bourton-on-the-Water, Moreton-in-Marsh,&nbsp;Broadway, Stow-on-the-Wold and Chipping Campden.&nbsp;And if you fancy a muddy dog walk you can borrow a pair of Hunter wellies and follow one of the many trails curated by the staff.&nbsp;</p>



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<p>Culture-vultures will enjoy Stratford-upon-Avon with five of Shakespeare’s family homes, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rsc.org.uk/">Royal Shakespeare Theatre</a>&nbsp;and boating on the river to explore. Nearby Shipston-on-Stour, a former working wool town, still retains much of its traditional charm and is home to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cotswoldsdistillery.com/tours?gclid=CjwKCAiAo9_QBRACEiwASknDwUtOfIIDtjT_ZmxplUiqHKONMVKlgfjOSPHOJRXVu8wqAmzeRaZV0RoC4xYQAvD_BwE">Cotwolds Distillery&nbsp;</a>where you can go on gin and whisky tasting tours.</p>



<p>There’s lots for nature-loving families to do –&nbsp;<a href="http://www.butterflyfarm.co.uk/attraction/index.php">Stratford Butterfly Farm</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://hattonworld.com/adventure-world/">Hatton Adventure World</a>&nbsp;nr Warwick,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.birdland.co.uk/">Birdland</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/">Cotswold Wildlife Park&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk/">Cotswolds Farm Park</a>, home of Countryfile presenter Adam Henson and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.batsarb.co.uk/">Batsford Abortorium</a>.&nbsp; Heritage fans will love&nbsp;<a href="https://www.warwick-castle.com/">Warwick Castle</a>, English Heritage-run <a href="http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenilworth-castle/">Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Gardens</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ragley.co.uk/">Ragley Hall</a>&nbsp;and two nearby National Trust attractions&nbsp; –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hidcote">Hidcote&nbsp;</a>gardens and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/snowshill-manor-and-garden">Snowshill Manor&nbsp;</a>with its Arts and Crafts terraced garden.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<p><strong>GOOD FOR:</strong> It’s the perfect place to treat yourself to a delicious but informal dinner with family and friends, or for date night (with the dog too!). If you can then stop for the night and head off on a leisurely walk the next day. </p>



<p><strong>NOT FOR:&nbsp;</strong>Anyone expecting a bustling nightlife. This is a quiet rural village, a great country escape – good for switching off and enjoying some ‘r and r’, sipping vino in front of a log fire and country strolls in borrowed Hunter wellies. But do check out the rather splendid cocktail menu.</p>



<p><strong>THE DAMAGE:</strong>&nbsp;Very fair, with rooms around £110 a night. On Tuesday &#8211; Friday there&#8217;s a set three-course lunch and dinner menu for a bargain £24.95, it&#8217;s available on Saturday afternoons too. Off the main menu starters come in around £9 with mains starting from £19.</p>



<p><em>The Fuzzy Duck, Ilmington Road, Armscote, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 8DD,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fuzzyduckarmscote.com/">fuzzyduckarmscote</a>, Tel:&nbsp;01608 682 635.</em></p>


Review: The Fuzzy Duck Restaurant & Rooms

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