Having stayed at the Bull Burford when it reopened as a modern hotel following a major refurbishment in 2023, the news that it had received a Michelin Key was no surprise. Recipients of this award offer what is described as a "very special stay" –  the very words I had used to describe my experience at the 18-room retreat, a renovated Grade II listed 16th-century inn ensconced in a chocolate box Cotswolds village. I arrived by car anticipating bucolic charm, wellies and waxed jackets, but was met instead by a rather remarkable artwork in the hotel window, which hinted at the curated world inside. 

The Bull is a passion project. Public relations guru Matthew Freud owns Burford priory across the road and wanted to save the local pub. In doing so he's created an intimate, unpretentious experience on the high street that has all the charm of a country inn – but elevated. The gallery-worthy art alone – including pieces from Freud’s own collection – sets this place apart. Hunkering down on the sofa in the sitting room, you’ll notice Salvador Dalí’s melting clock above a crackling fire. Retaining one’s focus during a game of chess can be challenging when Jean-Michel Basquiat's Charles The First hangs on the wall above the chessboard and, as you navigate the labyrinthine rooms around the inn, be prepared to be halted in your tracks by artworks such as Grayson Perry’s The American Dream. 

What is also unusual at the Bull, but had me feeling at home, is the hotel’s ethos of “connection and creativity”. Guests are encouraged to join in with others by participating in its programme of creative classes, or dining as a group. This shifts the dynamics at the hotel, which, no doubt, Freud’s great-grandfather Sigmund would have observed with interest. The experience is akin to accepting a dinner invitation at a friend’s home, enjoying the company of new acquaintances as much as the copious food and wine, and staying the night because you don’t want to leave.

The creative programme at the Bull has thus far included perfumery, sushi roll-making, Padel tennis, acting, GarageBand, bee keeping and ceramics, delivered in one-hour sessions (the last was a wreath-making class). Back in 2023, as the hotel shimmered with lights in the run-up to Christmas, I took a ceramics class with artist Martha Freud, aptly entitled “A Night on the Tiles”. Martha is Matthew’s niece. Her artwork Higher Power, was the piece I had spied in the window on my arrival. She’s also designed some of the hotel’s eye-catching pendant lights and is a familiar face, calling the place a second home. That evening she also turned out to be a consummate host, who soon had a band of strangers joking over drinks as we tied aprons around our waists and assembled supplies around a gigantic wooden table. I tried my first Paloma on Martha's recommendation – I have never looked back. 

Before the group got creative, our host asked us to write down a word on a piece of paper representing something we wanted to remove from our lives. We were to keep this word a secret, fold the paper and place it in a dish, which she proceeded to set ablaze with a match. We were then charged with imprinting a positive word into the tile or dish that we would be making. This would be fired into the clay – a permanent resolution.

Dinner continued in the same spirit at Horn. As we were seated around a large table, dishes were placed between us – melt-in-the-mouth fare served with thick slabs of sourdough and whipped butter. We helped ourselves, heaping piles on plates. Freud, it transpires, had always hated the constant interruption of formal service. He felt it stifled conversation. That night it flowed freely.

Earlier in the day we had been taken on a tour of  Hiro, as (former) chef Hiromi Wada prepared omakase, barely noticing our intrusion. A female sushi master is a rarity and observing her quiet ritual felt like a privileged glimpse into a private world. Outside, in the courtyard, a table was prepared for open fire dining at Wild under strings of lights. Chef Ben Chamberlain’s culinary odyssey includes dishes such as slow-cooked Korean barbecue venison with crispy heritage potatoes tossed in coal butter. Since my visit, the hotel has added Sl’ice to its offering, a pizza and gelato restaurant from chefs Michele Pascarella and Anshu Anghotra.