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ANGELFISH
Canal Visitor Centre, Brassknocker Hill, Monkton Combe, BA2 7JD Tel: 01225 723483
• Canalside location near the panoramic Dundas Aqueduct - a welcome oasis for walkers and cyclists. Leisurely coffees, mains like seafood linguine, ploughman’s lunches with homemade chutney, all while narrowboats meander outside. Popular for Sun lunch - the sticky toffee alone pudding warrants a brisk country walk. Open Mon-Sun 10am-5.30pm
AT THE SIGN OF THE ANGEL
Church St, Lacock, nr Chippenham, Wilts, SN15 2LB Tel: 01249 730230, web: www.lacock.co.uk
• Full of the oak-panelled, log-fired splendour you’d expect from a centuries-old inn at the heart of the awesomely picturesque village of Lacock. Combines classy elegance with well-rooted contemporary English food made from locally sourced produce. Bread is homemade, eggs come from their own hens, daily set lunch (2 £13.95) includes homemade casserole of local meat every day. Evening dining brings classics like roasted rack of lamb; homemade ice-creams are a dessert must-have.
BARLEY WOOD WALLED GARDEN
Long Lane, Wrington, N Somerset, BS40 5SA Tel: 01934 863713, web: www.walledgarden.co.uk
• The asparagus, chicken, cremini mushroom & tarragon pressed terrine is just one of the starters designed and prepared by Bristol Ethicureans from seasonal, organic ingredients, many grown in the garden itself. Lots of interesting combinations, with all mains available in children’s portions. Milk stout-roasted blade of beef and imaginative veggie options make Sun lunch a must. Victorian garden, exhibition gallery and (in summer) towering Maize Maze. Open Tue-Sun 9.30am-5.30pm
BATHAMPTON MILL
Mill Lane, Bathampton, BA2 6TS Tel: 01225 469758, web: www.thebathamptonmill.co.uk
• With a sun-drenched riverside garden and no less than three log fires in winter, the perfect pause for Bathonian strollers all year round. Accommodating menu of classic satisfying fare, from Mediterranean sharing plates to fillet steak garni straight off the grill. Pasta, pizza and original salad selection. Food Daily 12noon-9.30pm (7pm Sun). ALC: 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm
BISTRO 507
507 Bath Rd, Saltford, BS31 3HQ Tel: 01225 873108, web: www.bistro507.co.uk
• Venue’s top restaurant for 2010 stole the reviewer’s heart thanks to its ‘immaculately prepared English cuisine with the friendly intimacy of someone’s dining room’. Still only in their third year, the diffident-looking bungalow on the busy A4 conceals a sought-after dining room serving lunches and dinners from menus rich in tradition with a hint of the contemporary, made impressive by careful sourcing of the best-quality, locally sourced ingredients, whether for bubble & squeak or slow-roasted lamb shank. Wine choice is impressive, too, and service friendly: ‘Definitely deserves destination diner status.’ Open Tue-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6.30-10pm, Sun 12noon-3pm
BRAZZ AT THE CASTLE
Castle Green, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 1NF Tel: 01823 252000, web: www.brazz.co.uk
• Contemporary brasserie serving adventurously modern English cuisine (venison faggots, anyone?) alongside European crowd-pleasers (mussels with white wine, garlic, parsley). From ‘coffee and doughnuts’ to their famous Sun lunches, it’s all made with care from great local ingredients. Extensive wine list – a great place just to chill with a glass or two. Open Mon-Fri 10am-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 10am-10.30pm
CAFE LA STRADA
13 Cheap St, Frome, BA11 1BN Tel: 01373 474374, web: www.cafelastrada.co.uk
• Lovely slice of cosmopolitan eating pleasure in Frome, offering unexpected treats all day. Breakfasts include pancetta; lunch brings rigatoni with cream of cep mushrooms and truffata, and butternut squash risotto. Coffee and cakes are a must - delicious Portuguese ‘nata’ custard tarts and lemon polenta - but even they are upstaged by proprietor Jude Kelly’s homemade ‘senso’ ice-cream made from local milk in seasonal flavours like lavender & gin’n’tonic (also available to take away). Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm
CALCOT MANOR
Tetbury, Glos, GL8 8YJ Tel: 01666 890391, web: www.calcotmanor.co.uk
• Classic Cotswolds manor house hotel with a formal dining restaurant (The Conservatory) and a country pub (the Gumstool Inn). Head chef Michael Croft oversees the menu at both, so whether you’re after stylish gastropub grub or the full European contemporary cuisine, you can be sure of quality ingredients and cooking.
CEDARS RESTAURANT AT HOLBROOK HOUSE
Wincanton, Somerset, BA9 8BS Tel: 01963 824466, web: www.holbrookhouse.co.uk
• No less a man than Michael Eavis has given this place his approval, judging it Best Restaurant in 2011’s Taste of Somerset Awards. Two AA rosettes for the fine dining menu, and a daily set lunch menu (2 £14.50) featuring organic smoked salmon tortellini and pan-fried fillet of bream, with things getting especially sumptuous on Sundays (2 £19.50). Book ahead, and they’ll put on a classic afternoon tea, with sandwiches, cakes and pastries on tiered stands (£14).
CELLAR
36 Hill Rd, Clevedon, BS21 7PJ Tel: 01275 340340, web: www.thecellarclevedon.com
• Once an apothecary/pharmacist shop (check out those dozens of tiny drawers in the counter), this grade II listed building now houses a wine bar and bistro. Strong on tapas, with Spanish classics like pinchitos and meat balls and the imaginative ‘peppersweet tuna’-stuffed vegetables. Mains like lasagne or spinach & ricotta pasta, and they go to town on puddings: chocolate baskets filled with ice-cream and summer fruits under a caramel sauce. One of the region’s largest selections of wines, beers and spirits. Open Tue-Sat 10am-10pm.
CLAVELSHAY BARN
Lower Clavelshay Farm, North Petherton, nr Bridgewater, TA6 6PJ Tel: 01278 662629, web: www.clavelshaybarn.co.uk
• On the edge of the Quantock Hills, a superbly bucolic destination with access to some of the country’s finest artisan food producers and growers. Head chef Guy Horley takes full advantage of the latter in the ‘country cooking with a contemporary twist’ on his small, ever-changing menu. Awarded a Taste of the West Silver prize yet again in 2010. Top-value Sun roast (£9.50) is a regular sell-out. Open Wed-Sat from 7pm, Sun from 12noon
COMBE HOUSE HOTEL & RESTAURANT
Gittisham, Honiton EX14 3AD Tel: 01404 540400. Web: www.combehousedevon.com
• Situated at the end of a mile-long driveway through classically rolling Devonshire countryside Combe House is an awesome Elizabethan mansion housing a splendid restaurant. Head chef Hadleigh Barrett and crew use the best locally-sourced ingredients (including some from their own kitchen garden) to create impressive dishes with what the 2011 Good Food Guide describes as ‘plenty of measured pizazz’ and a wine list they say ‘avoids snobbery in favour of superb drinking at fair prices’. 3-course table d’hote dinner plus canapes is £49, while their amazing 3-course Sunday lunch is £36.
COMBE GROVE MANOR HOTEL
Brassknocker Hill, Monkton Combe, Bath, BA2 7HS Tel: 01225 834644, www.barcelo-hotels.co.uk
• Set in a grand 18th-century country house overlooking the Limpley Stoke Valley, this resort hotel has two restaurants. The Eden Brasserie, in vaulted cellars, is a relaxed family-friendly space for contemporary dining (with alfresco tables). More formal Georgian Room upstairs serves up two-AA-rosette-winning cuisine. Open: Lunch: Brasserie 12noon-2.30pm. Dinner: brasserie & restaurant from 7pm
CONSERVATORY AT HINTON GRANGE
Nr Dyrham, Hinton, Wilts, SN14 8HG Tel: 0117 937 2916, web: www.hintongrange.co.uk
• In a beautifully secluded Cotswolds valley, with ivy-clad 15th-century walls, yet just 20 minutes from central Bath. Romantic environs (real fires, candlelight, low-beamed) and a short but classy menu, including slow-braised osso bucco with parmesan & basil mash and red wine sauce, and courgette & mint risotto. Highly rated Sun lunches.
CROWN AT CELTIC MANOR
Coldra Woods, Usk Valley, South Wales, NP18 1HQ Tel: 01633 413000, web: www.celtic-manor.com
• Dotted around the grounds of this five-star resort are no less than seven eateries, but it’s the Crown that won them three AA rosettes (seven-course taster dinner £70, two-course lunch £14.95). Rafters is a less formal meaty grill diner, while the Olive Tree serves family-friendly pizzas/burgers and sharing platters of Spanish tapas or seafood.
FAT FOWL
10 Silver St, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1JX Tel: 01225 863111, web: www.fatfowl.com
• By day, breakfasters enjoy fresh pastries, full English breakfasts and Bloody Marys, while lunchers have the run of Spanish and Italian delicacies, and Wiltshire bangers & mash to boot. Come evening, things take a classy turn, as local, seasonal produce is turned into contemporary European fusion dishes (boeuf bourguignon with morcilla crushed potatoes, homesmoked trout with lemon mayonnaise), with desserts like brulee lemon tart and chocolate truffle delice. The Roost tapas bar’s versatile feasts combine local ingredients with imported Spanish charcuterie. Open Daily, all day
GARDEN CAFE
16 Stony St, Frome, BA11 1BU Tel: 01373 454178, web: www.gardencafefrome.co.uk
• This much-loved, warm, friendly cafe pioneered the ‘local, organic, Fairtrade and locally sourced’ philosophy from early on. They’re open daily for breakfast, and serve ever-changing specials, faves like cashew nut & bean patties, Thai burgers and tapas/mezze. There’s a whole special children’s menu, including organic baby food, and some legendary cakes (the ‘zesty lemon cake’ really is!). Courtyard garden is a perfect alfresco bonus. Open Mon-Thur 8.30am-7pm, Fri-Sat 8.30am-late, Sun 10.30am-5pm
HARDWICK
Old Raglan Rd, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, South Wales, NP7 9AA Tel: 01873 854220, web: www.thehardwick.co.uk
• Steven Terry’s career has involved practically every big-name chef from Marco Pierre to Michel Jr. This destination diner, his first business as proprietor, sitting halfway between gastropub and restaurant, brings skill and imagination to every aspect of a menu, whether it’s an ALC four-way beef spectacular for two or regular lunchtime fish & chips. Wide-ranging Sun lunch menu will have you stumped for choice. Open Lunch: Tue-Sun 12noon-3pm. Dinner: Tue-Sun 6.30-10pm
HARLEQUIN CAFE
Kilver Court, Kilver St, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5NF Tel: 01749 340410, web: www.kilvercourt.com
• Elegant gardens of Kilver Court, farm shop with an impressive range of artisan produce (all ethically vetted), and a charming cafe offering quality, locally sourced, organic dishes. Find a cavalcade of cakes, and lunches (12noon-3pm) including organic White Park beef & ale pie with spelt crust, and Sharpham Park venison burger. Open Daily 9am-5pm
LIME RESTAURANT AT HOMEWOOD PARK
Hinton Charterhouse, nr Bath, BA2 7PT Tel: 01225 723731, web: www.homewoodpark.co.uk
• Head chef Daniel Moon took over the kitchen in 2009 and the place has leapt into the limelight, recently bagging three AA rosettes. His flair (showcased in a seven-course taster meal, £60) is evident in perfectly cooked, artfully assembled ALC dishes like sauteed scallop with bubble & squeak and sweetcorn puree, and stylish Sun lunches (2 £20). In the four-course tea-tasting menu, each course has its own brew.
JACKS BAR & BRASSERIE
Portishead Marina, Harbour Rd, Portishead, BS20 7AW Tel: 01275 397304, web: www.jacksbrasserie.co.uk
• Sister establishment to Bristol’s popular harbourside place, this relaxed, contemporary, family-run brasserie has a seasonally informed, world-travelling menu: Thai spiced crab cakes with mango & lime mayo, herb-marinated halloumi nicoise salad, classic chunky homemade beefburger with chunky chips. Hearty food with flavours well complemented by a wine list with plenty of by-the-glass choices. Open Mon-Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 11am-8pm
JACK’S RESTAURANT
Hartham Park, Corsham, Wilts, SN13 0RP Tel: 01249 700100, web: www.jacksrestaurantandbar.co.uk
• “I believe in excellent, seasonal ingredients, cooked simply to speak for themselves.” Thus head chef Jamie Hirst nailed his colours to the mast and proceeded to make his mark with homecured Longhorn beef bresaola and roast Hartham Park pigeon embellishing the menu: lunch 2 £14, dinner approx 3 £25. Call in advance for the early diner menu (3 £18), Tue-Thur 6.30-7.30pm.
KING WILLIAM INN
Tunley, nr Timsbury, Bath, BA2 0EB Tel: 0845 206 1376, web: www.kingwilliaminn.co.uk
• Taking the country pub menu to another level, the KW covers the classics from cheese ploughman’s to ham, egg & chips, with locally sourced meat (from within five miles) and freshly delivered fish from Cornwall. Lovely, daily homecooked pies and tarts and popular Sun lunches (you’ll need to book). Spacious courtyard for splendid alfresco evenings, and a candlelit, log-fired interior. Open Tue-Sat 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-2.30pm
LORDS OF THE MANOR
Upper Slaughter, nr Bourton on the Water, Glos, GL54 2JD Tel: 01451 820243, web: www.lordsofthemanor.com
• Proudly boasting its complete lack of a gym, jogging track or Jacuzzi, this hotel offers guests and diners shameless indulgence in a beautiful 17th-century building set in fabulous rolling Cotswold scenery. Michelin-starred for the past three years, head chef Matt Weedon’s sumptuous three-course dinner menu (£65) brings attention-seeking ingredients so beautifully presented that a second star must surely be on the horizon. Three-course Sun lunch (£40) is the ultimate treat, and the service superb. Beautiful terrace for balmy summer evenings.
LUCKNAM PARK HOTEL: THE PARK & THE BRASSERIE
Colerne, Chippenham, Wilts, SN14 8AZ Tel: 01225 742777, web: www.lucknampark.co.uk
• Six miles outside Bath, this imposing country house seems submerged in rural isolation, with many hotel guests drawn to the equestrian facilities as well as its reputation for classy comfort and its Michelin-starred restaurant. Executive chef Hywel Jones ensures The Park remains one of the region’s finest eating-out experiences, with seven-course gourmet menus and ALC choices, but he also has oversight of the less formal Brasserie, with its own two AA rosettes, in the hotel’s grounds. Wood-fired oven offers pizza with locally made salami, 28-day dry-aged steaks and fish cooked to your preference. ‘Healthy option’ menu includes grilled Newlyn sardines and seared tuna steak. Open Dinner Tue-Sat 6.30-10pm (last orders) & Sun lunch
MANOR HOUSE HOTEL: BYBROOK RESTAURANT
Castle Combe, Wilts, SN14 7HR Tel: 01249 782206, web: www.exclusivehotels.co.uk
• This luxurious hotel and golf club oozes quality from its 14th-century walls - affirmed by the Michelin star awarded to head chef Richard Davies and the Bybrook for the past three years. Even the fussiest gourmet will appreciate a wine list that’s reached the AA Notable Wine List finals for two years running, whether accompanying the seven-course ‘menu prestige’ (£72) or three-course lunchtime market menu (£30), where Davies picks the freshest local ingredients to make the most of seasonal foods. Open Tue-Sat 12.30-2.30pm, Sun-Thur 7-9.30pm, Fri-Sat 7-10pm
NEW MARCO PIERRE WHITE STEAKHOUSE BAR & GRILL AT CADBURY HOUSE
Frost Hill, Congresbury, Bristol, BS49 5AD Tel: 01934 839019, web: www.mpwsteakhousebristol.co.uk
• The enfant terrible of British cuisine took over the restaurant at this decidedly upmarket hotel and health club in 2010, and relaunched it as a steakhouse, offering 28-day-aged native-breed beef alongside ‘catch of the day’ fish and game in season. As you’d expect, the quality food, smart black-and-white decor, heavy linen and French-style service all come at a price, but there’s a prix-fixe menu (lunch: 2 £14.50, dinner: 3 £25). Open Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-9.30pm (10.30pm Fri-Sat), Sun 12.30-9pm
MILLER’S AT GLENCOT HOUSE
Glencot Lane, Wookey Hole, Wells, Somerset, BA5 1BH Tel: 01749 677160, web: www.glencothouse.co.uk
• Wonderfully overstated Victorian architecture, lavishly furnished interior and wooded Mendip setting by the River Axe. Food at the Riverview Restaurant uses simple ingredients to make attractive plates that share the theatricality of the house, with set lunch/dinner menus starting from £22. Teas (cream £7.95, full afternoon £14.95, high afternoon £19.95 inc glass of champagne) are a perfect way to enjoy the dining room’s panelled opulence, and Sun lunches are widely renowned. Open Restaurant: Wed-Sun
MOODY GOOSE AT THE OLD PRIORY
Church Square, Midsomer Norton, BA3 2HX Tel: 01761 410846, web: www.theoldpriory.co.uk
• The Moody Goose was a restaurant in Bath before chef/proprietor Stephen Shore and partner Jennifer moved it into this hotel’s medieval setting. Fine-dining menu in the contemporary British style, with local, seasonal ingredients giving a touch of class to classics like confit pork belly with roasted tenderloin, apple puree and grain mustard potato, or field mushroom risotto with poached duck egg and parmesan. Rich desserts include spiced black treacle & pear cake, or chocolate truffle layered torte, served with homemade ice-cream or sorbet. Open Fri-Sat 12noon-1.30pm, Mon-Sat 7-9.30pm
OAKWOOD AT TRACY PARK
Bath Rd, Wick, nr Bath BS30 5RN Tel: 0117 9371800, web: www.tracypark.co.uk
• Famed for his homemade breads and traditional desserts, head chef Philip Clench has earned two AA rosettes for this restaurant within the Tracy Park golf resort, offering contemporary British cuisine in an informal, relaxed ambience. Gleaning the best, freshest seasonal ingredients from local farmers’ markets, his menu includes hearty combinations like chump of lamb with mini hotpot and seared liver, and free-range chicken with wild mushroom veloute and ceps, with fish and game roasted in a woodstone oven. Save room for the excellent British and French cheese selection. Open Daily: breakfast 7-10am, dinner 7-9pm, Sun lunch 12.30-2.30pm
OLD BUTCHER’S
7 Park St, Stow-on-the-Wold, Glos, GL54 1AQ Tel: 01451 831700, web: www.theoldbutchers.com
• They do have a veggie option but the clue is in the name. Peter and Louise Robinson, who converted this former meat merchant shop into a restaurant in 2005, rear their own kitchen-destined Old Spot and Tamworth pigs. ‘Nose to tail’ philosophy brings unusual offal dishes like sweetbreads and brains to the ever-changing daily menu, while the pig’s ear & pea soup is a local legend. A stand-out place combining no-nonsense cookery with personable ambience. Open Daily. Lunch: 12-2.30pm. Dinner: Mon-Fri 6-9.30pm, Sat 6-10pm, Sat 7-9pm
PEPPER POT
Lower Wick, nr Dursley, Glos, GL11 6DD Tel: 01453 810259, web: www.thepepperpotrestaurant.co.uk
• On the edge of the Cotswolds and taking full advantage of local farm shops and markets, though the pork and lamb they use comes from their own farm in Gloucestershire. Imaginative menu with excellent vegetarian options (hazelnut, rice & vegetable roast in filo pastry, oven-roasted bell peppers stuffed with ratatouille and camembert) and alluring desserts (a tangy lemon posset). Three courses around £25, unless you go for the awesome Chateaubriand steak (for two) at £45. Lunchtimes include a set menu (2 £8.95). Open Tue-Sun 12noon-2.30pm, Tue-Sat 6.30-9.30pm
NEW PONY & TRAP
Knowle Hill, Newtown, Chew Magna, BS40 8TQ Tel: 01275 332627, web: www.theponyandtrap.co.uk
• Young chef Josh Eggleton turned down a job offer from Gordon Ramsay in order to take over this dilapidated country pub. Two years later, his food snaffled a Michelin star: a fitting tribute to his perfectionist attention to detail and quality in re-imagining pub food and hand-preparing it from top-quality ingredients. Best to book ahead to sample this special fare amid the convivial atmosphere of an unpretentiously excellent country pub. Open Tue-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 7-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-3.30pm & 7-9.30pm
PRINCE OF WALES
Dunkerton Hill, Peasedown St John, Bath, BA2 8PF Tel: 0845 201 6036
• Menu suggests cultural contributions from the two owners – UK-born Graham, Philippines-hailing Clarissa – with beef & ale pie nestling alongside inihaw na tahong, a spicy Pacific mussels and cheese dish. Pub itself is solidly ‘traditional English’, with stone walls, fireplaces and a friendly welcome to travellers and locals alike. Open Mon 5-11pm, Tue-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 5-11pm, Sat-Sun 12noon-11pm
PRIORY INN
London Rd, Tetbury, Glos, GL8 8JJ Tel: 01666 50225, web: www.theprioryinn.co.uk
• More than 90% of the food prepared at the kitchens here comes from within 30 miles of their own front door. They bake their own bread and pizzas in a wood-fired oven, and the provenance of almost everything is on the menu for all to see. A lively, affordable choice, whether for lunch or dinner, celebrating the rich Cotswolds farming landscape with unpretentious delight, right down to the local ales in the bar. Open Lunch: 12noon-3pm, dinner: 6-10pm, pizza 5-10pm
RONNIE’S
11 St Mary St, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 2AB Tel: 0800 849 4433, web: www.ronnies-restaurant.co.uk
• The unpromising shopping-precinct location belies the traditional charm of this tastefully refurbished schoolhouse housing Ronnie’s sophisticated pleasures. Chef Ronnie Faulkner’s distinctive contemporary cuisine, marked out by care in preparation and presentation, bagged him the 2009 Good Food Guide’s UK Restaurant of the Year. Various prix-fixe options and a well-grounded ALC menu. Open Tue-Sat 10am-2pm & 6.30-9pm, Sun 12noon-2.30pm
SORREL AT STON EASTON PARK HOTEL
Ston Easton, nr Bath, Somerset, BA3 4DF Tel: 01761 241631, web: www.stoneaston.co.uk
• Food for the Sorrel restaurant is still grown in the Victorian walled garden, the wine cellars bulge with fine vintages, and one of the attractions is a historic Edwardian kitchen. Georgian dining room offers splendid views of rolling parkland and the River Norr. Head chef Adam Cain’s menus feature modern British cuisine, with three-course lunch £27.50 and ALC dinners around £50. Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 7-9pm
THORNBURY CASTLE
Castle St, Thornbury, BS35 1HH Tel: 01454 281182, web: www.thornburycastle.co.uk
• The only Tudor castle in use as a hotel, the 500 year-old Thornbury, with its reputation as a fine-dining reputation, makes its own wine from grapes grown in the castle vineyard. A recent kitchen expansion has brought a new, excellent-value midweek lunchtime ‘menu rapide’ (2 £15.50) - enjoy it in the venerable Tower Dining Room. Artful ALC dinner menu offers top-of-the-range gastronomy (3 £50). Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 7-9.30pm (10pm Fri-Sat)
WHATLEY MANOR: THE DINING ROOM & LE MAZOT
Easton Grey, Malmesbury, Wilts, SN16 0RB Tel: 01666 822888, web: www.whatleymanor.com
• They’ve got four AA rosettes, and BMW’s Square Meal Awards called them Best UK Restaurant, but it’s those two lovely Michelin stars that really sum up Whatley Manor, thanks to head chef Martin Burge’s contemporary take on classical French haute cuisine. If you want to find out what all the fuss is about, the Dining Room is a glamorously formal French restaurant (3 £73, seven-course tasting meal £90). More relaxed, Swiss chalet-inspired brasserie Le Mazot has a fine reputation, too (prix fixe lunch: 2 £17). Open Dining Room: Wed-Sun 7-10pm. Le Mazot: daily 12noon-2pm & 7-10pm
WILD DUCK INN
Drakes Island, Ewen, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 6BY Tel: 01285 770310, web: www.thewildduckinn.co.uk
• With hop-festooned ceiling beams, red brickwork and miscellaneous oil portraits, this 16th-century inn balances classic antiquity with warmth. Restaurant menu is bang-up-to-date gastropub fusion food combining top local ingredients (meat from neighbouring Highgrove) with globally inspired flavours: roast salmon steak is marinated in ginger and lime; pan-fried halloumi comes with cajun vegetable gumbo and spicy salsa. The garden’s a glorious suntrap, and the bar offers roaring fires and five real ales. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-2pm & from 6.45pm, Sat-Sun all day
WINFORD MANOR HOTEL, BRISTOL: LABYRINTH RESTAURANT
Winford Manor Hotel, Old Hill, Winford, Bristol, N Somerset, BS40 8DW Tel: 01275 472292.
• The Labyrinth – one of the most attractively located restaurants near Bristol. Food is uncomplicated yet varied, using fresh, seasonal ingredients. You will notice that there is a full vegetarian menu. They believe that your choice should not be limited simply because you have different dietary requirements. As all food is cooked fresh to order, they are able to adjust their dishes and accommodate any special dietary requirements. At the Labyrinth, they strive to cook only the finest foods, sourced as locally as possible and prepared in the kitchen at Winford Manor Hotel. A seniors lunch is also available on Fridays at a special rate.
WOODFORD LODGE
Chew Valley Lake, Chew Stoke, Bristol, BS40 8XH Tel: 01275 331365
• Chew Valley Lake, just outside Bristol, is much beloved by bird watchers, fisherfolk, walkers and sailing buffs. At the splendidly sited Woodford Lodge, you can watch it all through big windows while noshing away on reasonably priced British pub classics - ham, double eggs & chips, pie of the day, cottage pie - or more exotic choices like Moroccan lamb with apricots, almonds and mint. Come evening, watch the sun set over your grilled sardines with tomato concasse before tucking into succulent Chew Valley trout (cooked ‘en papillote’) or split-pea moussaka. Open Daily 8am-11pm Food Daily 12noon-2.30pm, Wed-Sat 5.30-9pm
WOODLANDS COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
Hill Lane, Brent Knoll, Somerset, TA9 4DF Tel: 01278 760232, web: www.woodlands-hotel.co.uk
• Farmhouse hotel swathed in ivy at the foot of the Brent Knoll hill, where cream teas are a speciality (classic combinations of bridge sandwiches, scones and cakes, £12.95) and the AA-rosette-winning restaurant does a splendid Sun lunch (3 £19.50) and great ALC dinners, with fine local ingredients imaginatively used. Try savoury tart of fresh and smoked salmon in a pool of watercress sauce, or rack of lamb with creamy mint sauce and port wine jus. Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 6-10pm |
