A Foodie’s Guide to The Cotswolds
With a diverse culinary scene, the Cotswolds offers a mix of Michelin-starred venues and welcoming pubs. Here we take you on a journey to find the best food in the Cotswolds – a delightful blend of high-end restaurants, inviting gastro pubs, fabulous coffee shops and lively farmers’ markets.
Where are the Best roast dinners in Chipping Campden and Moreton-in-Marsh?
Discover the best pub food in and around Moreton-in-Marsh with our top picks. We love The Coach and Horses Inn in Longborough, offering a cosy atmosphere and a great Sunday roast selection to the Churchill Arms in Paxford, where you will find an award-winning seasonal menu and tempting options like Roast Cotswold Sirloin and Beef Wellington for two. Nearby the Great Western Arms offers a picturesque setting for Sunday lunch served alongside a local ale.
When in Chipping Campden, we love to sample the local produce on the seasonal menu at the Ebrington Arms. Alternatively, The Eight Bells Inn offers some great Sunday lunch options, including gluten-free choices.
Staying close to Oxfordshire? Try one of these Favourite Sunday lunch spots.
Take a look at our handpicked favourites of nine Sunday lunch spots serving the best pub food in the Oxfordshire area. Starting in Burford, The Angel on Witney St welcomes you with a quaint setting and mouth-watering rare roast beef Sunday lunch. Or visit The Maytime at Asthall, where you will find year-round charm with their lovely garden and roaring log fires.
By the banks of the River Windrush, The Swan Inn boasts an excellent seasonal menu, as does The Bell at Langford where you will find hearty British classics alongside wood-fired dishes.
Discover more fantastic Cotswold food at The Horse & Radish with their diverse Sunday menu and an incredible outdoor terrace – for the warmer months. And if you’re staying close to Witney, The Hollybush is a modern dining pub offering some of the best pub food in the Cotswolds with a unique twist.
Plan your visit to a Top 10 Market in the Cotswolds
If you’re planning your StayCotswold getaway you won’t want to miss the chance to stock up on the local Cotswold food to enjoy back in the comfort of your holiday cottage.
Take a look at our curated list of top farmers’ markets, from the quaint charm of Malmesbury’s Artisan and Farmers’ Market, featuring Wheymore cheese and Mr Grump’s Charcuterie, to the award-winning Stroud Farmers’ Market boasting over 50 stalls. And if you’re looking for vegan food in the Cotswolds, don’t miss Cirencester Vegan Market for a delightful experience with vegan street food, ethical clothing, and cruelty-free cosmetics.
With fresh, local, and seasonal produce alongside sweet treats, locally made blankets and artisan gifts, a local farmers market is a great way to “live like a local” for an afternoon.
Five best ice cream parlours in the Cotswolds
Satisfy your sweet cravings with our guide to the best ice cream parlours in the Cotswolds. Tantalise your taste buds near Stroud at Winstones Cotswold Ice Cream, where the team have been crafting award-winning artisan delights since 1925. Or sample over 200 innovative gelato flavours at Wholly Gelato, in Barhouse Farm, Gloucestershire, where they craft on-site close to their milk-producing herd. Discover each of our Top 5 in our blog and be sure to try them all out on your next visit.
Looking to make fine dining part of your staycation plans?
Explore the culinary delights of the Cotswolds and book a meal at a Michelin star restaurant! The area Tempted by a gastronomic experience? Then Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham stands out for its family-run charm and affordable fixed menus. Restaurant Hywel Jones by Lucknam Park, near Bath, boasts traditional and contemporary dishes within a magnificent Palladian mansion.
Heading to the other end of the Cotswolds, The Royal Oak in Whatcote, near Stratford-upon-Avon, is a pub with divine cuisine, such as Honington Muntjac and slow-cooked Gigha halibut.
And the area is lucky enough to be home to a couple of two-star restaurants, none more notable than Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in Great Milton, Oxford. Raymond Blanc’s 2-starred haven has been a gastronomic icon since 1985, making it possibly the most well-known Michelin star restaurant in the area.
Book a private chef or caterer and enjoy the comfort of dining in your home from home.
We know that when you are planning to visit the Cotswolds and stay in a self-catering cottage, you may not want to tackle cooking every meal throughout your stay. But had you considered booking a private chef or caterer so that you can enjoy your home from home comforts and leave the cooking to someone else?
Luckily, we’ve done the hard work for you and collated a review of many of the fantastic private chefs and caters providing the best food in the Cotswolds. Try Westwell Downs Fine Foods and Events, The Occasional Master Chef or Leith trained Lindsay Allen.
Sally from Brown Cow Events provides catering for everything from family events to dinner parties as do Jo and Camille from Peach and Pudding and the service from Dine Indulge is truly hassle free – you tell them the style of cuisine you are looking for and your location and they book the private chef on your behalf.
And if you simply want to treat yourself and your guests to a delicious afternoon tea then book your visit from The Tea Set and enjoy homemade sandwiches and scones.
Did someone say Cocktail hour?
Whilst the Cotswolds is awash with fabulous country pubs serving beer, wine and cider, many of which is sourced from local producers, there are now several places to sample a locally made spirit mixed into your cocktail of choice.
Here we’ve pulled together a list of a few of our favourite pubs and bars selling perfectly mixed cocktails.
Where to find the best burgers in the Cotswolds
If like our team, your idea of fantastic Cotswold food is a burger, you’ll be glad to know that that there are plenty of places across the entire area where a mouth-watering burger in the Cotswolds and loaded fries are on the menu.
The 5-star reviews are well deserved at Flipside in Broadway, where loyal customers return time and again to work their way through their ten strong gourmet burger menu. At Smiths of Bourton, brothers Seb and Theo believe it’s compulsory to have mac ‘n’ cheese alongside their Instagram famous burgers. And as one of the most Instagrammed foods, don’t forget to tag us in your post next time you visit one of our favourite burger bars.
Ten of the foodie best pubs with gardens in the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is quite simply awash with fabulous country pubs serving locally produced beer, cider, wine and spirits. And whilst many of them boast roaring fires to keep you cosy on a Winter evening, they also have flower filled gardens, perfect for a refreshing drink on a summer afternoon.
It was a tricky task, but we managed to pull together a list of just ten of the best pubs with gardens in the Cotswolds. And with many of them serving delicious locally sourced, home-cooked Cotswold food alongside their drinks menu, we think you’d be crazy not to also sample some of the best pub food in the Cotswolds when you next stay.
Ten of our favourite restaurants with outdoor seating in the Cotswolds
Staying on the summer theme, it will come as no surprise that the Cotswolds, known for its breath-taking views of the British countryside, has plenty of restaurants with outdoor seating arranged to take in those beautiful vistas.
Daylesford Farm is a fabulous destination where you can stock up on organic produce, purchase gifts for friends and family and enjoy a meal at one of their three on site eateries. Over in Bourton-on-the-Water you can enjoy a hearty breakfast, filling lunch or delightful dinner at The Croft – all whilst sitting alongside the River Windrush.
Bean to cup, freshly ground takeaway coffee anyone?
You will be glad to know that when you’re staying in the Cotswolds you are never far away from a freshly brewed mug of coffee. And with such fabulous walks and interesting towns and villages to explore, we thought we should share with you our favourite places to take your coffee away with you.
Firm favourites with the entire team at StayCotswold is locally owned Lynwood & Co who have seven coffee shops dotted across the Cotswolds. They also serve some of the best Cotswold food and have a fantastic selection of Vegan food on offer too.
With so many fantastic places to eat and drink, alongside a vast array of shops and markets selling incredible local produce, we are certain you will return to the Cotswolds for years to come.
Now Plan Your Visit to The Cotswolds
We hope to have inspired you to visit The Cotswolds! If we have and you’re looking for accommodation in the Cotswolds, then browse our wide range of Cotswolds holiday homes to find the perfect fit for your stay.
