Trip to The Cotswolds

Last weekend a few of us visited the Cotswolds. We had dinner at The Cotswold House Hotel in Chipping Campden with Chris and Rob Rees ‘The Cotswold Chef’ which was good fun. Paul and Rae were staying at the hotel and I stayed over the road at The Noel Arms in a huge four-poster bed that even I needed a step to climb in to. Ian Taylor, who owns both properties has plans to refurbish the Noel Arms to make it part of Cotswold House and include a new spa over the next couple of years.

We visited Daylesford Organics - one of the new breed of designer farm/food shops in the Cotswolds. Cheese is made on the premises and as well as food, you can also buy clothes, interiors and garden produce – at a price! Kate Winslet spent £8,000 in one visit and we could see why, with bread boards retailing for £96 and scarves for £400!

Dinner was at the Eight Bells in Chipping Campden – busy place five minutes walk from the hotel with delicious gastro-pub fare.

The next day we visited Broadway. We had a quick look round boutique restaurant-with-rooms Russells, which was fab – large stylish rooms, one with free-standing bath and amazing shower. Modern yet not too edgy décor.

On our way back to London, we had lunch at ‘relaxed fine dining’ restaurant, Allium in Fairford which recently won the 13th annual Restaurant Magazine Award for the 'Best British Cheeseboard' in a restaurant. Chris Dee thinks this is the best restaurant in the Cotswolds – we had already eaten very well but what we tasted was inventive – we had an amuse-bouche of goat’s cheese ‘ice-cream’ in a cornet. I chose a very meaty main course which I found a bit too salty and rich, but the rest was delicious.

For more information visit www.cotswolds.com