OUT AND ABOUT

Feast on gourmet pub grub at the Frogmill Hotel, Gloucestershire

We’re big fans of a restaurant with rooms – you know you’re going to be well fed and that there’s a bed waiting upstairs to sleep off those after-dinner digestifs. Which is just one of the reasons why we love the Frogmill, a 16th-century pub and hotel where the focus is on the food.

COUNTRY TAVERN Sitting pretty in the rolling Gloucestershire countryside, Frogmill offers idyllic views and a location convenient for visiting nearby Cheltenham racecourse and the quintessentially british Slaughter villages. the staff are incredibly passionate about where they work and keen to share titbits about the local area to help guests get the most from their stay.

ECLECTIC INTERIORS Charming, colourful and full of bucolic appeal, the decor includes a hodge-podge of antiques and vintage finds. think mismatching Windsor chairs around weather-beaten tables teamed with quaint botanical wall art. up in the bedrooms the style is calmer, with a neutral, relaxing palette. depending on which of the rooms you stay in, you’ll find various luxuries from roll-top baths to private balconies.

SMART DINING the restaurant here takes pub dining to a whole new level of sophistication. the menu focuses on local seasonal cuisine, with dishes smoked, cured, chargrilled, or cooked in a Josper oven – all on site. Start with curried cod cheeks or tempura broccoli, before moving on to a risotto of Jerusalem artichokes for main. then, to round things off, we recommend the bitter chocolate and blood orange mousse. bliss.

HOW MUCH? Cosy double rooms start at £80 a night.

THE FROGMILL HOTEL, SHIPTON OLIFFE, ANDOVERSFORD, CHELTENHAM GL54 4HT, 01242 386364, THEFROGMILL.CO.UK.

The charming 16th-century restaurant and hotel is home to 28 bespoke, country-style bedrooms. Down in the restaurant the decor is an eclectic, homely mix, while upstairs the scheme is subtle and calming.