HOTEL of the week
COTSWOLD HOUSE, CHIPPING CAMPDEN, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
WHERE AND WHY Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire is the kind of ancient Cotswold town where most of the High Street is Grade II listed and the family butcher provides an endless supply of bones for customers’ dogs. It’s packed with places to stay, but the boutique Cotswold House Hotel and Spa takes some beating. Thanks to recent refurbishment, the bedrooms are a luxurious joy. All of them come with complimentary wifi . Extensive gardens make for tranquil evening strolls, or a drink at the outdoor bar, or a game of croquet on one of the lawns. The 4ft deep hydrotherapy pool is
more for relaxation than Olympic swimming – it’s the temperature of a warm bath and has a built-in jacuzzi. One tip: if you want to enjoy a treatment in the popular spa it’s best to book before arrival.
ON THE MENU The food in the hotel’s two AA Rosettes Fig restaurant is exceptional. If you can manage seven courses go for the €73 tasting menu. That was too much for us, so we went for three courses for €55. The hand picked crab with watermelon, cucumber and lovage melted in the mouth while the fillet of beef was the tenderest I’ve ever tasted, and was complemented perfectly by Chanterelle mushrooms and pureed carrot. The restaurant has an excellent wine list, but their lavender flavoured Cotswold gin is a refreshingly crisp accompaniment with tonic. Pudding was a beautifully soft lemon cheesecake with peach sorbet and almond crisp. For
more informal dining, try the hotel’s Bistro on the Square.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE Chipping Campden is such a pretty little town you can spend hours just happily wandering through it. Two minutes from the hotel is the Court Barn Museum of Craft and Design which is well worth the fiver entry fee (courtbarn.org.uk, under-18s are free). For some culture, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-avon is only a 20 minute drive away (rsc.org.uk).
WAKE-UP CALL Two-nights’ B&B with dinner on the first night start from €103 per person per night. Visit bespokehotels.com/ cotswoldhouse or call 0044 01386 840330
Eurostar’s Christmas gift e-vouchers are now on sale. In a few clicks a trip on the cross-channel train from London to the likes of Lyon, Bruges, Marseille, Amsterdam and Paris can sent, along with a message. Hotel stays can be added and passengers also get 2-for-1 entry to leading museums in their destination. vouchers.eurostar.com