Dan's Food and Accommodation Tips in The Cotswolds

A self-confessed foodie, Dan needs little encouragement to share his favourite finds in the North Cotswolds region:

> The Old Butchers:

“What you typically get in the English countryside is either ‘pub' or ‘posh'. If you want seriously good food but without a starched napkin and a lot of people hovering over you, this is one restaurant that I think pulls it off really well. They're in Stow-on-the-Wold, which is about 15 minutes away from us. It's one of the only places where you can get really good langoustine or a really good lobster and actually really good shellfish and oysters. They also have really amazing charcuterie, some of it's homemade and really good grills and meats. It's simple food and not overly pretentious.”

> The Red Lion Inn:

“I certainly love my pubs as much as the next person. One of the closest villages to us is Long Compton and this is a nice country pub, which has what you'd expect from one: good food, good ales, good beers, good gins and good whiskies. It also has nice rooms.”

> The Bower House:

“Owned by Andrew Knight, former editor of The Economist, now just a local who likes to be in the foodie scene and owns an amazing food store called Taste of the Country in nearby Shipston-on-Stour; right next to it in an old listed building, he's made this very nice little restaurant. It has nice rooms too.”

> Restaurant Henne:

“At the top of the restaurant heap within 10 minutes of us, in a town called Moreton-in-Marsh is this new-ish place [opened June 2021] that only has six tables and 14 covers. I went there with my wife for dinner and we were completely blown away. It has a prix-fixe sevencourse meal at what I think for that quality food and that number of courses and that originality and creativity, is a pretty decent price. It's unpretentious but seriously well thought through, it's great.”

> The Old Kiln House:

“This B&B in Shipston-on-Stour, about 10 minutes from the distillery, is owned by a couple who built it a few years ago, the rooms are nice, they're nice people, if you're looking for a B&B, you can't go wrong there.”

> Feldon Valley:

If you're looking for something closer to the distillery that you can toddle back to on foot, and particularly if you're into golf (but not necessarily), there's a local golf club bought by a businessman who made it into a mini resort. He built about 25 rooms, they aren't way over the top, they're modern, clean, bright, with nice views; some of them are in a copse of trees. I'd unreservedly recommend it.

> Ettington Park Hotel:

"If you're willing to go with the traditional English country house hotel, which is slightly eccentric, there's this place. We did a whisky makers' conference in 2018 [World Whisky Forum], where we put 50 whisky makers from around the world here. It's maybe 20 minutes away and almost Agatha Christie-like, a huge old mansion pile with a beautiful wood around it. The rooms have been renovated, no two are alike, and in tune with the architectural features of the place.