SOMETHING NEW AT ANCIENT INN

You can taste the newness in this ancient inn, says Mark Taylor

COR, it’s changed a bit in here,” observed the chap at the bar, looking around at the refurbishment of a pub that dates back to 1610. “The last time I was here I played pool where these tables are.”

It was a sentiment echoed by the man tucking into his battered haddock and chips next to the woodburner.

“Two or three years ago the food here was inedible,” he uttered, wiping mushy peas from his lips. “Last time, we sat next to the fire in our overcoats and we were still freezing!”

It may have opened in the 17th century, but you can certainly smell the newness at The Seven Tuns, which reopened under new ownership last month.

The duo behind the pub’s renaissance is chef Tom Conway and Simon Willson-White, who worked together in London restaurants before moving to the Cotswolds with their girlfriends when they spotted the ‘for sale’ sign at this tucked-away village pub between Cheltenham and Cirencester.

As well as top-end London restaurants, Conway previously worked at The Potting Shed in Crudwell, one of the gastropub gems of the Cotswolds, and Willson-White’s CV includes The Ritz and The Ivy.

Located on a hill surrounded by trees close to the village’s imposing church, The Seven Tuns has changed hands a number of times in recent years but the new owners clearly saw the potential of the pub as a food destination as much as a village local.

It’s still a work in progress. They have yet to dress the windows and they are still hanging artwork in the four interconnecting rooms downstairs, but the upstairs restaurant – which is already booked most weekend evenings – is the finished article with its high-beamed ceiling and stag’s head.

In the small ‘green room’ at the back of the bar, a gallery of framed photos salvaged from the refurbishment shows a fascinating timeline of village life. There’s a grainy black and white photo of a Chedworth construction gang circa 1910 and one of the village football team in 1946.

A sepia image of Chedworth Silver Band taken in front of the old vicarage in 1934 is next to individual pho- tos of wartime villagers like Arthur Pinchin and Billy Greenwood. Whatever happened to them?

Of course, such a remote rural pub wouldn’t be complete without a resident dog and, on cue, a rough-coated Jack Russell terrier called Lenny appeared, waddling around the tables in the hope of some scraps.

The pool table and TV screens in the bar may be gone but the old dartboard has been saved and is now in the large, secluded garden, which should prove a goldmine in summer.

In the bar, you can still order a decent pint (there were four on offer including Hooky and Box Steam), perhaps soaked up with snacks like chilli chicken wings or black pudding sausage roll with caramelised apple sauce.

During the day, the menu is basic with fish and chips, a burger and mushroom and truffle Mac ’n’ cheese alongside more restaurant-like dishes of Cornish fish stew with saffron, tomato and rouille for £16.

I started with Chedworth fried pheasant (£6) which was essentially a posh Cotswold version of KFC, the tender, juicy strips of pheasant encased in a crisp, spicy crumb and the fruity, sweet and sour black garlic ketchup making for a moreish dip.

It was followed by a perfectly cooked rib-eye steak (£19) with a nicely charred crust and ribbons of clotted cream-like fat served with decent chips (greaseless, irregular and generously seasoned), a ruffle of watercress, a grilled tomato and peppercorn sauce with a proper kick. A side of buttery purple sprouting broccoli (£3.50) that retained its bite was all that was needed to complete a perfectly satisfying main course.

“Wow, a proper crumble,” smiled a woman passing my table as my dessert (£6) arrived, my spoon penetrating the loose, knobbly crumble topping to reveal a hot lava of molten plums heady with cinnamon and cloves. To be honest, the salted caramel ice cream on top was almost gilding the lily – plain old vanilla would have done the job just as well – but it was a plum crumble against which future ones will certainly be judged.

In the evening, the menu moves up several gears with starters like home-smoked rose veal, pickled cabbage and crispy capers, which might be followed by roast pork belly, Cornish scallops, broccoli and potato terrine. All the more reason to return at the earliest opportunity.

It’s only a month since The Seven Tuns reopened with its ambitious new team and there is a sense that they are still warming up. But then there’s no rush. This delightful Cotswold inn has been open since 1610 and doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere.

With such impressive food already being served, its future certainly looks secure in the hands of its latest custodians and I urge you to get there before everybody else does.

RATING 4/5

The Seven Tuns, Queen Street, Chedworth, Glos, GL54 4AE. Tel: 07905054099. www.seventuns.co.uk

The Seven Tuns has changed hands a number of times in recent years