How to plan a springtime food weekend in the Cotswolds, UK

Quintessential pastoral England is wrapped up in the gentle hills of the Cotswolds. The area’s 800 or so square miles are defined by a rolling landscape of chequerboard fields, winding valleys and timeless villages of honey-hued stone. It’s a region as productive as it is pretty: the wool trade brought enormous wealth in medieval times and lamb continues to be a prime ingredient. Today’s lush pastures are also reflected in the quality of cheese produced from cows and ewes grazing here; venison is still supplied from ancient woods and forests; and there’s even wine, from a quartet of boutique vineyards. All of which inspires first-class food in pubs, restaurants and cafes. Meanwhile, in the northern Cotswolds, around Stow-on-the-Wold, Burford and Chipping Norton, culinary competition has become particularly hot, with several recent openings and an ever-rising bar for inventive cuisine.   

Where to eat in the Cotswolds

1. Bruern Farms, near Chipping Norton
In a halcyon part of the Evenlode valley, generously crossed by footpaths, Bruern Farms is a champion of sustainable agriculture and community spirit. Its courtyard of farm buildings includes a genial cafe, opened in late 2022 and serving dishes largely based on the bounty of the land around. Breakfast choices might feature field mushrooms with warm goat’s cheese on sourdough; lunches offer seasonal soups, warm quinoa salad with roasted veg (grown just beyond the cafe terrace), and toasties with local Cerney cheese; sweet options range from brownies (made with Bruern’s own flour) to four varieties of flapjack. 

2. The Feathered Nest, Nether Westcote
The views are spectacular at this pub-cum-restaurant near Stow-on-the-Wold, yet they are marvellously upstaged by the food of chef Renemar Pinedo. His six-course tasting menu presents a symphony of tastes, starring the likes of tuna tartare with radish, pork belly with Asian cabbage and intense chocolate marquise with miso caramel. But this isn’t solely a sophisticated gourmet venue; diners can opt for top-notch burgers and more in the bar, and stellar Dover sole and chateaubriand from the restaurant’s carefully sourced a la carte menu. 

3. The Old Butchers, Stow-on-the Wold
Pete and Louise Robinson have run this glorious, unpretentious restaurant in an old butcher’s shop since 2005 and today it’s a north Cotswolds go-to. She provides welcome and efficiency front of house, while he’s in the kitchen conjuring cuisine that reflects a passion for fulsome flavours and excellent produce. The emphasis is on fish and shellfish, such as Cornish fish soup and grilled lobster, along with less-usual meat dishes, from calves liver to venison and partridge. This is bold bistro food at its honest best, delivered with charm. 

4. The Halfway at Kineton, near Guiting Power
Tucked away in a honey-stone hamlet, this 17th-century pub was revitalised in 2023 by landlord-chefs Nathan Eades and Liam Goff, both formerly at the high-end Wild Rabbit in Kingham. Its rustic-cosy looks provide a comfy backdrop to exceptional, wholesome dishes that celebrate the region above all, in a short menu that shouts seasonality and clever creativity. Starters include the likes of game terrine with fig chutney. Outstanding mains range from beautifully presented braised lamb shoulder with buttered kale to melt-in-the-mouth venison cottage pie, and sensational celeriac and mushroom pie.

5. Daylesford Organic, near Kingham
It would be missing a trick to explore the northern Cotswolds without visiting one of Britain’s most famous food destinations. A self-proclaimed ‘farm shop’, this flawlessly staged venue presents a cornucopia of gastronomic ingredients, luxury homeware, biodynamic wine, restaurants and far more. Much of the meat and the veg comes from Daylesford’s surrounding 2,000-acre farmland, and visitors are welcome to walk its footpaths. Come to marvel at the sumptuous cheese room here and stay for a stylish (and fairly reasonably priced) farm-to-fork lunch in The Trough café.

An unmissable experience

Cookery classes, Thyme, Southrop
Thyme is a haven of a hotel spread across a cluster of properties (a former rectory, cottages, a farmhouse, barns and more) in picture-pretty Southrop near Burford. It evolved from a cookery school set up in 2007 by the Hibbert family who continue to own and run Thyme and still arrange cookery classes here – led by one of the hotel’s chefs. Half-day Cook and Dine workshops (£225 per person) explore different cuisines (such as Spanish, with paella, croquetas and crema catalana); two-hour ‘master a dish’ sessions (from £95) range from pasta making to creating exquisite canapes. Each class starts by picking ingredients in the abundant veg garden.

Where to stay

The Bull, Charlbury
In the handsome heart of Charlbury near Chipping Norton, this landmark inn has been serving pints since the early 1500s. A recent change of hands in 2023 saw its interior dramatically pared back, to glory in the property’s heritage, highlighting stone fireplaces, exposed beams (some added for effect) and flagstone floors; it’s a rustic-minimalist look with a strong hint of contemporary cool. Upstairs and in an adjacent barn are 10 bedrooms decorated with sophisticated simplicity – several have canopy beds, one has a bathroom with a woodburner, and many have freestanding baths. But it’s the food, packed with robust flavours, that is the star attraction, from salt-baked celeriac to muntjac deer with plums, and ambrosial potatoes roasted with rosemary. Doubles from £180 (room only; breakfast from £4.50).