Swindon Restaurant Guide

“If ‘Cheers’ was a restaurant, this would be what it felt like” – a local indie (now with a marquee) that has built up a “good reputation locally”, and where Aussie owner “Dan (Bond), Charlotte and their team produce great grub” by most (if not all) accounts; however, “what really matters is the embracing atmosphere, defining the phrase ‘neighbourhood restaurant’”.

This five-year-old venue set in a huge stone-built former barn – part of a sprawling family-run project in the Cotswolds also incorporating a spa retreat, a pub and a beauty business – serves “reliably good food. Nothing fancy, just great local ingredients cooked to perfection. Yum”. Chef Charlie Hibbert trained under Jeremy Lee at Quo Vadis; his mother Caryn led the redevelopment of the estate. Top Tip – “if you have a meal here, make time to walk around the grounds and take in the great views”.

This “lovely cosy country pub” (with rooms) is the brainchild of born-and-bred Cotswold gents Peter Creed and Tom Noest, who reopened its doors back in 2017. The “really nice menu includes wood-fired pizzas and flatbreads” plus hearty British pies and unusual meat dishes; if you’re the sporting type, they advertise packages including a range of activities (game shooting, deer-stalking and other very English pursuits).

This “cosy” beamed village pub (fka the Plough) is these days “rather trendy”, with a “classy, comfortable atmosphere” and a “varied and interesting” menu plus an “outstanding Sunday lunch”. William & Kate were apparently regular visitors leading up to their engagement.

“You feel exceptional” at this “comfortable”, “romantic” and smartly modernised Georgian-era hotel with 18 rooms, where the dining room has a striking glazed addition and whose kitchen has now combined the talents of Jake Simpson (ex-Bocca di Lupo) and James Erasmus (ex-Ledbury & Harwood Arms). Regular supper clubs supplement the à la carte menu that’s more luxe brasserie than it is ‘fayne dining’ and is sensibly priced, too. (Its sibling pub, the Potting Shed, is just across the road.)

“This welcome new restaurant in a former Cornish pasty shop” from local chefs Sam Edwards & Jak Doggett (who previously ran the Firehouse at Upton) offers “well sourced, original dishes” – “and there’s a strong sense that the chefs actually enjoy cooking”. “This is not conventional ‘fine dining’, but it’s very good food, nicely served, at a very reasonable price”. Top Menu Tips – “curry crab fried rice and a fine pork chop with crushed celeriac, prosciutto, and cavolo nero were excellent”.