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There are racecourses, and then there is Cheltenham. For the jumps fraternity, two-legged and four-legged, this is where reputations are made and, every so often, where they are dented. With eight meetings and 16 days and plenty of top-class jumping to savour, there will inevitably be a few surprises along the way. And, as ever at Cheltenham, the season is unlikely to pass quietly. It begins, as it always does, with The William Hill Showcase on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October. There is something of a first-day feel about the meeting. Expectation and anticipation in the paddock are matched by the crowd and, whether we like it or not, the road to the Festival, however distant it may seem, is already under way. Saturday evening brings a rather different sort of excitement, with FABBAGIRLS following the racing with the songs, costumes and exuberance of the world's leading ABBA tribute act. Then comes The November Meeting, from 13 to 15 November, and this is the one where Cheltenham finds its full voice. Three days that have been named 'Racing’s ultimate weekender' and it's easy to see why. Countryside Day gets things underway, celebrating the rural life and tradition that surrounds us, before Super Saturday takes centre stage with the Paddy Power Gold Cup. Carnival Sunday brings the weekend to a close with six races, Shetland pony racing and the always entertaining mascot race. There is music after racing on the first two days, with MASSAOKE, a giant live-band sing-along party, taking place on Saturday. It is difficult to think of a better way to spend a November weekend. By December, the National Hunt season is in full swing. The Christmas Meeting on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 December provides the perfect excuse to step away from the Christmas shopping and concentrate on something, ultimately, rather more important, unless, of course, you happen to be looking for the perfect gift in equine form at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sales after racing on the Friday. The Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase is a Christmas Meeting favourite on Day One, while Sarurday offers some Grade 2 action and two highly competitive Cheltenham Festival trials, including the JCB Triumph Hurdle trial and the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle trial. New Year's Day is rather more straightforward. However late the previous night went, Cheltenham is an excellent place to start 2027. Seven competitive races, including Graded and Listed contests, offer fresh Festival clues while the winter air does its work on the cobwebs. There is lots amazing free family entertainment to enjoy too. By the time Festival Trials Day arrives on Saturday 30 January, there is very little room left for hiding. This is the final opportunity to see the leading protagonists in action at Cheltenham before March. Some will confirm what we thought we knew, others will complicate matters, and there are always a few that are suddenly being mentioned in conversations that matter. Simply put, that is the charm of Trials Day. It offers answers, but never all of them. And then, finally, The Cheltenham Festival, from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March. It is an event that needs little introduction. Four extraordinary days, each with its own character, yet with an entire season contained within them. From the famous roar that gets things underway on Champion Day to the rather more stylish proceedings of Style Wednesday, each day offers something a little different, but the atmosphere rarely lets up. St Patrick’s Thursday brings its customary Emerald Isle exuberance, before Gold Cup Day brings the four days to a close. The Festival is why the horses have been coming to Cheltenham since October. It is why training plans have been altered, expectations raised and lowered, and why, when the Gold Cup is finally run at 4pm on Friday afternoon, there is always a sense that something rather larger than a horse race has just taken place. Yet Cheltenham does not simply close its doors after the Gold Cup. On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 April, The April Meeting arrives with a different light over the course. Spring has replaced winter, with Cleeve Hill providing the familiar backdrop yet the mood noticeably lighter. The racing remains good and the pressure lifted, and this is time to enjoy racing for what it is rather than what it might become once again. And finally, on Friday 30 April, comes Race Night, the season finale and Cheltenham’s only evening fixture. Seven fiercely contested hunter chases give amateur riders and trainers their chance to chase the dream of winning at the Home of Jump Racing. As the light fades over Prestbury Park, another season comes to an end. Then the course falls quiet for a while. The horses and crowds go home, the fences come down and summer takes its turn. For a short time, "next March" can feel a long way away. But it never stays that way for long. Cheltenham's season may run from October to April, but we all know it never really ends. And by the time the next Showcase comes back around, we will all be ready to do it again. For all tickets + info, visit www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/ 
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In our very humble opinion, The Big Feastival is the best weekend of the year. Every August Bank Holiday weekend, Alex James opens up his farm in Kingham to three days of music, food, drink and a huge number of people of all ages (literally) from all over the country. This year (again in our humble opinion) wasn’t the strongest main stage line up we have seen, particularly early afternoon and Saturday brought the sort of rain that makes you question your choices of spending a day in a field. Both, however, gave us a good excuse to go exploring, which is when Feastival tends to reveal itself. We found the brilliant Ines Rae and her indie pop in The Outpost and discovered just how much fun a silent disco can be, so much so we went back twice. Then there is the food, which is always at least half the reason to come. Killa Waffles made a welcome return after a three-year absence and their Killa Mac, fried chicken and mac and cheese in a waffle was once again completely ridiculous and completely brilliant at the same time. The birria tacos from The Bab Haus were as good as ever and Indian Street Kebabs, Poor Boys and Only Jerkin remain firmly in the Feastival staples category. The highlight, though, came from Ko:te. Their Steak & Fritz (flat iron steak with chimichurri and fries) was already a very good idea, and adding some extra prawns seemed like a better one. We ate it mid afternoon on a table by The Outpost bar with a glass of rose and beatbox legends Duke blasting out of the tent behind us. That moment in time pretty much sums Big Feastival up. It still to this day never fails to surprise us just how good the food is. These traders are producing truky incredible plates from temporary kitchens in the middle of a field, often with a big queues and the weather doing its best to hamper them. Yet the standard remains remarkably high all weekend. Pact Coffee provided the necessary caffeine to get each day started, while their espresso martinis were an equally effective way to finish the day. We managed to fill two of their loyalty cards across the weekend. The Little Margarita Truck was another excellent find in The Saloon area. There were plenty of musical highlights. Devon based brothers trio Tors were excellent and quite possibly our favourite of the weekend, as were White Lies and the wonderful Jerub. Red Rum Club brought their brass-infused indie to Sunday in the sunshine, while Freya Ridings has a voice that comfortably sits alongside that of Hannah Reid from London Grammar and Florence Welch. It is that good. Despite a few technical issues, Bastille delivered one of the best Feastival headline sets we have seen in years. If anything, the glitches added to it with Dan Smith taking to the piano and making the set feel all the more spontaneous. From opening with The Things We Lost in the Fire, to a stunning Dolly Parton tribute of Jolene and I Will Always Love You and closing, as they were always going to, with Pompeii was a fitting way to round off the weekend (although we still found time for some fried chicken and another half an hour in the silent disco!). Elsewhere, The Cheese Hub seemed permanently busy whenever we walked past, with Simon Pegg, DJ Spoony and Chris Stark all taking turns behind the decks. As with most festivals, there was no chance of getting to everything. Basement Jaxx and Rudimental played the main stage, Simon Rogan and Poppy O’Toole took over The Big Kitchen, while Joel Dommett and Harriet Kemsley brought the laughs in The Exchange. Barrioke returned for a singalong in The Outpost, with Inbetweeners favourites Joe Thomas and James Buckley also on the bill. And then there were the incredible dining experiences that we never manage to squeeze in. It was great to see local names doing serious business too. Burger legends Smiths even got one of their burgers onto the main stage on Saturday night after Mike Skinner of The Streets fancied a patty mid set. The Woozy Pig had hot dogs flying out all weekend, while Copper Lion Distillery served what we thought was the best gin spritz of the weekend. Normally, an event trying to appeal to everyone would be in danger of appealing to no one. Feastival breaks that mould. The food is brilliant, the atmosphere is hard to beat and even a drop of rain can be forgiven. Everything is pretty close to perfect and we absolutely love it. Which is why, come next August, we will be back to do it all again. bigfeastival.com       On 26 August, the Cotswolds gets a new kind of pub. EMBER at The Chandlers Arms, in the village of Epwell, brings together Southern American live-fire cooking, craft beer and a relaxed, no-nonsense approach to hospitality. The new venture is a collaboration between EMBER co-founder Matty Cartwright and The Chandlers Arms’ Harry Flockhart, combining their experience in hospitality with inspiration gathered on travels through America, the Eastern Mediterranean and East Asia. Matty’s time in the Carolinas and Texas immersed him in low-and-slow barbecue and live-fire cooking, while Harry developed his appreciation for classical technique working alongside his father in France. The result is a menu that brings those influences together over fire, using seasonal British produce wherever possible sourced from farms within 10 miles of the pub. Expect a rotating selection of small and large plates designed for sharing, including Smoked Apple Cobbler Pork Belly, Smoked Beef Cheek Massaman, Potato Pavé with Whipped Pimento Cheese and the signature Ember Burger. Each dish draws on a story or memory from the founders’ travels. The drinks list follows the same globetrotting approach, with craft beers from independent breweries around the world alongside house cask ales brewed in the team’s small Warwickshire brewery. A house pale ale and best bitter will be made using surplus bread in the malt bill, helping cut food waste in the process. Cocktails will centre on spirits from Cotswolds Distillery, with serves including a Grapefruit Gimlet and Brown Butter Old Fashioned, while the wine and spirits list travels from Ugandan rum to Jordanian wine. Inside, EMBER at The Chandlers Arms is far from the archetypal country pub. Think deep teal walls, low lighting, reclaimed furniture, vintage Chesterfield benches and velvet sofas, alongside pieces from Matty’s art collection, a Jimi Hendrix bust and a giant Tweety Pie head presiding over the room. The result is a Cotswolds pub with a distinctly international outlook: big flavours, good beer, British produce and plenty to talk about. www.embertaproom.com  The Cheltenham Literature Festival returns from 9–18 October, bringing 10 days of books, big ideas and some very big names to town. This year’s festival promises more than 500 events, with a line-up that ranges from literary heavyweights and bestselling novelists to actors, broadcasters, comedians, politicians and cultural commentators. There’s also plenty for younger readers, with family events, school sessions and workshops running throughout the festival. Among the names appearing are Caitlin Moran, Mary Beard, Helen Fielding, Ian Rankin, Richard Osman, Robert Harris, Elif Shafak, Maggie O’Farrell, Michael Morpurgo, Simon Armitage, Mary Berry, Sandi Toksvig, Katherine Ryan, Russell T Davies, Lucy Worsley, David Olusoga and Meera Syal. There’s a strong showing from the worlds of television, comedy and music too, with appearances from Greg James, Fearne Cotton, Reece Shearsmith, Katherine Parkinson, Dave Rowntree and Craig Revel Horwood. The programme also makes room for some of the most interesting conversations happening beyond books. Expect politics, culture and current affairs alongside discussions about creativity, identity, history and the issues shaping life now. International voices feature prominently, with the festival continuing its theme of reading the world together. And, as ever, you don’t need a ticket for everything. Around 30 per cent of the programme is free, with drop-in events taking place across the Festival Village and around Cheltenham. The Snug, The Huddle and VOICEBOX will offer informal ways to get involved, while Times Radio will broadcast live from Times Square. For families, there are more than 70 events spanning books, animation, engineering, Aardman model making, football, fantasy and more. The Literature for Schools programme adds more than 50 author talks and careers events for pupils from reception to sixth form. The line-up in full: Alexei Sayle Andrew Child Andrew Davies Anneka Rice AP McCoy Ashley James Blake Morrison Boyd Hilton Caitlin Moran Cariad Lloyd Celia Imrie Charlie Higson Chris Woakes Craig Revel Horwood Dave Rowntree David Kynaston David Larbi David Olusoga David Szalay Deepika Chopra Elif Shafak Fearne Cotton Frank Cottrell-Boyce Frank Gardner Giles Yeo Greg James Greg Wise Gyles Brandreth Helen Fielding Helen Garner Hugo Rifkind Ian Botham Ian Hislop Ian Rankin Jack Edwards Jeffrey Archer Jill Dawson Joe Marler John Kampfner John Robins Julian Lloyd Webber Juliet Stevenson Justin Webb Katherine Parkinson Katherine Ryan Kathy Lette Lee Child Leigh Lawson Liz Earle Lucy Caldwell Lucy Porter Lucy Worsley Maggie Aderin Maggie O’Farrell Margaret Hodge Marina Hyde Mary Beard Mary Berry Mat Osman Matt Haig Meera Syal Mel Giedroyc Michael Morpurgo Michael Whitehall Nadia Murad Naomi Ishiguro Nigel Planer Philippa Perry Poorna Bell Prue Leith Rachel Parris Rachael Stirling Reece Shearsmith Richard Coles Richard Osman Robert Harris Robert Peston Russell T Davies Sajid Javid Samira Ahmed Sandi Toksvig Sarah Churchwell Sara Pascoe Sathnam Sanghera Sebastian Faulks Simon Armitage Susie Dent Tracy Borman Will Gompertz William Hague Yann Martel Guest curators: Candice Carty-Williams and Matt Arlidge. Family and young adult programme: Andy Day Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Harriet Muncaster Jodie Ounsley Katie Kirby Liz Pichon Maggie Aderin Michael Morpurgo Michael Rosen MC Grammar Nadia Shireen Rob Biddulph Russell Kane. You can find all the information here www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/festivals/literature-festival  Salon Privé has unveiled The White Collection for its 2026 edition, a thoughtfully curated display bringing together 20 of the world's most significant collector cars, united by one defining characteristic: their finish. Presented throughout the five-day event at Blenheim Palace, the exhibition explores the remarkable breadth of white in automotive design, from soft ivory and eggshell to luminous pearl and contemporary metallic tones. Rather than simply sharing a colour, each car reflects a distinct moment in automotive history, demonstrating how understated finishes have often adorned some of the most celebrated designs ever created. www.salonpriveconcours.com Among the highlights are the Lexus LFA, Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Miura and the Aston Martin Valiant Prototype, alongside a carefully selected line-up spanning more than seven decades of automotive excellence, from 1955 through to 2026. Together, the collection offers a rare opportunity to experience an unusually cohesive group of landmark automobiles. Many have seldom been exhibited publicly, making The White Collection one of the defining installations of this year's Salon Privé. The first 10 vehicles confirmed for the display have now been announced, offering an early glimpse of a collection that celebrates not only rarity, but the enduring elegance of one of motoring's most quietly sophisticated palettes. 1. Lexus LFA One of the greatest Japanese supercars ever built, the 2011 Lexus LFA is renowned for its naturally aspirated V10 engine. Finished in Pearl White, it brings modern performance and precision to the Salon Privé White Collection.  2. Bugatti Veyron The 2008 Bugatti Veyron redefined the hypercar with record-breaking performance and engineering. Finished in White and Chrome, its striking two-tone appearance makes it one of the standout cars within the White Collection.  3. Ferrari Dino 246 GTS Widely regarded as one of Ferrari's most beautiful designs, the 1973 Dino 246 GTS combines elegant styling with open-top driving. Finished in Bianco Polo Park, it adds timeless Italian style to the all-white line-up.  4. Lamborghini Miura Often credited as the world's first supercar, the Lamborghini Miura changed automotive history with its revolutionary mid-engined layout. Finished in Bianco, this beautifully restored 1968 example is a fitting addition to this unique display.  5. Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster One of Porsche's earliest and most desirable sports cars, the 1955 356 Pre-A Speedster helped establish the marque's reputation around the world. Finished in Speedster White, it represents the origins of one of motoring's most celebrated manufacturers.  6. Aston Martin Valiant Prototype A rare opportunity to see the 2023 Aston Martin Valiant Prototype, which showcases Aston Martin's latest engineering and track-focused performance. Finished in White, it is set to bring cutting-edge British performance to the Salon Privé White Collection.  7. Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster Nicknamed the 'Baby Thunderbird', this 1963 Auto Union 1000 SP Roadster is one of the most distinctive European sports cars of the early 1960s. Finished in Egg Shell White, it offers a charming contrast to the display’s super and hypercars.  8. Lamborghini Huracán STO Developed directly from Lamborghini's motorsport programme, the 2023 Huracán STO delivers race-inspired performance for the road. Finished in Bianco Monocerus, it combines aggressive styling with one of Lamborghini's most recognisable white paint finishes. A must-see!  9. Maserati 3500GT The 1961 Maserati 3500GT marked the brand's move into grand touring, combining elegant styling with refined performance. Finished in Bianco Eldorado, the Maserati brings classic Italian sixties sophistication to the line-up.  10. Radford 62-2 Coupé One of the newest cars in the collection, the 2026 Radford 62-2 Coupé blends modern engineering with inspiration drawn from the iconic Lotus Type 62 racers. Finished in White, it provides a contemporary interpretation of British coachbuilding tradition.  British lifestyle brand Hook Polo has arrived in Burford for the summer, opening a pop-up on the town's High Street. Drawing on the traditions of polo and the British countryside, the brand has built a reputation for contemporary wardrobe staples that balance classic styling with modern detailing. A commitment to British manufacturing sits at the heart of the collection, with an emphasis on quality materials and enduring design. The temporary store showcases Hook Polo's latest seasonal pieces, including its bestselling GB Flag Knit. Made in England from premium Italian-spun cotton, the knit reflects the brand's focus on British production and understated heritage styling. Alongside the signature knit, the collection includes embroidered Oxford and linen shirts featuring countryside-inspired motifs, as well as premium knitwear, polos, caps and accessories designed to transition seamlessly between rural escapes and coastal weekends. The store will remain open until Sunday 16 August. hookpolo.com
THE PIG has announced plans to open its tenth hotel in late summer 2027, bringing its well-established restaurant-with-rooms concept to the Warwickshire countryside for the first time. Known as THE PIG-on the farm, the new hotel will occupy a sensitively restored Grade II* listed farmhouse and collection of historic farm buildings on the Walton Estate, just five miles from Stratford-upon-Avon and in easy reach of the North Cotswolds. It'll also become the largest property in THE PIG portfolio to date. Approached via a long tree-lined drive, THE PIG-on the farm occupies 53 acres of pasture and farmland. The landscape is steeped in history, encompassing the earthworks of a deserted medieval village dating back to the 13th century, alongside archaeological features believed to include a Neolithic enclosure with Iron Age remains. Original brickwork, timber beams and centuries-old farm buildings provide the backdrop for THE PIG's largest restaurant to date, complete with the biggest terrace in the collection. As with every THE PIG, food will sit firmly at the centre of the experience. The kitchen garden will greet guests on arrival, supplying produce for the hotel's signature 25-mile menu alongside ingredients sourced from local farmers and producers. Housed inside a restored barn, the restaurant will be the largest in the collection, complete with what promises to be its biggest outdoor terrace too. There will be 35 individually designed bedrooms spread across the farmhouse and surrounding buildings, together with the familiar PIG bar and a pair of Shepherd's Hut treatment rooms overlooking wildflower meadows. Sustainability remains a key part of the project, with extensive on-site food production including fruit and vegetable gardens, polytunnels, a mushroom house and smokery, alongside electric vehicle charging and wider environmental improvements across the estate. Although THE PIG quietly acquired a property on the estate back in 2022, work only began earlier this year after securing extensive planning and heritage approvals. Construction is now well underway, with the first guests expected to check in towards the end of summer 2027. www.thepighotel.com/on-the-farm  Cheltenham Doesn't Need Another Bakery. It Needs Us to Keep Using the Ones It Already Has.19/7/2026 There is something rather predictable about the arrival of a Gail's Bakery. Not the sourdough, which is perfectly good, nor the pastries which are exactly as you'd expect from a company with dozens of locations and a well-oiled recipe book. No, the predictable part is the reaction. Half the town welcomes a shiny new bakery with Instagram-friendly interiors (which is absolutely fine). The other half wonders which brilliant local business will quietly disappear next. Because this isn't really about Gail's. It's about what happens when our high streets become places that only national chains can afford to occupy. Rising rents, rising rates and landlords chasing the safest tenant have slowly squeezed the independent businesses that actually give towns like Cheltenham their personality. And personality is something Cheltenham has never been short of. From artisan bakeries and family-run bars to independent restaurants, delis and coffee shops, this is a town built on people who know your name, remember your order and probably made your croissant before most of us had hit snooze for the second time. Which is why the response from La Boulangerie Artisan last week felt so refreshingly Cheltenham. As Gail's opened its doors, the independent bakery took to the streets offering free coffee and pastries, along with a simple message: remember your local independents. Their social media post struck a chord with locals, attracting thousands of reactions and comments from people who clearly understand what is at stake. It wasn't a protest, neither was it bitter. It was simply a reminder that behind every independent bakery is a local family, local jobs and money that stays in the local economy rather than disappearing into a national balance sheet. Nobody should be criticised for spending their money at Gail's. If that's where you enjoy going, that's entirely your choice. But choices have consequences. Spend £20 in an independent bakery and you're helping someone pay local wages, buy from local suppliers and keep a business alive. Spend the same amount in a national chain and you've bought a nice lunch, but you've also reinforced the slow drift towards a high street that could be almost anywhere in Britain. The villain here isn't really Gail's. Businesses expand because they're generally very consistent and people support them for that reason. The bigger question is why so many independents are increasingly unable to compete for prime locations in the first place. That's a conversation for councils, landlords and anyone with an interest in what our high streets look like in ten years' time. In the meantime, the answer is pretty simple. Use your local bakery. Pick up a coffee from an independent instead of the familiar logo. Make the extra effort. Because once an independent closes, we all mourn what we've lost. The trick is supporting them while they're still here. Cheltenham has no shortage of brilliant bakeries. Let's make sure they're still around long after the novelty of the newest chain has worn off.  The Painswick has quietly become one of the Cotswolds' most dependable spots for stylish stays and seriously good food. Now its restaurant, SAUCE, begins a new chapter with Kian Puerta-Terron taking the reins as Head Chef. Having spent the past 18 months in the kitchen at The Painswick, Kian steps into the role after honing his craft in some of the South West's most respected restaurants, including Cheltenham's Lumière, Michelin-standard kitchens in Cornwall and Bristol favourite Bravas. His cooking is rooted in classical French technique but isn't afraid to borrow from elsewhere. Seasonal British produce sits at the heart of every menu, complemented by subtle Spanish influences from his family heritage and the precision and depth of Japanese cuisine. The result is cooking that feels polished without becoming fussy. Expect dishes such as steamed halibut with fig leaf beurre blanc, roasted pork with calamansi, crispy pork jowl and braised pork croquette, alongside The Painswick's deservedly popular Beef Wellington. Local sourcing remains central to the kitchen, with trusted suppliers such as Walter Rose & Son providing ethically reared meat, while the menu evolves naturally with the changing seasons. For those who appreciate refined cooking without the ceremony, SAUCE continues to offer one of the most compelling dining experiences in the Cotswolds. thepainswick.co.uk 
Cheltenham Racecourse launches new 'Favourite' Membership ahead of the National Hunt season14/7/2026 There is something wonderfully optimistic about this time of year. The summer still has a quite a lot of warmth left in it according to the forecasts, yet the mind has already wandered to crisp October mornings and the first sight of horses cantering to post in the shadows of Cleeve Hill and that unmistakable sense that another National Hunt season is stirring into life. The Showcase Meeting has always been the curtain-raiser, the first chapter of a story that stretches through winter, reaching its crescendo in March and leaving us counting the days until the next year's Festival to begin again. For those who want to be there every step of the way, Cheltenham Racecourse has unveiled a new way of belonging with the launch of its Favourite Membership. Designed for racegoers who measure the passing of the winter months not by calendars but by fixtures at Prestbury Park, the new membership offers admission to every one of Cheltenham's 16 racedays, placing members at the heart of the action from the opening roar of The Showcase to the final flagfall of the spring. It is a package that balances tradition with thoughtful modern touches. Every member receives a classic metal badge and membership card, the sort of keepsake that still carries a quiet sense of pride , alongside access to the Members Marquee and the ever-popular Istabraq Bar, giving familiar places to gather between races and debate fortunes won and lost over a Guinnes or two. The benefits continue away from the track too. Members receive reciprocal racedays at racecourses across the country, free admission to the ever-popular Official Festival Preview, digital editions of the Season Ahead and Festival Preview magazines, discounts in the racecourse gift shop, reduced prices on selected admission tickets for friends and family, complimentary parking at most fixtures and savings on Festival and November Saturday parking. Outside the Festival and November Saturday, Favourite Members can also enjoy exclusive access to the Central Grandstand seating, offering one of the finest vantage points from which to watch the action unfold. There is also a calendar of exclusive events included and created to bring members together throughout the year, from a Royal Ascot Parade Ring Picnic beneath the big screen, to a Christmas Racing Film Night celebrating some of the sport's most cherished stories, an invitation to the Official Festival Preview, and a supporters' day trip to Aintree's outstanding Thursday card during Grand National week. This new membership provides incredible value for money, securing you access in the heart of the action within the Club Enclosure. And as the countdown to The Showcase gathers pace and another National Hunt campaign edges ever closer, the membership feels aptly named. For those whose favourite place is beside the running rail, whose favourite sound is the Cheltenham Roar before the tapes go up in March and whose favourite season is almost upon us, it could prove to be exactly that. Enjoy access to all 16 racedays and save OVER 50% compared to booking individually. Adult: £379 Concession: £245 www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/membership-and-offers/annual/the-favourite-membership  Big Feastival has built a reputation as having arguably the finest street food line-up of any festival in the UK. Among the returning stars for 2026 are Bab Haus, Killa Waffle, Bourton-on-the-Water burger specialists Smiths, New Orleans-inspired Poor Boys and cult fried chicken favourites Chick 'N' Sours. There are some notable new arrivals too. Local barbecue heroes The Woozy Pig make their Big Feastival debut, while Hereford's award-winning burger royalty The Beefy Boys add even more class to an already stacked food line-up. The festival returns to Alex James' farm in Kingham from 28th to 30th August, with Basement Jaxx, The Streets, Bastille and Rudimental leading the music line-up, while Anna Haugh, Emily English, Poppy O'Toole and Tom Barnes headline a stellar programme of chefs and live cooking demonstrations. bigfeastival.com All the street food at Big Feastival 2026 Anna Mae’s Mac n Cheese Archie’s Toastie Shop Bab Haus Baba Side Fried BBQ Dept Beefy Boys Blondies Kitchen Burger and Beyond Chick N Sours Cotto El Pollote Game and Flames Griddle Guys Gully Jolly Hog Killa Waffles Ko:te Kolkati KraPow! Kuyas Dumplings Lil Watan Los Churros Amigos Made Of Dough Mandala Meat Market BBQ MyCookieDough Nanny Bill’s Nonna’s Tacos Oishī Don Only Jerkin’ Otis & Belle Paellaria Pleese Poor Boys Project D Sen Noods Smashing Plates Smiths of Bourton Tagine and Grill The Big Banh The Dragon Flame The Larder House The Woozy Pig Thyme & Tide Wholefood Heaven  The best way to explore the Cotswolds is through its restaurants. Not always the obvious choices, nor the places with the biggest Instagram following. These are the places locals quietly recommend when someone asks where they should eat. So we've mapped out the ultimate summer food journey. From exceptional breakfasts and seafood lunches to wood-fired cooking and unforgettable dinners, this is our 72-hour guide to eating well across the Cotswolds this summer. Day OneBreakfast: The Hive, Stow-on-the-Wold Breakfast is often treated as little more than a warm-up act for lunch. The Hive makes a convincing argument that it deserves rather more respect than that. Located in the heart of Stow on the Wold, it has become one of the most dependable breakfast spots in the North Cotswolds. The poached eggs and avocado on sourdough with chilli jam is the smart order. The chilli jam adds just enough heat to stop the dish becoming another forgettable avocado-on-toast cliché. However, we would never put you off the Full English. It's generous without becoming ridiculous and manages to feel indulgent without ruining the rest of the day's eating. www.eatcotswolds.co.uk/the-hive Also worth considering: The Straw Kitchen, Whichford Pottery Part café, part destination in its own right, The Straw Kitchen feels like one of those recommendations that locals are slightly reluctant to share. Excellent coffee, naturally served in a Whichford Pottery mug made at the bottom of the garden, good eggs and bacon and a setting that encourages lingering far longer than intended. www.whichfordpottery.com/visit/straw-kitchen Lynwood & Co, Moreton-in-Marsh A place that makes some of the best sourdough in the Cotswolds is naturally going to find excellent uses for it. The scrambled eggs on toast and breakfast sarnies are both superb. www.lynwoodandco.com Broadway Deli, Broadway A firm favourite of ours. The nduja scrambled eggs are excellent, the baked eggs deserve attention and the deli itself provides plenty of temptation for later in the day. broadwaydeli.co.uk Lunch: Zonda at The Halfway, Kineton A few months ago, nobody was driving to Kineton specifically for pizza. The pub's transformation from a Michelin recommended classic dining pub into a pizza-led dining destination has been one of Cotswold food stories of 2026. Most importantly, it works because the food is genuinely excellent. Start with the rare breed pork belly bites, courgette fritti and an order of cheesy garlic bread because self-restraint is entirely overrated on a food tour, before ordering the a pizza. Our choice would be the Nduja & hot honey ‘Diablo’, but they are all incredibly good. The whole operation feels refreshingly free of pretension. Nobody is trying to reinvent dining. They're simply serving food people want to eat. And judging by how busy it has been since opening, they're getting it exactly right. www.thehalfwayatkineton.com Also worth considering: Smiths of Bourton Some burgers are designed for Instagram, the Béarnaise Bad Boy is designed for eating. Juicy, unapologetically indulgent and exactly the sort of lunch that reminds you why burgers remain popular despite endless attempts to improve them. www.smithsofbourton.com Dinner: The Old Butchers, Stow-on-the-Wold Ask enough local chefs and serious food lovers where they eat on their day off and The Old Butchers appears more than most. For years, The Old Butchers has quietly maintained its reputation as one of the most consistently impressive restaurants in the North Cotswolds. Seafood, steak and good wine remain a particular strength, yet what makes The Old Butchers so good is its confidence. There is no sense of a restaurant trying to prove itself. It simply knows exactly what it is and exactly what it does well. www.theoldbutchers.com Also worth considering: Moda, Broadway Recently included in the Michelin Guide, Moda combines ambitious modern cooking with the sort of precision and confidence that marks out serious fine dining. Led by Head Chef James Wilson, formerly of The Newt in Somerset, it's a restaurant quietly building a serious reputation. www.houseofgeorge.uk Pit Kitchen Summer and cooking over fire feel like natural companions. Pit Kitchen has built its following around exactly that idea. Expect exceptional flatbreads, smoke, flame and food designed to be shared. Relaxed, informal and packed with flavour, it's one of the most enjoyable summer dining experiences within the North Cotswolds. www.pitkitchen.co.uk 
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After standing empty since 2020, The Tunnel House near Cirencester has finally reopened its doors.
Over the past year, working alongside the Bathurst Estate, the team behind The Bell at Sapperton has been busy restoring one of the most distinctive pub locations in the Cotswolds. Set beside the Coates portal of the Sapperton Tunnel and the Thames & Severn Canal, it has long been a favourite stopping point for locals, walkers and visitors alike.
The aim is straightforward: to bring back a proper pub that serves good food and drink, employs local people and once again becomes a hub for the community.
As the sister pub to The Bell at Sapperton, connected by a wonderful walk through Hailey Wood and across the canal valley, The Tunnel House is ready to take its place among the region's best-loved pubs once again.
Provisional June opening hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 5pm to 10pm, Friday from 5pm to 11pm, Saturday from 12pm to 11pm and Sunday from 12pm to 10pm. The Tunnel Fire Kitchen will be serving in the garden on Saturdays from 12pm to 8pm and Sundays from 12pm to 6pm.
You can find all the info on their website
www.tunnelhouseinn.co.uk
Over the past year, working alongside the Bathurst Estate, the team behind The Bell at Sapperton has been busy restoring one of the most distinctive pub locations in the Cotswolds. Set beside the Coates portal of the Sapperton Tunnel and the Thames & Severn Canal, it has long been a favourite stopping point for locals, walkers and visitors alike.
The aim is straightforward: to bring back a proper pub that serves good food and drink, employs local people and once again becomes a hub for the community.
As the sister pub to The Bell at Sapperton, connected by a wonderful walk through Hailey Wood and across the canal valley, The Tunnel House is ready to take its place among the region's best-loved pubs once again.
Provisional June opening hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 5pm to 10pm, Friday from 5pm to 11pm, Saturday from 12pm to 11pm and Sunday from 12pm to 10pm. The Tunnel Fire Kitchen will be serving in the garden on Saturdays from 12pm to 8pm and Sundays from 12pm to 6pm.
You can find all the info on their website
www.tunnelhouseinn.co.uk
One of London’s most well-regarded neighbourhood restaurants is bringing its relaxed approach to Italian cooking to the Cotswolds this summer, with the launch of a new seasonal pop-up at The Old Coal Yard in Gagingwell, near Chipping Norton.
Opening on Thursday 4th June, Canteen will take up residence for the summer, serving a menu built around fresh pasta, pizza and ingredient-led dishes that will change weekly. The concept is simple: excellent produce, generous cooking and a laid-back setting designed for long lunches, leisurely dinners and everything in between.
The kitchen will be led by Executive Chef Jessica Filbey and Head Chef Lorenzo Nigro, whose opening menu offers a flavour of what guests can expect. Early highlights include Carne Cruda with broad beans and Pecorino Sardo, Crab, Fennel & Chilli Risotto, Mortadella, Ricotta & Lemon Pizza, and Chicken with Sage & Milk. Desserts will include Chocolate Mousse and Apricot Frangipane Tart.
Alongside the food, Canteen’s drinks programme will showcase regional Italian wines from Piedmont, Tuscany and Sicily, complemented by a selection of cocktails, digestifs and Italian beers.
The setting has been designed with summer dining in mind. An outdoor bar and fire pit will sit alongside Gozney ovens serving pizzas throughout the day, creating a relaxed atmosphere that extends beyond traditional lunch and dinner service.
Dinner will be served from Thursday to Sunday, with lunches available at weekends. Friday evenings will feature live music, while Saturdays will include games and activities for children, making the pop-up an appealing option for families as well as those looking for a more leisurely evening out.
Reservations are now open, with walk-ins also welcome throughout the season.
Canteen at The Old Coal Yard, Chipping Norton, OX7 4EF.
www.canteen310.com/cotswolds
Opening on Thursday 4th June, Canteen will take up residence for the summer, serving a menu built around fresh pasta, pizza and ingredient-led dishes that will change weekly. The concept is simple: excellent produce, generous cooking and a laid-back setting designed for long lunches, leisurely dinners and everything in between.
The kitchen will be led by Executive Chef Jessica Filbey and Head Chef Lorenzo Nigro, whose opening menu offers a flavour of what guests can expect. Early highlights include Carne Cruda with broad beans and Pecorino Sardo, Crab, Fennel & Chilli Risotto, Mortadella, Ricotta & Lemon Pizza, and Chicken with Sage & Milk. Desserts will include Chocolate Mousse and Apricot Frangipane Tart.
Alongside the food, Canteen’s drinks programme will showcase regional Italian wines from Piedmont, Tuscany and Sicily, complemented by a selection of cocktails, digestifs and Italian beers.
The setting has been designed with summer dining in mind. An outdoor bar and fire pit will sit alongside Gozney ovens serving pizzas throughout the day, creating a relaxed atmosphere that extends beyond traditional lunch and dinner service.
Dinner will be served from Thursday to Sunday, with lunches available at weekends. Friday evenings will feature live music, while Saturdays will include games and activities for children, making the pop-up an appealing option for families as well as those looking for a more leisurely evening out.
Reservations are now open, with walk-ins also welcome throughout the season.
Canteen at The Old Coal Yard, Chipping Norton, OX7 4EF.
www.canteen310.com/cotswolds
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There are still corners of the Cotswolds where lunch is not an obligation but a lightly dangerous social commitment. The kind that begins with perfectly respectable intentions and ends several hours later with empty wine bottles and rearranged evening plans
Ever since Rivals returned Jilly Cooper’s world of country-house chaos to public life, the idea of the long Cotswolds lunch has felt newly relevant again. Not the polished fantasy sold to weekenders, but the real thing: Bloody Marys before noon, flirtation over oysters, gossip that moves faster than the traffic through Burford, and the growing realisation that nobody has any serious intention of leaving before dark.
This is a landscape of polo, horse racing, expensive divorces and pubs where lunch is rarely just lunch, it's social theatre with side dishes.
And if the Rivals cast ever escaped the television screen, these are exactly the pubs where you would expect to find them.
Ever since Rivals returned Jilly Cooper’s world of country-house chaos to public life, the idea of the long Cotswolds lunch has felt newly relevant again. Not the polished fantasy sold to weekenders, but the real thing: Bloody Marys before noon, flirtation over oysters, gossip that moves faster than the traffic through Burford, and the growing realisation that nobody has any serious intention of leaving before dark.
This is a landscape of polo, horse racing, expensive divorces and pubs where lunch is rarely just lunch, it's social theatre with side dishes.
And if the Rivals cast ever escaped the television screen, these are exactly the pubs where you would expect to find them.
Rupert Campbell-Black
The Hollow Bottom
If the Cotswolds racing world has a headquarters, it is almost certainly The Hollow Bottom.
Tucked away on the edge of Guiting Power, this gloriously unpolished institution functions as the social centre of horse-racing life in the Cotswolds. Trainers, jockeys, owners and stable staff pass through with muddy boots, racing tips and opinions they absolutely did not intend to say out loud quite so publicly.
Breakfast is available every day and will usually begin with a Bloody Mary before anybody has properly decided whether this is wise. Lunch rapidly becomes afternoon drinking. Afternoon drinking somehow becomes dinner.
Dogs sleep on a makeshift bed (somebody's coat) beside the fire in winter, local ales named after racehorses line the bar, and the Monday Pie Night (a pie with a pint or glass of wine for £20) has become something close to rural ritual.
Rupert Campbell-Black would absolutely settle in here for dinner after a day at Cheltenham, with one eye on his steak and the other firmly on whichever female that happened to be walking past the table. By pudding, he would almost certainly have been invited to at least two different after-parties and caused three relationship break-ups entirely by accident, and still somehow emerged from the situation looking unfairly charming.
www.thehollowbottom.com
Tucked away on the edge of Guiting Power, this gloriously unpolished institution functions as the social centre of horse-racing life in the Cotswolds. Trainers, jockeys, owners and stable staff pass through with muddy boots, racing tips and opinions they absolutely did not intend to say out loud quite so publicly.
Breakfast is available every day and will usually begin with a Bloody Mary before anybody has properly decided whether this is wise. Lunch rapidly becomes afternoon drinking. Afternoon drinking somehow becomes dinner.
Dogs sleep on a makeshift bed (somebody's coat) beside the fire in winter, local ales named after racehorses line the bar, and the Monday Pie Night (a pie with a pint or glass of wine for £20) has become something close to rural ritual.
Rupert Campbell-Black would absolutely settle in here for dinner after a day at Cheltenham, with one eye on his steak and the other firmly on whichever female that happened to be walking past the table. By pudding, he would almost certainly have been invited to at least two different after-parties and caused three relationship break-ups entirely by accident, and still somehow emerged from the situation looking unfairly charming.
www.thehollowbottom.com
Declan and Maud O'Hara
The Feathered Nest
With spectacular views across the Oxfordshire countryside, The Feathered Nest has a setting that encourages optimism, poor judgement and another bottle of wine.
The pub has always been a reliable favourite among the local equestrian crowd. Saddles repurposed as bar stools nod to its horsey-country roots, while the terrace outside has witnessed more than its fair share of flirtation disguised as lunch.
The grilled Cornish monkfish deserves something crisp, white and expensive from the extraordinary wine list, which boasts more than 240 bins and has almost certainly contributed to several complicated romances over the years. For those fully embracing the long-lunch spirit, the eight-course tasting menu removes any realistic expectation of productivity long before dessert arrives.
This is exactly where Declan and Maud O’Hara would arrive determined to have a wonderful evening together. And to be fair, for at least the first hour they probably would. A glass of something cold, spectacular food, and perhaps even a brief moment of marital harmony. Then somewhere between the second bottle and dessert, Declan would say something faintly irritating, Maud would refuse to let it pass, and the entire evening would quietly unravel against one of the most beautiful Oxfordshire backdrops.
thefeatherednestinn.co.uk
The pub has always been a reliable favourite among the local equestrian crowd. Saddles repurposed as bar stools nod to its horsey-country roots, while the terrace outside has witnessed more than its fair share of flirtation disguised as lunch.
The grilled Cornish monkfish deserves something crisp, white and expensive from the extraordinary wine list, which boasts more than 240 bins and has almost certainly contributed to several complicated romances over the years. For those fully embracing the long-lunch spirit, the eight-course tasting menu removes any realistic expectation of productivity long before dessert arrives.
This is exactly where Declan and Maud O’Hara would arrive determined to have a wonderful evening together. And to be fair, for at least the first hour they probably would. A glass of something cold, spectacular food, and perhaps even a brief moment of marital harmony. Then somewhere between the second bottle and dessert, Declan would say something faintly irritating, Maud would refuse to let it pass, and the entire evening would quietly unravel against one of the most beautiful Oxfordshire backdrops.
thefeatherednestinn.co.uk
Lord Tony Baddingham and James Vereker
The Fox at Oddington
The Fox at Oddington is where the London crowd arrives on Friday evening in cashmere and oversized sunglasses insisting they are “escaping to the countryside”.
Beautifully done without ever feeling try-hard, this is modern Cotswolds pub glamour at its most seductive for people who are very aware of what they are wearing and why it might be noticed. The odd TV personality will drift through, couples discuss school catchments with alarming seriousness, and the sense of being seen is never entirely absent.
DJ & Pizza Thursdays have become something of an institution, while weekends bring a crowd that understands the importance of very good food, wine and cocktails.
The menu is generous, confident and unapologetically indulgent. Crispy lamb sweetbreads with wild garlic aioli practically demand a martini nearby, while the 10oz Hereford sirloin with triple-cooked chips feels entirely reasonable after several cocktails and a great deal of people-watching.
Lord Tony Baddingham and James Vereker would arrive in a convertible and pretend to discuss television over lunch, while keeping one eye firmly on the room in the hope somebody of the opposite sex was noticing them.
thefoxatoddington.com
Beautifully done without ever feeling try-hard, this is modern Cotswolds pub glamour at its most seductive for people who are very aware of what they are wearing and why it might be noticed. The odd TV personality will drift through, couples discuss school catchments with alarming seriousness, and the sense of being seen is never entirely absent.
DJ & Pizza Thursdays have become something of an institution, while weekends bring a crowd that understands the importance of very good food, wine and cocktails.
The menu is generous, confident and unapologetically indulgent. Crispy lamb sweetbreads with wild garlic aioli practically demand a martini nearby, while the 10oz Hereford sirloin with triple-cooked chips feels entirely reasonable after several cocktails and a great deal of people-watching.
Lord Tony Baddingham and James Vereker would arrive in a convertible and pretend to discuss television over lunch, while keeping one eye firmly on the room in the hope somebody of the opposite sex was noticing them.
thefoxatoddington.com
Freddie Jones and Lizzie Vereker
The Potting Shed, Crudwell
Sitting on the edge of Cotchester society but still close enough to remain firmly in the orbit of its chaos, The Potting Shed has mastered the particular art of feeling both smart, unpretentious and entirely relaxed at the same time.
This is exactly the sort of place Freddie Jones and Lizzie Vereker would disappear to for “just lunch” before the combined effects of excellent wine and emotional misjudgement quietly rearranged the rest of their day. Conveniently, the beautiful Rectory hotel sits directly across the road, which after several glasses would begin to feel less like useful planning and considerably more like temptation for the pair.
The food encourages glorious overcommitment. The Twice Baked Double Gloucester Soufflé with spinach and wholegrain mustard is the sort of deeply reassuring dish that immediately justifies ordering another drink, while the Pork & nduja croquettes with parmesan and wild garlic pesto arrive with enough swagger to derail even the most disciplined intentions.
Then comes the sharing 16oz Chateaubriand with grilled tomato, French fries and a choice of sauces, which feels less like lunch and more like a declaration that nobody has any plans for the rest of the day.
www.thepottingshedpub.com
This is exactly the sort of place Freddie Jones and Lizzie Vereker would disappear to for “just lunch” before the combined effects of excellent wine and emotional misjudgement quietly rearranged the rest of their day. Conveniently, the beautiful Rectory hotel sits directly across the road, which after several glasses would begin to feel less like useful planning and considerably more like temptation for the pair.
The food encourages glorious overcommitment. The Twice Baked Double Gloucester Soufflé with spinach and wholegrain mustard is the sort of deeply reassuring dish that immediately justifies ordering another drink, while the Pork & nduja croquettes with parmesan and wild garlic pesto arrive with enough swagger to derail even the most disciplined intentions.
Then comes the sharing 16oz Chateaubriand with grilled tomato, French fries and a choice of sauces, which feels less like lunch and more like a declaration that nobody has any plans for the rest of the day.
www.thepottingshedpub.com
Bas Baddingham (& Friends)
The Cat and Custard Pot
A few minutes from Beaufort Polo Club and within striking distance of Tetbury and King Charles' Highgrove, The Cat and Custard Pot sits firmly in prime Cotchester country.
It is a pub of two personalities. One side is all traditional comfort with fires, local beer and relaxed conversation. The other introduces a touch of Southern Italy to Gloucestershire society.
Start with the scallops, before moving onto a superb Luckington Farm steak, another bottle of wine and the growing suspicion that lunch may no longer be entirely under control.
Bas Baddingham and his friends would absolutely occupy a large table near the bar, flirting enthusiastically with almost everyone who walked through the door, whether invited to or not, and enjoying themselves far more loudly than strictly necessary.
catandcustard.co.uk
It is a pub of two personalities. One side is all traditional comfort with fires, local beer and relaxed conversation. The other introduces a touch of Southern Italy to Gloucestershire society.
Start with the scallops, before moving onto a superb Luckington Farm steak, another bottle of wine and the growing suspicion that lunch may no longer be entirely under control.
Bas Baddingham and his friends would absolutely occupy a large table near the bar, flirting enthusiastically with almost everyone who walked through the door, whether invited to or not, and enjoying themselves far more loudly than strictly necessary.
catandcustard.co.uk
Taggie O'Hara
The Wild Duck at Ewen
Just ten minutes from Cirencester Polo Club, The Wild Duck has the sort of easy confidence that comes from knowing everybody already wants to be there.
By late afternoon the pub fills with Royal Ag students, locals, and polo players and locals who appear to have perfected that particular skill of looking slightly dishevelled in a very intentional way. It is lively, unselfconscious and just chaotic enough to feel like something might happen at any moment.
The food is exceptional in a deeply dangerous way. Devilled Crab on Toast and Beef Tartare arrive at tables already crowded with wine glasses, while the Duck Fat Toast has become something close to local currency among regulars. The Wild Boar Pie is rich enough to derail afternoon productivity entirely and, on Fridays, lobster and fries begin appearing across the room as everybody quietly abandons any pretence of moderation.
In one corner, Taggie O’Hara sits with friends, probably pretending not to notice the attention she is attracting from various directions. Or perhaps genuinely not noticing, which somehow makes the situation considerably worse for everybody involved.
www.countrycreatures.com/wild-duck-ewen
By late afternoon the pub fills with Royal Ag students, locals, and polo players and locals who appear to have perfected that particular skill of looking slightly dishevelled in a very intentional way. It is lively, unselfconscious and just chaotic enough to feel like something might happen at any moment.
The food is exceptional in a deeply dangerous way. Devilled Crab on Toast and Beef Tartare arrive at tables already crowded with wine glasses, while the Duck Fat Toast has become something close to local currency among regulars. The Wild Boar Pie is rich enough to derail afternoon productivity entirely and, on Fridays, lobster and fries begin appearing across the room as everybody quietly abandons any pretence of moderation.
In one corner, Taggie O’Hara sits with friends, probably pretending not to notice the attention she is attracting from various directions. Or perhaps genuinely not noticing, which somehow makes the situation considerably worse for everybody involved.
www.countrycreatures.com/wild-duck-ewen
Sarah and Paul Stratton
The Rattlebone, Sherston
Just a few miles from Highgrove, The Rattlebone in Sherston, the sort of old-school village pub charm that makes people accidentally stay all afternoon while insisting they are “just popping in for one”.
For Paul Stratton, Cotchester’s permanently campaigning MP, this is exactly the kind of place where being seen matters. Supporting a much-loved community pub looks excellent politically, though the very good wine and beer probably doesn’t hurt either.
Sarah, meanwhile, has almost certainly been coming here for years with a tiny hope of trying to catch a young Prince's eye like she did during the early noughties whenever he came to the pub. In fact, large sections of South Cotswolds society spent the early 2000s strategically lingering here on exactly those grounds.
The Honey & chilli glazed local pork belly delivers precisely the sort of rich comfort that encourages another bottle, the roast rump of lamb will make you book again straight away, while the Tuesday Steak Night (two juicy 8oz rump steaks with chips, salad and a bottle of house wine for £68) feels tailor-made for couples who fully intend to leave after dinner and absolutely never actually do.
www.therattlebone.co.uk
For Paul Stratton, Cotchester’s permanently campaigning MP, this is exactly the kind of place where being seen matters. Supporting a much-loved community pub looks excellent politically, though the very good wine and beer probably doesn’t hurt either.
Sarah, meanwhile, has almost certainly been coming here for years with a tiny hope of trying to catch a young Prince's eye like she did during the early noughties whenever he came to the pub. In fact, large sections of South Cotswolds society spent the early 2000s strategically lingering here on exactly those grounds.
The Honey & chilli glazed local pork belly delivers precisely the sort of rich comfort that encourages another bottle, the roast rump of lamb will make you book again straight away, while the Tuesday Steak Night (two juicy 8oz rump steaks with chips, salad and a bottle of house wine for £68) feels tailor-made for couples who fully intend to leave after dinner and absolutely never actually do.
www.therattlebone.co.uk
And, perhaps that is why Rivals still feels so recognisable beneath all the glamour and spectacularly bad behaviour. Because the real centre of Cotswolds society was never the country house, it was always the pub.
Preferably one with excellent wine, very good food, a full bar and somebody harmless flirting in full view. Because the best Cotswolds pubs have never really been just about eating and drinking, they are where village life happens with gossip, celebrations, old friendships and the sort of afternoons that become the stories everybody is still talking about the following weekend.
And frankly, long may it continue.
Preferably one with excellent wine, very good food, a full bar and somebody harmless flirting in full view. Because the best Cotswolds pubs have never really been just about eating and drinking, they are where village life happens with gossip, celebrations, old friendships and the sort of afternoons that become the stories everybody is still talking about the following weekend.
And frankly, long may it continue.
What began as a promising new night out has rather swiftly become something closer to a local institution: an after-hours, close-quarters, high-voltage live show that feels like a chat show that’s escaped the studio, had a few drinks, and started telling the truth.
Dom Joly’s SpeakeaZy is, in his own words, a “Cabaret of Curiosities”, though it’s less cabaret in the feathered sense, and more a thrilling, unpredictable collision of comedy, music, storytelling, and the occasional cultural hand grenade. It’s intimate, anarchic, and oddly elegant in its chaos. Like a dinner party where the guests are famous, the host is mischievous, and no one knows who’s coming until they arrive.
And that, of course, is the whole point.
The guest list remains strictly under lock and key, partly because it’s fun, partly because it’s maddening, and partly because if you announced it in advance you’d ruin the delicious, high-stakes gamble that audiences now seem addicted to. People come without knowing who they’ll see, and leave feeling faintly superior to everyone who stayed at home watching Netflix and pretending they enjoyed it.
"Curating this show in my hometown has honestly been one of the highlights of my career," says Dom "I love bringing together people I admire; musicians, comedians, writers, and total wildcards. The joy is that nobody knows what’s coming next including me half the time!"
Past nights have featured everyone from comedy heavyweights like Seann Walsh and Jenny Éclair, to musical favourites including James Walsh (Starsailor), Tom A Smith, Babybird, and The Bluetones. There have been moments of proper hilarity, unexpected tenderness, and the kind of off-script magic that only happens when nobody’s quite sure what’s coming next.
It is, in short, the sort of live entertainment that reminds you why live entertainment exists.
Here’s all you need to know.
New Dates: Thursday 2nd July | Thursday 6th August | Thursday 3rd September
Venue: The Steam & Whistle
Where: 247 Gloucester Road, Cheltenham GL51 8NW
Doors: 6.30pm
Show starts: 7.30pm
Seating: unreserved: arrive early for the best spots
Artisan pizzas & bar from 4pm
Last orders for whole pizzas: 6pm
Pizza slices available from 6pm
Tickets on sale now - domjoly.tv/dom-jolys-speakeazy
Dom Joly’s SpeakeaZy is, in his own words, a “Cabaret of Curiosities”, though it’s less cabaret in the feathered sense, and more a thrilling, unpredictable collision of comedy, music, storytelling, and the occasional cultural hand grenade. It’s intimate, anarchic, and oddly elegant in its chaos. Like a dinner party where the guests are famous, the host is mischievous, and no one knows who’s coming until they arrive.
And that, of course, is the whole point.
The guest list remains strictly under lock and key, partly because it’s fun, partly because it’s maddening, and partly because if you announced it in advance you’d ruin the delicious, high-stakes gamble that audiences now seem addicted to. People come without knowing who they’ll see, and leave feeling faintly superior to everyone who stayed at home watching Netflix and pretending they enjoyed it.
"Curating this show in my hometown has honestly been one of the highlights of my career," says Dom "I love bringing together people I admire; musicians, comedians, writers, and total wildcards. The joy is that nobody knows what’s coming next including me half the time!"
Past nights have featured everyone from comedy heavyweights like Seann Walsh and Jenny Éclair, to musical favourites including James Walsh (Starsailor), Tom A Smith, Babybird, and The Bluetones. There have been moments of proper hilarity, unexpected tenderness, and the kind of off-script magic that only happens when nobody’s quite sure what’s coming next.
It is, in short, the sort of live entertainment that reminds you why live entertainment exists.
Here’s all you need to know.
New Dates: Thursday 2nd July | Thursday 6th August | Thursday 3rd September
Venue: The Steam & Whistle
Where: 247 Gloucester Road, Cheltenham GL51 8NW
Doors: 6.30pm
Show starts: 7.30pm
Seating: unreserved: arrive early for the best spots
Artisan pizzas & bar from 4pm
Last orders for whole pizzas: 6pm
Pizza slices available from 6pm
Tickets on sale now - domjoly.tv/dom-jolys-speakeazy
There’s a particular moment, about now, when the Cotswolds countryside stops posing for postcards and starts quietly insisting you get involved.
The hedgerows thicken, the puddles dry out just enough to reveal the potholes they’ve been hiding all winter (mind those... your suspension will thank you), and pub gardens begin to fill in that wonderfully British way with no bookings, no agenda, just people turning up because the sun’s out and it would be rude not to.
So, we recommend you hop in the car and join them. Round up you friends. Jump in the car. Get the roof down if you’ve got one that comes down and it's not raining, windows open if you haven’t, a playlist that makes you feel faintly superior and nothing resembling a plan beyond the vague belief that lunch will happen at some point.
We’ve put together five routes where the pub isn’t a stop along the way. It’s the point. The drive is simply part of the pleasure.
One small note of boring-but-important sense. Please don’t drink and drive. Fortunately, every decent pub worth its salt now does very drinkable alcohol-free beer, so you can still have the pint, keep your licence and enjoy the day as much as everyone else.
The hedgerows thicken, the puddles dry out just enough to reveal the potholes they’ve been hiding all winter (mind those... your suspension will thank you), and pub gardens begin to fill in that wonderfully British way with no bookings, no agenda, just people turning up because the sun’s out and it would be rude not to.
So, we recommend you hop in the car and join them. Round up you friends. Jump in the car. Get the roof down if you’ve got one that comes down and it's not raining, windows open if you haven’t, a playlist that makes you feel faintly superior and nothing resembling a plan beyond the vague belief that lunch will happen at some point.
We’ve put together five routes where the pub isn’t a stop along the way. It’s the point. The drive is simply part of the pleasure.
One small note of boring-but-important sense. Please don’t drink and drive. Fortunately, every decent pub worth its salt now does very drinkable alcohol-free beer, so you can still have the pint, keep your licence and enjoy the day as much as everyone else.
1. Woolpack to Wild Duck
Valleys, cider houses, and a day that quietly becomes night
You begin in Slad, where the road already feels like it has read Laurie Lee and decided to behave accordingly. The Woolpack is perched above the valley with spectacular views that do most of the work for you. It’s an easy place to lose track of time in the best possible way: lunch becomes afternoon without anyone formally deciding it should.
From there, the road drops gently into Frampton Mansell and The Crown, a 17th-century cider house that feels wonderfully steady, rooted, unbothered by modern life. It’s low-ceilinged, slightly uneven underfoot and doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is, which is a perfect village pub.
A short drive and you reach The Bell at Sapperton. The garden feels designed for letting afternoons drift off-course, and the wine wall feels slightly smug, but in the right way like it knows you’re going to stay longer than you said you would.
By the time you reach The Wild Duck at Ewen, the structure of the day has already given up pretending. This is where you properly settle in and enjoy dinner on the beautiful terrace if the weather is on your side. This feels less like the final stop and more like the obvious conclusion to a day.
1. Woolpack to Wild Duck
Valleys, cider houses, and a day that quietly becomes night
You begin in Slad, where the road already feels like it has read Laurie Lee and decided to behave accordingly. The Woolpack is perched above the valley with spectacular views that do most of the work for you. It’s an easy place to lose track of time in the best possible way: lunch becomes afternoon without anyone formally deciding it should.
From there, the road drops gently into Frampton Mansell and The Crown, a 17th-century cider house that feels wonderfully steady, rooted, unbothered by modern life. It’s low-ceilinged, slightly uneven underfoot and doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is, which is a perfect village pub.
A short drive and you reach The Bell at Sapperton. The garden feels designed for letting afternoons drift off-course, and the wine wall feels slightly smug, but in the right way like it knows you’re going to stay longer than you said you would.
By the time you reach The Wild Duck at Ewen, the structure of the day has already given up pretending. This is where you properly settle in and enjoy dinner on the beautiful terrace if the weather is on your side. This feels less like the final stop and more like the obvious conclusion to a day.
2. Double Red Duke to The Stump
Postcard villages, long lunches, and the slow disappearance of time
You begin at The Double Red Duke, where the garden feels like it was built for exactly this: groups of friends arriving slightly too early, ordering slightly too much, and deciding that the weather warrants some lunch too. It’s the kind of place that encourages the first drink to turn into something longer without ever saying so out loud.
From there the roads tighten and unwind into Langford and The Bell, where if you didn't grab lunch at the Double Red Duke, you probaly should here. The food quietly takes centre stage. Nothing theatrical, nothing over-explained, just plates that arrive with a kind of quiet certainty that this is exactly what you came for, even if you didn’t know it when you set off.
The landscape softens again as you reach The Victoria Inn in Eastleach, where the village itself does most of the work. Stone cottages, a slow-moving river nearby, and a pub that feels less placed in the village than grown out of it. Time behaves differently here. It stretches without apology and it's an ideal spot to walk off some of your lunch.
Further into the valley sits The New Inn at Coln, ivy climbing the walls, light falling softly through the windows, and a perfect stop for a pint that somehow turns into a second without any real negotiation.
Then on to The Village Pub in Barnsley, the penultimate stop on a summer afternoon that is already beginning to ease towards evening. It’s a lovely pub in the most quietly assured sense: oak-beamed ceilings, dimly lit corners made for lingering, and a low, easy hum that suggests nobody here is in any particular rush to be anywhere else.
The day eventually gathers itself at The Stump: pizza, energy, and that easy late afternoon atmosphere where everyone arrives on time and leaves slightly later than they meant to. A place made for settling in properly for the evening with a quiet acceptance that there’s nowhere better to be.
3. Hare to The Bull
Country roads, river bends, and an afternoon well spent
This is a driving route as much as a pub route. The roads matter as much as the stops.
You begin at The Hare in Milton-under-Wychwood, a village pub that doesn’t try to define your day for you. It simply feeds you well, pours a decent pint, and lets you get on with it. That’s more valuable than it sounds.
From there, the road drops towards water and arrives at The Swan Swinbrook, sitting beside the river in a way that makes time feel optional. The garden draws people in and then quietly discourages them from leaving. It’s the sort of place where “we should head off soon” is said repeatedly without consequence.
Then on to The Three Horseshoes in Asthall, a charming village stop and a very good excuse to slow the pace. The garden is the main event here, and one of the best in the Cotswolds for soaking up a bit of sunshine with a drink in hand.
The climb out of the valley brings you to The Farmer’s Dog, wide views and a confident lack of pretension. It has Clarkson’s name attached to it, but the appeal is more straightforward than that; cold beer, and British grub. It works because it doesn’t try to be clever.
From there, the tone settles again at The Royal Oak Ramsden, a village pub in a beautifully picturesque setting that barely needs introducing. There’s good beer, a grill garden doing proper work outside, and an easy rhythm to the place that makes it feel like the right pause in the day.
The day finishes at The Bull at Charlbury for dinner, a place that understands exactly what an evening should feel like without ever needing to explain it. It’s a great spot to spend a long, unhurried evening with friends, inside, where it’s all low light and easy conversation, or outside where the evening quietly extends itself.
4. Norman Knight to The King's Head
Winding roads, village greens, and a day that refuses to rush
You start at The Norman Knight in Whichford, recently reopened and already acting as though it has always been there. It’s a great place to start the day with a wonderful lunch; unhurried, quietly confident and the sense that it has quietly slipped back into village life as if it never left.
From there, the road takes you to The Red Lion in Long Compton, a near-perfect village pub with a garden that seems designed entirely around the simple pleasure of a pint in the sunshine. Nothing overly complicated, just a decent stop, in exactly the right place, doing exactly what it should.
The route winds down to The Fox at Oddington, where the garden does exactly what a good gardens should by quietly persuading you there’s time for one more, then probably another. It’s an easy place to lose a couple of hours in the sunshine with friends, cocktails coming a little too easily, and conversation drifting on without any need to land anywhere in particular.
Then on to Kingham, where you can park the car and simply walk between the Kingham Plough and the Wild Rabbit, taking a drink at each and letting the village do the rest. Together they give you exactly what you need at that point in the day: no big decisions, just the simple pleasure of moving a short distance for a very good reason to stop again.
From there, the route continues to The King’s Head in Bledington, where everything opens out onto the village green. It’s the sort of place where summer simply takes care of itself, time slips slightly out of view, and that easy sense of having arrived at exactly the right point in the day at one of the Cotswolds' favourite pubs.
5. The Fox to The Hollow Bottom
Picture-perfect villages, timeless pubs, and long evenings over pizza and a final drink
You begin at The Fox Broadwell, overlooking the green, where everything starts gently and has a habit of staying that way longer than it strictly needs to. Nothing pushes you on here, which is precisely the point. Lunch can be a snack from their blackboard or it's just a lovely spot to enjoy a pint, outside the front of the pub watching the world go by.
The road then lifts to The Horse & Groom in Bourton-on-the-Hill. The garden with delightful views across the Evenlode Valley is made for letting the afternoon run on properly, glasses never quite empty, and the food has that quiet competence that doesn’t ask for attention but earns it anyway.
Then onto the Snowshill Arms which is tucked into one of the Cotswolds’ most chocolate-box villages, where everything feels just a fraction removed from the modern world. It’s an old-world pub in the best sense, no airs and graces, and absolutely no attempt to reinterpret itself for anyone passing through. It simply exists as it always has, which is exactly why it works so well.
Some narrow roads then lead you to The Halfway at Kineton, which is exactly what it says on the tin and exactly where you end up staying longer than intended. The recent new home of Zonda, the incredible pizzas feel designed for sharing in the garden with a drink in hand, conversation loosening as the afternoon slips a little further out of view.
And finally onto The Hollow Bottom, a pub brought back to its former glory and now comfortably re-established as it should be. It’s the perfect place for a final drink of the night; unforced, welcoming, and made for that last proper pause before heading home. A pint of something local in hand, named after a racehorse you half recognise, and the evening quietly sorts itself out in front of you, without any need for ceremony.
These routes aren’t rules, they’re more a framework and a decent excuse to head out, take the long way through villages you’ve only ever driven past, and stitch together a few pubs you might not have bothered with otherwise.
The journeys between them aren’t long, and that’s exactly the point. Just enough road to build a bit of anticipation, and make that next pint or plate feel properly earned.
If you’re going to do it properly, book ahead. In summer especially, the better places quietly fill with people who had the same idea. And better still, make a night of it. Stay at the final stops, settle in, and let the evening run on without the need to move again.
Then all you have to do is turn the music up, keep the roof down, and let the Cotswolds do what it does best: feed you well and send you home slightly later than intended.
And of course, a brief and entirely unromantic reminder: pick your designated driver early, keep them well supplied with soft drinks and gratitude, and please don’t be tempted at any point to mix driving with anything stronger than common sense.
The journeys between them aren’t long, and that’s exactly the point. Just enough road to build a bit of anticipation, and make that next pint or plate feel properly earned.
If you’re going to do it properly, book ahead. In summer especially, the better places quietly fill with people who had the same idea. And better still, make a night of it. Stay at the final stops, settle in, and let the evening run on without the need to move again.
Then all you have to do is turn the music up, keep the roof down, and let the Cotswolds do what it does best: feed you well and send you home slightly later than intended.
And of course, a brief and entirely unromantic reminder: pick your designated driver early, keep them well supplied with soft drinks and gratitude, and please don’t be tempted at any point to mix driving with anything stronger than common sense.
Photograph: James Bridle
We are incredibly fortunate in the Cotswolds to have so many brilliant events right on our doorstep as summer arrives in full. From food festivals and flower shows to classic car gatherings, country fairs, circuses, and open-air cinema beneath the stars, the season offers endless excuses to step outside, gather with friends, and make the most of the long days and warm evenings.
Here are 25 events to help you make the most of the Cotswolds outdoors this summer.
June
CHELTENHAM SCIENCE FESTIVAL
2 - 7 JUNE • VARIOUS LOCATIONS
In 2025, the Science Festival uncovered mind-blowing facts, from quantum tunnelling and the secrets of squid ink to the surprising truth that fish have legs and even what it takes to become a champion cheese chaser. We were joined by the likes of Brian Cox, Greg Foot, Maya Raichoora, Helen Czerski, Maddie Moate, Daze Aghaji, Robin Ince and more. 2026 is sure to be even bigger and better!
TICKETS + INFO
2 - 7 JUNE • VARIOUS LOCATIONS
In 2025, the Science Festival uncovered mind-blowing facts, from quantum tunnelling and the secrets of squid ink to the surprising truth that fish have legs and even what it takes to become a champion cheese chaser. We were joined by the likes of Brian Cox, Greg Foot, Maya Raichoora, Helen Czerski, Maddie Moate, Daze Aghaji, Robin Ince and more. 2026 is sure to be even bigger and better!
TICKETS + INFO
THE CHURCHILL CAR SHOW
14 JUNE • CHURCHILL VILLAGE GREEN
A delightfully Cotswold affair, the Churchill Car Show returns to the village green of Churchill for a much-loved summer gathering of motoring charm and community spirit. From classic icons to modern supercars and one-off curiosities, the green becomes a living gallery of automotive design, set against the backdrop of an unhurried village day.
Alongside the displays, expect a relaxed atmosphere of food, drink, family entertainment and local fundraising in support of local charities.
TICKETS & INFO
THE BLENHEIM PALACE FLOWER SHOW
19–21 JUNE • BLENHEIM PALACE, OXFORDSHIRE
A most elegant herald of the summer season, the Blenheim Palace Flower Show returns to the sweeping grounds of Britain’s grandest palace, where horticulture and heritage meet in suitably magnificent style. Across three days, the parkland is transformed into a world of colour and creativity, from the grandeur of the Floral Pavilion to the artistry of show gardens, specialist growers, and immersive displays that celebrate the very best of British gardening.
TICKETS & INFO
THE CHELTENHAM FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL
19–21 JUNE • MONTPELLIER GARDENS, CHELTENHAM
The Cheltenham Food & Drink Festival returns to the elegant surrounds of Montpellier Gardens, where the town’s Georgian grace provides a fitting backdrop for three days devoted to flavour, craft, and indulgence. Across the weekend, acclaimed chefs and local producers gather to present live cookery demonstrations, wine and spirit tastings, and a rich programme of talks and masterclasses, all set within a lively open-air market of artisan food and drink.
From the aromas of street food drifting through the trees to the hum of the Festival Stage and the relaxed pleasure of sampling something new in good company, it is a celebration of the region’s culinary talent in its most generous form.
TICKETS & INFO
FOREST LIVE
24 - 28 JUNE • WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM
Among the towering bark-clad giants of Westonbirt Arboretum, the beloved Forest Live series once again promises nights that feel half concert, half woodland enchantment. Richard Ashcroft will bring a voice shaped for open skies; Fatboy Slim will transform the forest floor into a glowing celebration; UB40 will drape the evening in reggae warmth; and Deacon Blue will add their blend of melody and melancholy. To hear such iconic artists beneath Westonbirt’s ancient canopy is not merely to attend a gig, it is to step into a shared moment suspended between leaves and stars.
TICKETS + INFO
BLENHEIM PALACE FESTIVAL
27 JUNE - 4 JULY • BLENHEIM PALACE
A new jewel joins the summer crown with the inaugural Blenheim Palace Festival, and it arrives with regal ambition. Neil Young, a master of songcraft whose music feels carved from wind and time, will stand before the palace’s grand façade. Alongside him, pop luminary Katy Perry brings technicolour spectacle, Pete Tong with his sun-soaked rhythms of Ibiza Classics, while Teddy Swims adds the velvet depth of a voice that seems to wrap itself around you. Global icon Alanis Morissette is the latest to be announced and will be joined by special guests Skunk Anansie for a summer evening destined to linger in the warm night air long after the final chord fades. Blenheim has long been a place for history; in 2026, it becomes a place for harmony too.
TICKETS + INFO
CHARLBURY BEER FESTIVAL
27 JUNE • CHARLBURY CRICKET CLUB
The Charlbury Beer Festival returns on Saturday 27th June 2026, transforming the grounds of Charlbury Cricket Club into a cheerful celebration of great drink, good music, and local tradition. Expect 60 cask ales, 20+ craft beers, plus ciders, perries, wine, gin and Pimm’s, alongside excellent food (including veggie and vegan options). Run entirely by volunteers, the festival proudly raises funds for local and overseas causes, with live entertainment and the ever-popular World Aunt Sally Singles Championship adding a wonderfully English flourish to the day.
TICKETS + INFO
TOM JONES
28 JUNE • KINGHOLM STADIUM
A voice that has long since become part of the British summer fabric returns to Gloucester as Sir Tom Jones takes to Kingsholm Stadium for a headline evening of unmistakable charm and enduring showmanship. As part of the Kingsholm Summer Series, the Welsh icon brings a catalogue spanning more than six decades — from early rhythm and blues to the unmistakable hits that have defined generations.
TICKETS & INFO
28 JUNE • KINGHOLM STADIUM
A voice that has long since become part of the British summer fabric returns to Gloucester as Sir Tom Jones takes to Kingsholm Stadium for a headline evening of unmistakable charm and enduring showmanship. As part of the Kingsholm Summer Series, the Welsh icon brings a catalogue spanning more than six decades — from early rhythm and blues to the unmistakable hits that have defined generations.
TICKETS & INFO
July
GIFFORDS CIRCUS
JULY, AUGUST & SEPTEMBER • VARIOUS COTSWOLDS LOCATIONS
A travelling celebration of old-fashioned wonder and handcrafted spectacle, Giffords Circus brings its 2026 show Waterfield to the fields and parklands of England from spring through to early autumn. Under the big top you’ll find a blend of acrobats, jugglers, equestrian artistry, live music and comedy, all presented with a wonderfully English, village-green charm that feels both timeless and joyously alive. Founded on the idea of “a miniature village green circus” bursting with magic, character and warmth, this season’s tour pitches up in various locations around the Cotswolds this summer.
TICKETS + INFO
THE COTSWOLD SHOW & FOOD FESTIVAL
4–5 JULY • CIRENCESTER PARK
A fine Cotswold summer fixture, the Cotswold Show & Food Festival returns to the stately grounds of Cirencester Park for a weekend that blends rural tradition with a distinctly modern flourish. Expect a lively mix of arena spectacle, from country pursuits and livestock displays to high-octane entertainment, alongside a bustling food hall and artisan village showcasing the very best of local produce and craft. It is, in essence, the countryside on full display.
TICKETS + INFO
2000 TREES
8 - 11 JULY • WITHINGTON, NR CHELTENHAM
2000 Trees returns this July, with Upcote Farm once again playing host to one of the UK’s most revered independent music celebrations; a weekend of raw energy, brilliant bands and unforgettable summer days and nights with friends. The 2026 line‑up is stacked with heavyweight names for fans of punk, indie and alternative rock, including Alkaline Trio, Pup, Superheaven, Glassjaw and Lambrini Girls, alongside raucous favourites like Cancer Bats, Bad Nerves, High Vis and Dinosaur Pile‑Up — plus a host of rising acts across multiple stages that make Trees a perfect showcase for both established and underground talent.
TICKETS & INFO
THE RHS BADMINTON FLOWER SHOW
8–12 JULY • BADMINTON ESTATE
A striking new arrival on the horticultural calendar, the RHS Badminton Flower Show unfolds across the sweeping parkland of the Badminton Estate, where South Gloucestershire becomes, for a brief midsummer spell, a showcase of gardening at its most refined. From show gardens of real ambition to the immersive Floral Marquee, expect a procession of extraordinary planting, rare specimens, and designers and growers at the very top of their craft.
Beyond the blooms, the show takes on the character of a great country gathering with talks from leading horticultural voices, artisan food, and a sense of gentle discovery at every turn.
TICKETS + INFO
THE CHARLBURY RIVERSIDE FESTIVAL
19–20 JULY • MILL FIELD, CHARLBURY
A rather splendid outpouring of community spirit, the Charlbury Riverside Festival returns to the Mill Field on the banks of the Evenlode, where for one summer weekend the watermeadows become a stage for music, mischief, and open-air merriment. Widely regarded as Oxfordshire’s largest free festival, it draws a lively mix of families, locals and wanderers for two days of live bands, multiple stages, and a distinctly easygoing charm.
Alongside the music, expect a generous spread of food stalls, a well-stocked beer tent, children’s entertainment, and the kind of unforced, riverside atmosphere that only Charlbury seems to do with such ease, all set just a short stroll from the station.
TICKETS & INFO
FOOL’S DELIGHT CIRCUS
23 JULY – 2 AUGUST • HAM COURT HOUSE, OXFORDSHIRE
A most curious and captivating summer interlude, Fool’s Delight Circus returns with its latest creation, Tyger, transforming the grounds of Ham Court House into a world of imagination, dining, and daring performance. Inspired by William Blake’s famous poem, this year’s show explores the “fearful symmetry” of the human condition through a series of spellbinding circus duos, where acrobatics and aerial artistry become a meditation on beauty, tension, and duality.
Alongside the main production, guests are invited to a refined three-course communal feast, with the season also expanding into daytime entertainments, including solo shows from legendary clown Tweedy, family-focused performances, and even two evenings of opera from Wild Arts beneath the Big Top. It is, in every sense, a richly layered cultural escape — part circus, part supper, part summer reverie.
TICKETS + INFO
THE GUITING MUSIC FESTIVAL
24 JULY – 2 AUGUST • GUITING POWER
A quietly glorious fixture of the Cotswold summer, the Guiting Music Festival returns for ten days of intimate, world-class performance in the unspoilt village of Guiting Power. Set beneath canvas and open skies alike, the programme moves effortlessly from classical refinement to jazz and blues, drawing acclaimed musicians from across the UK and beyond into a setting that feels both personal and timeless. This year, you will find Mica Paris and Lindisfarne on the line-up.
TICKETS & INFO
WILDERNESS
30 JULY - 2 AUGUST • CORNBURY PARK
Wilderness returns to the magical parkland of Cornbury Park, inviting music lovers to lose themselves in a weekend of brilliant live performances, world‑class food experiences and the festival’s signature blend of creativity and culture. The 2026 line‑up features electrifying headline sets from iconic pop‑dance outfit Scissor Sisters, genre‑bending innovators The Last Dinner Party and legendary DJ‑producer Carl Cox, alongside acclaimed electronic duo Soulwax, indie favourite Saint Etienne and cult‑cool songwriter Baxter Dury, with dancefloor heat from Groove Armada and a host of eclectic acts across the stages.
Feasting is taken seriously too, with celebrated culinary names and creative food offerings ensuring that long afternoons are as delicious as they are musical, while talks, comedy and immersive arts experiences add extra colour to four unforgettable summer days under the trees.
TICKETS & INFO
CHELTENHAM 7s FESTIVAL
31 JULY - 1 AUGUST • NEWLANDS PARK, CHELTENHAM
An explosive weekend of music, fun, and unforgettable experiences. Featuring a range of competitions for Rugby, Netball, Dodgeball, and much more during the festival, with a huge line up of talented artists, bands and DJs.
The combination of sport and music is a truly unique experience which is not to be missed. You don’t have to be taking part in the sport, to be a part of this unique event. This is not just a sports festival, it is an inclusive festival. Ideal for festivalgoers, sport lovers and families. Bringing people together through music and sport.
TICKETS + INFO
OUTDOOR CINEMA AT WESTONBIRT
31 JULY – 2 AUGUST • WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM
A rather enchanting escape, the Westonbirt Outdoor Cinema transforms the heart of the arboretum into a woodland theatre beneath the stars, where film and nature share the same gentle spotlight. Set among thousands of rare trees in one of Britain’s most beautiful botanical landscapes, guests are invited to settle with blankets and picnics as the sun slips through the canopy and the screen comes to life. Films include Dirty Dancing, Jurassic Park and a Sing-A-Long showing of Encanto for the younger viewers.
TICKETS & INFO
August
CHELTENHAM CRICKET FESTIVAL
8 - 24 AUGUST • CHELTENHAM COLLEGE
A pillar of the English summer sporting calendar, the Cheltenham Cricket Festival returns to the elegant surrounds of Cheltenham College between Saturday 8th August to Friday 24 August, where it has been staged for generations on one of the country’s most historic cricket grounds. Dating back to 1872, it remains the oldest festival of its kind, pairing top-tier Gloucestershire cricket with a distinctly genteel sense of occasion.
Across the festival, expect a sunlit mix of County Championship and limited-overs fixtures, framed by traditional hospitality, lively marquees, and that unmistakable festival atmosphere where the boundary rope feels close enough to touch.
TICKETS + INFO
THE BIG FEASTIVAL
28 - 30 AUGUST • KINGHAM
With the 2026 Big Feastival line-up now live, yet another unforgettable long weekend of music, food and fun awaits us on Alex James’ idyllic Cotswolds farm during the August Bank Holiday weekend. Across three days you’ll be treated to headline sets from dance-pioneers Basement Jaxx, UK rap-poet favourite The Streets and indie-pop hitmakers Bastille, alongside an eclectic mix of artists including RUDIM3NTAL, Perrie, Doves, White Lies, Freya Ridings, Mimi Webb and The Coral, ensuring there’s something for every musical taste.
But Big Feastival isn’t just about the beats, it’s a true celebration of flavour too, with acclaimed chefs and food experiences that have become just as legendary as the music. Expect chef demos, incredible street food and inventive culinary showcases that make grazing around the festival one of the highlights of the weekend.
Comedy lovers are also well-served, with live sets from names like Joel Dommett, Ivo Graham and Suzi Ruffell adding laughter to sun-soaked afternoons and balmy evenings
TICKETS & INFO
September
MORETON SHOW
5 SEPTEMBER • MORETON-IN-MARSH
A cornerstone of the Cotswold rural calendar, the Moreton Show returns for its celebrated one-day gathering in the heart of Moreton-in-Marsh, where the fields once again become a grand stage for British agriculture at its finest. Since 1949, it has championed the very best of farming, equestrian skill, and countryside tradition, drawing together livestock classes, arena displays, and over 300 trade stands in a lively yet unmistakably traditional spectacle.
From champion livestock parades to the thunder of arena attractions and the gentle bustle of the Home & Garden marquees, it is a day that distils the countryside into its purest form. For many, it remains the definitive late-summer gathering of rural England.
TICKETS & INFO
SALON PRIVE
2 - 6 SEPTEMBER • BLENHEIM PALACE
Get ready for five spectacular days of automotive excellence at Blenheim Palace. Following record‑breaking attendance in 2025, the 2026 edition will take place from Wednesday 2nd September to Sunday 6th September.
The Palace lawns will once again be transformed into a glamorous garden party, where extraordinary cars are showcased alongside fine dining, champagne bars and luxury shopping - creating an unforgettable celebration of style and innovation.
TICKETS + INFO
CORNBURY HOUSE HORSE TRIALS
9 - 13 SEPTEMBER • CORNBURY PARK
An eventing experience set amongst the beautiful woodland of the Cotswolds’ most prestigious estate. Cornbury House Horse Trials is the ideal setting to see some of the the finest young horses and riders in the country competing in dressage, cross country and show jumping across five days in September.
TICKETS + INFO
BLENHEIM PALACE INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS
17 - 20 SEPTEMBER • BLENHEIM PALACE
Get ready for an unforgettable experience this year at Blenheim Palace! Experience four days of exhilarating eventing, including Dressage, Cross Country, and Showjumping, set against the stunning backdrop of Blenheim Palace – one of Britain’s most beautiful and historic venues.
TICKETS + INFO
Early June will see the arrival of Zonda at The Halfway at Kineton, marking a quietly significant moment for one of the north Cotswolds’ most respected food-led pubs. It is, in essence, a pairing that feels both natural and long considered: a much-admired pizza concept finding a permanent home within a pub that has already established itself as a destination in its own right.
Zonda, created by Cam Kelly, has built its reputation in unusually organic fashion. What began, modestly enough, in a gazebo at Stow-on-the-Wold Rugby Club has developed into a word-of-mouth success story across the Cotswolds. Over the past two years, Cam has refined the offering in the kitchen at The King’s Arms in Chipping Norton, steadily growing both technique and following. The result is a pizza concept that has attracted genuine loyalty throughout the Cotswolds.
“This feels like a huge moment for us,” says Cam. “Zonda started very small, and so many people supported us from the beginning. To now have a permanent home at The Halfway is incredibly exciting.”
That sense of progression is important. Zonda is not arriving as a pop-up or an occasional residency, but as a defined, ongoing presence, the first time the business has operated from a dedicated pub home. In a culinary landscape increasingly shaped by short-term collaborations, there is something quietly decisive about permanence.
The Halfway at Kineton, meanwhile, has already established its own identity since opening in March 2023 under chefs Nathan Eades and Liam Goff, also known for The Hollow Bottom in Guiting Power and the Bib Gourmand-awarded Horse and Groom in Bourton-on-the-Hill. In a relatively short period, The Halfway has become one of the most talked-about pub restaurants in the area, featuring in the Michelin Guide for the past two years and attracting consistent national attention.
This new chapter reflects a pragmatic evolution of that success. As Nathan Eades explains, the decision is rooted in both growth and balance across their existing sites. “With the successful opening of The Hollow Bottom in Guiting Power last July, we felt we needed to diversify our local offering to benefit both businesses rather than competing against one another,” he says. “The Halfway was our first pub, and the emotional attachment we have to it is huge. Zonda at The Halfway is a rebirth of our mothership.”
Zonda will serve its signature pizzas alongside a carefully considered small plates menu, and a drinks list that includes selected wines and a concise cocktail offering designed to sit comfortably within the relaxed pub setting. The Halfway will also continue to serve its popular Sunday roasts, which remain a central part of its weekly rhythm.
Taken together, the collaboration signals a confident step forward for both names: a respected pub refining its offer, and a distinctive pizza concept moving into a permanent setting for the first time. In the wider context of the Cotswolds dining scene, it is a simple idea executed with intent and one that feels likely to settle in quickly, as though it had always belonged there.
Zonda at The Halfway will open in early June, with bookings now open!
www.thehalfwayatkineton.com
Zonda, created by Cam Kelly, has built its reputation in unusually organic fashion. What began, modestly enough, in a gazebo at Stow-on-the-Wold Rugby Club has developed into a word-of-mouth success story across the Cotswolds. Over the past two years, Cam has refined the offering in the kitchen at The King’s Arms in Chipping Norton, steadily growing both technique and following. The result is a pizza concept that has attracted genuine loyalty throughout the Cotswolds.
“This feels like a huge moment for us,” says Cam. “Zonda started very small, and so many people supported us from the beginning. To now have a permanent home at The Halfway is incredibly exciting.”
That sense of progression is important. Zonda is not arriving as a pop-up or an occasional residency, but as a defined, ongoing presence, the first time the business has operated from a dedicated pub home. In a culinary landscape increasingly shaped by short-term collaborations, there is something quietly decisive about permanence.
The Halfway at Kineton, meanwhile, has already established its own identity since opening in March 2023 under chefs Nathan Eades and Liam Goff, also known for The Hollow Bottom in Guiting Power and the Bib Gourmand-awarded Horse and Groom in Bourton-on-the-Hill. In a relatively short period, The Halfway has become one of the most talked-about pub restaurants in the area, featuring in the Michelin Guide for the past two years and attracting consistent national attention.
This new chapter reflects a pragmatic evolution of that success. As Nathan Eades explains, the decision is rooted in both growth and balance across their existing sites. “With the successful opening of The Hollow Bottom in Guiting Power last July, we felt we needed to diversify our local offering to benefit both businesses rather than competing against one another,” he says. “The Halfway was our first pub, and the emotional attachment we have to it is huge. Zonda at The Halfway is a rebirth of our mothership.”
Zonda will serve its signature pizzas alongside a carefully considered small plates menu, and a drinks list that includes selected wines and a concise cocktail offering designed to sit comfortably within the relaxed pub setting. The Halfway will also continue to serve its popular Sunday roasts, which remain a central part of its weekly rhythm.
Taken together, the collaboration signals a confident step forward for both names: a respected pub refining its offer, and a distinctive pizza concept moving into a permanent setting for the first time. In the wider context of the Cotswolds dining scene, it is a simple idea executed with intent and one that feels likely to settle in quickly, as though it had always belonged there.
Zonda at The Halfway will open in early June, with bookings now open!
www.thehalfwayatkineton.com
There is a peculiar delicacy has been doing the rounds for a few years now. No, not braised pig cheek or wild garlic. Not even those all-too-familiar scotch eggs that seem to be made from equal parts sausage meat and marketing budget.
No, the real growth industry in our part of the world is the free meal.
And not the old-fashioned sort of free meal either like the occasional pint slipped your way because the landlord likes your face, or a pudding appearing with a wink at the end of a meal because you’ve laughed at one of their bad jokes earlier. This is something far more modern, far more sanitised, and far more tragic.
This is the era of the Hospitality Handout, delivered not to the starving, but to the aspiring.
To the content creator.
To the influencer.
You’d think seeing hospitality on its knees would prompt a fairly obvious reaction: book a table, go for lunch, pay the bill. Instead, it seems to have triggered something rather different, an instinct to see it as an easy target, a chance to grab a freebie, or worse still, get paid for the privilege of eating someone else’s food and calling it “content”.
And before anyone starts sharpening their steak knives, let me be clear: I’m absolutely not against marketing (I work in it!). I’m obviously not against social media (The Cotswolds Gentleman has been pretty much built on it). And I’m not even against people taking photos of their food (I do this sometimes and still suffer that feeling of embarrassment each time and feel it should come with a small fine).
What I am slightly against is the sheer, jaw-dropping volume of people in the Cotswolds who seem to be eating out as a part-time job.
Not as critics. Not as journalists. Not even as particularly interesting human beings.
Just eating. For free.
You may have seen them, migrating between Burford, Stow, Broadway and Cirencester like a herd of particularly well-dressed wildebeest in search of their natural prey: a pub that has opened, or one very close to closing. Some are wrapped in a neutral-coloured coat and Hunter wellies. Others go in their normal clothes, almost undetected until they are seen leaning over the table photographing a pork belly from seventeen different angles while it quietly dies.
And then later that day comes the Instagram post.
“Hidden gem.”
“Obsessed.”
“Such a vibe.”
“You NEED to try this.”
“Honestly unreal.”
And the most common lie ever told in the Cotswolds: “We just stumbled across this place.”
And then, the most fascinating part: the engagement.
Within seconds, the comments roll in from other influencers who have apparently been waiting, poised over their phones like air traffic control for mediocrity, or more likely summoned on a WhatsApp group.
“OMG this looks amazing!”
“Need to visit!”
“Adding to my list!”
All from people who will, inevitably, be sitting in exactly the same restaurant the following week doing exactly the same thing with exactly the same dishes in wide-eyed astonishment, as though they’ve just discovered fire while using the hashtags #invite or #ad.
Now, I understand transparency and the rules. But if you look at someone’s Instagram and every single post has #invite or #ad attached to it, that should be deeply embarrassing. At that point you’re not a food or hospitality lover, you’re essentially a freelance seagull.
And the awkward part? I honestly don’t know who's to blame.
Let’s start with the easiest target: the influencer.
There is something uniquely shameless about messaging a small independent business, already fighting soaring energy bills, staff shortages, VAT, and the general British public’s determination to stay at home, and saying, “We’d love to come in and experience your menu. Happy to collaborate!”
Collaborate. As though eating a £33 ribeye is a joint venture.
And it’s never the ones with genuine influence, is it? The ones who can actually fill tables don’t need to ask. They just go, quietly, like normal people, pay like normal people, and then mention it, if it’s good, in weekend newspaper. They don’t arrive with the air of someone about to do the restaurant a favour by ordering the scallops.
A friend who manages a local restaurant’s social media recently forwarded me a message from someone with 400 Instagram followers asking if they offer invites to “smaller creators”. A true and rather telling example. At that level, it’s less about being a “creator” in any meaningful sense and more about someone with a phone, a platform, and a slightly inflated idea of what their reach represents.
But then again, are the restaurants to blame?
Because they are doing it. They are actively feeding these people. Handing out food and drink like they’ve mistaken Instagram for the Red Cross.
And, yes, of course I understand why. Hospitality is on its last legs. It’s battered. It’s exhausted. Many places are running on fumes and goodwill. And if someone turns up offering “exposure” in exchange for a free meal, it probably feels like a bit of a lifeline, an easy way of making people aware that you exist, and a bit of a bargain.
Except it often isn’t.
Because what exactly are you buying? A photograph of your roast beef, with a caption reading “best roast ever”, which they also wrote last Sunday about a different pub just down the road.
And then there’s PR.
Ah, PR. Once the noble art of getting your client into The Times, The Telegraph, Condé Nast Traveller, or at the very least a glossy magazine that appear in doctor waiting rooms and people pretend to read. Now, increasingly, it involves sending messages like:
“Hi lovely! Would you like to come in for a complimentary dinner and share your experience?”
I know, as I receive them!
This is not public relations.
If your PR company’s greatest achievement is inviting Instagrammers for free meals, save yourself several thousand pounds a month and do it yourself if you truly believe this form of marketing works for you. At least if you’re going to give away your food, you can do it without a monthly retainer.
One of my personal rules on The Cotswolds Gentleman has always been simple: I don’t take free meals. Not because I’m holier-than-thou or morally superior, but because the hospitality industry is made up of real people trying to survive real pressures, and it doesn’t need yet another person treating their livelihood as a content opportunity.
Paying for your meal is respect. It also means you can be honest. Because once you’ve eaten for free, you’re no longer reviewing anything, you’re thanking. And a thank you, however enthusiastic, is not an honest opinion.
On the incredibly rare occasion a restaurant won’t take “no, I’m definitely paying” for an answer (this has happened twice as they were trying to thank me for something), I’ll settle it by leaving a tip for the staff that more than covers the cost of my meal. If someone insists on giving something away, it should go to the people doing the hard work, not to me.
Here’s the part that nobody seems talks about.
Because while restaurants or PR companies may believe giving away food brings in customers, it might actually be doing the opposite. I know it does for me. Because when I see a restaurant constantly giving away free meals to people with tiny followings and even tinier influence, I don’t feel inspired to book a table.
Sadly, for many, repeated gifting to low-reach accounts can start to create the impression that the value of the product is being diluted by how it’s being positioned and distributed.
And then, quietly, without drama, I simply don’t go. Not out of spite, not because I hate influencers (The Cotswolds Gentleman falls into that bracket sometimes) and not because I’m jealous. I assumed it was just me being slightly judgemental until I asked my Instagram following a month or so ago. I was genuinely shocked by how many people shared the same view and had stopped going to particular pubs and restaurants because of this. It was more widespread than I expected.
The sad thing is, the Cotswolds has some genuinely brilliant places. Proper pubs, incredible restaurants, brilliant chefs who care, menus with thought behind them, landlords who are grafting away seven days a week just to keep the lights on. They deserve to be busy because they're good and deserve to be celebrated properly. They just need customers. Real ones. Paying ones. Returning ones.
Of course, I appreciate the world of marketing is changing. Businesses have to try things. If you’re in hospitality right now, you’ll do whatever you can to fill tables, and social media can absolutely work when it’s done properly, especially when it reaches real people in the local area who might actually come in and spend money.
But too often what’s happening is a kind of circular economy where restaurants feed influencers, influencers post for influencers, influencers comment for influencers, and the only people being influenced are other influencers looking for their next free meal.
Hospitality is being squeezed dry. And it’s not just influencers, either. There are local publications too, promising hospitality the world and delivering very little in the way of actual customers, yet charging a small fortune for the pleasure. It’s the same racket in a smarter jacket but offers the same promises: Plenty of “exposure”, minimal footfall, and an invoice that suggests they’ve just landed you a double-page spread in The Guardian.
And so I’ll end with this. Please stop taking from hospitality, no matter how much you convince yourself you’re “helping”. The industry doesn’t need more people eating for free in exchange for a few tagged photos and some performative enthusiasm. Over 3,000 venues went bust in 2025 alone, and the more we normalise this culture of taking, the worse it will get.
If you genuinely love pubs and restaurants, do the most radical thing imaginable in 2026: book a table, pay the bill, tip the staff, and go back.
Which, call me a dinosaur, is still the best PR there is.
No, the real growth industry in our part of the world is the free meal.
And not the old-fashioned sort of free meal either like the occasional pint slipped your way because the landlord likes your face, or a pudding appearing with a wink at the end of a meal because you’ve laughed at one of their bad jokes earlier. This is something far more modern, far more sanitised, and far more tragic.
This is the era of the Hospitality Handout, delivered not to the starving, but to the aspiring.
To the content creator.
To the influencer.
You’d think seeing hospitality on its knees would prompt a fairly obvious reaction: book a table, go for lunch, pay the bill. Instead, it seems to have triggered something rather different, an instinct to see it as an easy target, a chance to grab a freebie, or worse still, get paid for the privilege of eating someone else’s food and calling it “content”.
And before anyone starts sharpening their steak knives, let me be clear: I’m absolutely not against marketing (I work in it!). I’m obviously not against social media (The Cotswolds Gentleman has been pretty much built on it). And I’m not even against people taking photos of their food (I do this sometimes and still suffer that feeling of embarrassment each time and feel it should come with a small fine).
What I am slightly against is the sheer, jaw-dropping volume of people in the Cotswolds who seem to be eating out as a part-time job.
Not as critics. Not as journalists. Not even as particularly interesting human beings.
Just eating. For free.
You may have seen them, migrating between Burford, Stow, Broadway and Cirencester like a herd of particularly well-dressed wildebeest in search of their natural prey: a pub that has opened, or one very close to closing. Some are wrapped in a neutral-coloured coat and Hunter wellies. Others go in their normal clothes, almost undetected until they are seen leaning over the table photographing a pork belly from seventeen different angles while it quietly dies.
And then later that day comes the Instagram post.
“Hidden gem.”
“Obsessed.”
“Such a vibe.”
“You NEED to try this.”
“Honestly unreal.”
And the most common lie ever told in the Cotswolds: “We just stumbled across this place.”
And then, the most fascinating part: the engagement.
Within seconds, the comments roll in from other influencers who have apparently been waiting, poised over their phones like air traffic control for mediocrity, or more likely summoned on a WhatsApp group.
“OMG this looks amazing!”
“Need to visit!”
“Adding to my list!”
All from people who will, inevitably, be sitting in exactly the same restaurant the following week doing exactly the same thing with exactly the same dishes in wide-eyed astonishment, as though they’ve just discovered fire while using the hashtags #invite or #ad.
Now, I understand transparency and the rules. But if you look at someone’s Instagram and every single post has #invite or #ad attached to it, that should be deeply embarrassing. At that point you’re not a food or hospitality lover, you’re essentially a freelance seagull.
And the awkward part? I honestly don’t know who's to blame.
Let’s start with the easiest target: the influencer.
There is something uniquely shameless about messaging a small independent business, already fighting soaring energy bills, staff shortages, VAT, and the general British public’s determination to stay at home, and saying, “We’d love to come in and experience your menu. Happy to collaborate!”
Collaborate. As though eating a £33 ribeye is a joint venture.
And it’s never the ones with genuine influence, is it? The ones who can actually fill tables don’t need to ask. They just go, quietly, like normal people, pay like normal people, and then mention it, if it’s good, in weekend newspaper. They don’t arrive with the air of someone about to do the restaurant a favour by ordering the scallops.
A friend who manages a local restaurant’s social media recently forwarded me a message from someone with 400 Instagram followers asking if they offer invites to “smaller creators”. A true and rather telling example. At that level, it’s less about being a “creator” in any meaningful sense and more about someone with a phone, a platform, and a slightly inflated idea of what their reach represents.
But then again, are the restaurants to blame?
Because they are doing it. They are actively feeding these people. Handing out food and drink like they’ve mistaken Instagram for the Red Cross.
And, yes, of course I understand why. Hospitality is on its last legs. It’s battered. It’s exhausted. Many places are running on fumes and goodwill. And if someone turns up offering “exposure” in exchange for a free meal, it probably feels like a bit of a lifeline, an easy way of making people aware that you exist, and a bit of a bargain.
Except it often isn’t.
Because what exactly are you buying? A photograph of your roast beef, with a caption reading “best roast ever”, which they also wrote last Sunday about a different pub just down the road.
And then there’s PR.
Ah, PR. Once the noble art of getting your client into The Times, The Telegraph, Condé Nast Traveller, or at the very least a glossy magazine that appear in doctor waiting rooms and people pretend to read. Now, increasingly, it involves sending messages like:
“Hi lovely! Would you like to come in for a complimentary dinner and share your experience?”
I know, as I receive them!
This is not public relations.
If your PR company’s greatest achievement is inviting Instagrammers for free meals, save yourself several thousand pounds a month and do it yourself if you truly believe this form of marketing works for you. At least if you’re going to give away your food, you can do it without a monthly retainer.
One of my personal rules on The Cotswolds Gentleman has always been simple: I don’t take free meals. Not because I’m holier-than-thou or morally superior, but because the hospitality industry is made up of real people trying to survive real pressures, and it doesn’t need yet another person treating their livelihood as a content opportunity.
Paying for your meal is respect. It also means you can be honest. Because once you’ve eaten for free, you’re no longer reviewing anything, you’re thanking. And a thank you, however enthusiastic, is not an honest opinion.
On the incredibly rare occasion a restaurant won’t take “no, I’m definitely paying” for an answer (this has happened twice as they were trying to thank me for something), I’ll settle it by leaving a tip for the staff that more than covers the cost of my meal. If someone insists on giving something away, it should go to the people doing the hard work, not to me.
Here’s the part that nobody seems talks about.
Because while restaurants or PR companies may believe giving away food brings in customers, it might actually be doing the opposite. I know it does for me. Because when I see a restaurant constantly giving away free meals to people with tiny followings and even tinier influence, I don’t feel inspired to book a table.
Sadly, for many, repeated gifting to low-reach accounts can start to create the impression that the value of the product is being diluted by how it’s being positioned and distributed.
And then, quietly, without drama, I simply don’t go. Not out of spite, not because I hate influencers (The Cotswolds Gentleman falls into that bracket sometimes) and not because I’m jealous. I assumed it was just me being slightly judgemental until I asked my Instagram following a month or so ago. I was genuinely shocked by how many people shared the same view and had stopped going to particular pubs and restaurants because of this. It was more widespread than I expected.
The sad thing is, the Cotswolds has some genuinely brilliant places. Proper pubs, incredible restaurants, brilliant chefs who care, menus with thought behind them, landlords who are grafting away seven days a week just to keep the lights on. They deserve to be busy because they're good and deserve to be celebrated properly. They just need customers. Real ones. Paying ones. Returning ones.
Of course, I appreciate the world of marketing is changing. Businesses have to try things. If you’re in hospitality right now, you’ll do whatever you can to fill tables, and social media can absolutely work when it’s done properly, especially when it reaches real people in the local area who might actually come in and spend money.
But too often what’s happening is a kind of circular economy where restaurants feed influencers, influencers post for influencers, influencers comment for influencers, and the only people being influenced are other influencers looking for their next free meal.
Hospitality is being squeezed dry. And it’s not just influencers, either. There are local publications too, promising hospitality the world and delivering very little in the way of actual customers, yet charging a small fortune for the pleasure. It’s the same racket in a smarter jacket but offers the same promises: Plenty of “exposure”, minimal footfall, and an invoice that suggests they’ve just landed you a double-page spread in The Guardian.
And so I’ll end with this. Please stop taking from hospitality, no matter how much you convince yourself you’re “helping”. The industry doesn’t need more people eating for free in exchange for a few tagged photos and some performative enthusiasm. Over 3,000 venues went bust in 2025 alone, and the more we normalise this culture of taking, the worse it will get.
If you genuinely love pubs and restaurants, do the most radical thing imaginable in 2026: book a table, pay the bill, tip the staff, and go back.
Which, call me a dinosaur, is still the best PR there is.
Cheltenham is an incredible town, full of culture, character, and that feeling that there’s always something going on. With its brilliant festivals, outstanding restaurants, and a social scene that knows exactly how to deliver a good night out, it’s a place that wears its sophistication lightly.
And now it has one more reason to go out midweek.
Le Giggle is the new Parler Comedy Night, created in collaboration with local comedian Burt Williamson which promises to bring a fresh, sharp-edged burst of live comedy to one of the town’s finest spots.
Parler has become one of the most popular spots in town since opening last year. It has the atmosphere, the style, and those effortlessly good vibes from morning through to night.
The first of three Le Giggle nights launches on Wednesday 3rd June, with a line-up that’s both intelligent and joyfully unhinged: Amelia Hamilton and Alex Farrow, hosted by Burt himself.
Burt Williamson: Host, Curator, Local Instigator
Burt Williamson is a Gloucestershire-born stand-up comedian, improviser and comedy producer known for sharp writing, offbeat observations and densely packed punchlines. He’s one of those performers who can make you laugh at something you didn’t even realise you thought, and his stage presence has the energy of a man who has absolutely muttered “for God’s sake” at a parking meter recently.
He’s been steadily building his name on the UK comedy circuit, earning acclaim for his Edinburgh Fringe shows, and has been described by The Scotsman as “unexpectedly hilarious at every turn.”
Amelia Hamilton: Moral Support
Amelia Hamilton is not your average comedian, she’s a rap comedienne with the delivery of a gunslinger and the writing of someone who has been paying close attention to the absurdity of modern life.
Her show Moral Support is bold, unpredictable and sharply funny, packed with lyrical punchlines that hit hard and land clean. Winner of the 2025 ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer, she’s been praised as “the rapping comic you instantly adore” and has appeared on BBC Radio 4 and BBC iPlayer.
Expect a show that dismantles modern morality with glee, covering everything from bad men with excellent manners to competitive happiness, gravedigging’s inevitable rebrand, and why mental health might need a touch less branding and a touch more honesty. Smart, subversive, and gloriously strange.
Alex Farrow: Disorder (Sex, Money & The Philosopher’s Graveyard)
Alex Farrow is a former philosophy teacher turned stand-up, which already tells you he’s comfortable staring into the void — and making it funny.
His upcoming 2026 show Disorder (Sex, Money & The Philosopher’s Graveyard) has earned him serious critical attention, described as “an intelligent new star with a skill for strong joke writing.” His work has featured on Mock the Week and Have I Got News for You, and he’s even been highlighted in The Times for Best Jokes of the Fringe.
His comedy is sharp, thoughtful, and brilliantly written - the kind of set that makes you laugh, then immediately feel slightly guilty for not reading more books.
Tickets are £14.50 and £8.50 for students.
Doors open at 7pm with the performance starting at 7.30pm.
Come for the comedy, leave with sore cheeks and a renewed faith in midweek decisions.
GET YOUR TICKETS HERE
www.parlerbar.co.uk
And now it has one more reason to go out midweek.
Le Giggle is the new Parler Comedy Night, created in collaboration with local comedian Burt Williamson which promises to bring a fresh, sharp-edged burst of live comedy to one of the town’s finest spots.
Parler has become one of the most popular spots in town since opening last year. It has the atmosphere, the style, and those effortlessly good vibes from morning through to night.
The first of three Le Giggle nights launches on Wednesday 3rd June, with a line-up that’s both intelligent and joyfully unhinged: Amelia Hamilton and Alex Farrow, hosted by Burt himself.
Burt Williamson: Host, Curator, Local Instigator
Burt Williamson is a Gloucestershire-born stand-up comedian, improviser and comedy producer known for sharp writing, offbeat observations and densely packed punchlines. He’s one of those performers who can make you laugh at something you didn’t even realise you thought, and his stage presence has the energy of a man who has absolutely muttered “for God’s sake” at a parking meter recently.
He’s been steadily building his name on the UK comedy circuit, earning acclaim for his Edinburgh Fringe shows, and has been described by The Scotsman as “unexpectedly hilarious at every turn.”
Amelia Hamilton: Moral Support
Amelia Hamilton is not your average comedian, she’s a rap comedienne with the delivery of a gunslinger and the writing of someone who has been paying close attention to the absurdity of modern life.
Her show Moral Support is bold, unpredictable and sharply funny, packed with lyrical punchlines that hit hard and land clean. Winner of the 2025 ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer, she’s been praised as “the rapping comic you instantly adore” and has appeared on BBC Radio 4 and BBC iPlayer.
Expect a show that dismantles modern morality with glee, covering everything from bad men with excellent manners to competitive happiness, gravedigging’s inevitable rebrand, and why mental health might need a touch less branding and a touch more honesty. Smart, subversive, and gloriously strange.
Alex Farrow: Disorder (Sex, Money & The Philosopher’s Graveyard)
Alex Farrow is a former philosophy teacher turned stand-up, which already tells you he’s comfortable staring into the void — and making it funny.
His upcoming 2026 show Disorder (Sex, Money & The Philosopher’s Graveyard) has earned him serious critical attention, described as “an intelligent new star with a skill for strong joke writing.” His work has featured on Mock the Week and Have I Got News for You, and he’s even been highlighted in The Times for Best Jokes of the Fringe.
His comedy is sharp, thoughtful, and brilliantly written - the kind of set that makes you laugh, then immediately feel slightly guilty for not reading more books.
Tickets are £14.50 and £8.50 for students.
Doors open at 7pm with the performance starting at 7.30pm.
Come for the comedy, leave with sore cheeks and a renewed faith in midweek decisions.
GET YOUR TICKETS HERE
www.parlerbar.co.uk
There are race meetings, and then there is the November Meeting at Cheltenham, a three-day autumnal gathering that feels less like a fixture on the sporting calendar and more like a seasonal rite of passage. Set below the theatre of Cleeve Hills, it is, without much argument, the biggest meeting of the season so far, and, from a purely personal point of view, our favourite.
This is racing’s ultimate weekender (Cheltenham's words, not ours), where anticipation sharpens in the crisp November air and Festival-bound talent first shows its hand. The atmosphere is electric, as though the whole sport has taken a collective deep breath and decided it’s time to get serious.
The weekend begins with Countryside Day, a celebration of rural life in all its muddy-booted glory. It is a nod to tradition, heritage, and the people who shape the landscape beyond the rails. Yet make no mistake, while the tweed may be plentiful, the racing is as sharp as a winter wind. It is a day for those who love the countryside and everything that makes it sing.
Super Saturday has become one of the most anticipated days outside the Cheltenham Festival itself. The air changes. The noise lifts. The sense of occasion becomes almost physical. It is here that leading owners, trainers, and jockeys arrive with intent to try and get their hands on the valuable Paddy Power Gold Cup... the biggest prize of the season so far.
And then, as if the weekend needed softening slightly after an action-packed Saturday, comes Carnival Sunday. The tone shifts off the course, the smiles widen. This is community racing at its finest, six exhilarating contests, Shetland pony racing, and a mascot race that delights young and old in equal measure. On the track, the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle takes centre stage.
Naturally, the celebrations don’t end at the final fence, with post-racing music on both Friday and Saturday to keep the party in full swing. And for families, Under 18s race free all weekend, provided they are accompanied by a responsible adult.
Tickets went on sale last week, and there is no better time to take advantage of the best-priced tickets and multi-day offers.
BUY TICKETS
This is racing’s ultimate weekender (Cheltenham's words, not ours), where anticipation sharpens in the crisp November air and Festival-bound talent first shows its hand. The atmosphere is electric, as though the whole sport has taken a collective deep breath and decided it’s time to get serious.
The weekend begins with Countryside Day, a celebration of rural life in all its muddy-booted glory. It is a nod to tradition, heritage, and the people who shape the landscape beyond the rails. Yet make no mistake, while the tweed may be plentiful, the racing is as sharp as a winter wind. It is a day for those who love the countryside and everything that makes it sing.
Super Saturday has become one of the most anticipated days outside the Cheltenham Festival itself. The air changes. The noise lifts. The sense of occasion becomes almost physical. It is here that leading owners, trainers, and jockeys arrive with intent to try and get their hands on the valuable Paddy Power Gold Cup... the biggest prize of the season so far.
And then, as if the weekend needed softening slightly after an action-packed Saturday, comes Carnival Sunday. The tone shifts off the course, the smiles widen. This is community racing at its finest, six exhilarating contests, Shetland pony racing, and a mascot race that delights young and old in equal measure. On the track, the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle takes centre stage.
Naturally, the celebrations don’t end at the final fence, with post-racing music on both Friday and Saturday to keep the party in full swing. And for families, Under 18s race free all weekend, provided they are accompanied by a responsible adult.
Tickets went on sale last week, and there is no better time to take advantage of the best-priced tickets and multi-day offers.
BUY TICKETS
Salon Privé returns to Blenheim Palace in September with the most exciting Concours in Europe
7/5/2026
Blenheim Palace will play host to Salon Privé once again this year, bringing together automotive excellence, world-class hospitality and luxury lifestyle across a five-day spectacular which runs 2 – 6 September 2026.
Now in its 21st year, this September Salon Privé will stage its world-class social occasion, bringing together the finest in classic cars, supercars, hypercars, fine dining, and high-end luxury brands including Boodles, Pommery and Vertu.
Set against the iconic backdrop of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, the esteemed event is a hallmark of the British social calendar, synonymous with elegance, craftsmanship and design. Presenting the most complete and exciting Concours in Europe, the Salon Privé Concours by Aviva Private Clients offers an opportunity to experience some of the world’s most exceptional classic cars, many making their UK debut, judged by an international panel of experts.
With 30,000 guests expected across the five-day event, this year’s Salon Privé at Blenheim promises to be bigger than ever, with expanded programming and enhanced displays planned to run across the weekend. Two stunning new automotive galleries will form the center piece of the lawn allowing to explore and appreciate a carefully curated display of supercars and hypercars, with daily parades and Concours judging creating further excitement.
Throughout the week, visitors will be able to enjoy the Salon Privé lifestyle village, which will welcome luxury vendors offering a refined shopping experience. This thoughtfully crafted outdoor space enhances the guest experience, elevating the signature automotive garden party that Salon Privé is renowned for.
Explore Wednesday 2nd September
The elegant lawns of Blenheim Palace set the stage as Salon Privé Concours by Aviva Private Clients opens with a celebration of automotive excellence. Guests can enjoy exclusive access to a curated lineup of 11 Classes, including the Golden Age of Motoring, 80 Years of Bristol Cars, Supercar Icons of the 80s and 90s and Glorious GTs, each representing the pinnacle of design and craftsmanship.
Explore Thursday 3rd September
Thursday continues the Salon Privé Concours by Aviva Private Clients with a showcase of the world’s finest classic cars. Guests can enjoy the stunning display, the elegant Concours Parades and the presentation of top awards, including Class Winners and the People’s Choice, all set within an atmosphere of refined luxury and hospitality. Enhanced by luxury hospitality and entertainment, the event will be an exquisite celebration of automotive excellence.
Explore Friday 4th September
Friday at Salon Privé is Ladies’ Day by Boodles, offering a stylish celebration of fashion, luxury and performance. The Palace lawns come alive with colour and elegance as guests dress for one of the season’s top social occasions. Highlights include the Boodles Best Hat Competition alongside a spectacular display of supercars, creating a day that blends high fashion with high performance.
Explore Saturday 5th September
The Salon Privé Club Trophy presented by Lockton launches the weekend with an awe-inspiring display of over 1,500 privately owned sports, super and hyper cars, all competing for the coveted Club Trophy. The day features thrilling parades, live presentations and a vibrant festival atmosphere, making it a must-visit for enthusiasts and families alike. With a unique blend of high-performance automotives and family-friendly entertainment, the Salon Privé Club Trophy presented by Lockton is a Supercar celebration for visitors and enthusiasts of all ages.
Explore Sunday 6th September
As a fitting conclusion to an extraordinary Salon Privé Week, Supercar Sunday and Lifestyle Clubs Day returns for the second time, bringing together the UK’s leading supercar and lifestyle clubs across the Blenheim Palace lawns. The Concours de Vente also returns, featuring exceptional classic cars offered for sale by leading specialists, judged by an expert panel. This exciting finale delivers an outstanding display of automotive passion and craftsmanship ensuring an unforgettable end to a week of unparalleled luxury and performance.
Tickets for Salon Privé 2026 are priced from £60 for entry, rising to up to £645 for luxury hospitality packages.
To purchase tickets to Salon Privé visit www.salonpriveconcours.com or to enter your vehicle into the 2026 Concours, complete an application at www.salonpriveconcours.com/apply-to-enter
Now in its 21st year, this September Salon Privé will stage its world-class social occasion, bringing together the finest in classic cars, supercars, hypercars, fine dining, and high-end luxury brands including Boodles, Pommery and Vertu.
Set against the iconic backdrop of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, the esteemed event is a hallmark of the British social calendar, synonymous with elegance, craftsmanship and design. Presenting the most complete and exciting Concours in Europe, the Salon Privé Concours by Aviva Private Clients offers an opportunity to experience some of the world’s most exceptional classic cars, many making their UK debut, judged by an international panel of experts.
With 30,000 guests expected across the five-day event, this year’s Salon Privé at Blenheim promises to be bigger than ever, with expanded programming and enhanced displays planned to run across the weekend. Two stunning new automotive galleries will form the center piece of the lawn allowing to explore and appreciate a carefully curated display of supercars and hypercars, with daily parades and Concours judging creating further excitement.
Throughout the week, visitors will be able to enjoy the Salon Privé lifestyle village, which will welcome luxury vendors offering a refined shopping experience. This thoughtfully crafted outdoor space enhances the guest experience, elevating the signature automotive garden party that Salon Privé is renowned for.
Explore Wednesday 2nd September
The elegant lawns of Blenheim Palace set the stage as Salon Privé Concours by Aviva Private Clients opens with a celebration of automotive excellence. Guests can enjoy exclusive access to a curated lineup of 11 Classes, including the Golden Age of Motoring, 80 Years of Bristol Cars, Supercar Icons of the 80s and 90s and Glorious GTs, each representing the pinnacle of design and craftsmanship.
Explore Thursday 3rd September
Thursday continues the Salon Privé Concours by Aviva Private Clients with a showcase of the world’s finest classic cars. Guests can enjoy the stunning display, the elegant Concours Parades and the presentation of top awards, including Class Winners and the People’s Choice, all set within an atmosphere of refined luxury and hospitality. Enhanced by luxury hospitality and entertainment, the event will be an exquisite celebration of automotive excellence.
Explore Friday 4th September
Friday at Salon Privé is Ladies’ Day by Boodles, offering a stylish celebration of fashion, luxury and performance. The Palace lawns come alive with colour and elegance as guests dress for one of the season’s top social occasions. Highlights include the Boodles Best Hat Competition alongside a spectacular display of supercars, creating a day that blends high fashion with high performance.
Explore Saturday 5th September
The Salon Privé Club Trophy presented by Lockton launches the weekend with an awe-inspiring display of over 1,500 privately owned sports, super and hyper cars, all competing for the coveted Club Trophy. The day features thrilling parades, live presentations and a vibrant festival atmosphere, making it a must-visit for enthusiasts and families alike. With a unique blend of high-performance automotives and family-friendly entertainment, the Salon Privé Club Trophy presented by Lockton is a Supercar celebration for visitors and enthusiasts of all ages.
Explore Sunday 6th September
As a fitting conclusion to an extraordinary Salon Privé Week, Supercar Sunday and Lifestyle Clubs Day returns for the second time, bringing together the UK’s leading supercar and lifestyle clubs across the Blenheim Palace lawns. The Concours de Vente also returns, featuring exceptional classic cars offered for sale by leading specialists, judged by an expert panel. This exciting finale delivers an outstanding display of automotive passion and craftsmanship ensuring an unforgettable end to a week of unparalleled luxury and performance.
Tickets for Salon Privé 2026 are priced from £60 for entry, rising to up to £645 for luxury hospitality packages.
To purchase tickets to Salon Privé visit www.salonpriveconcours.com or to enter your vehicle into the 2026 Concours, complete an application at www.salonpriveconcours.com/apply-to-enter
There are few things more absurd than a Michelin-starred restaurant being declared dead by blog post. Not criticised, not reviewed harshly, not even quietly dismissed as “not what it once was,” but pronounced closed, like some sort of culinary obituary written by Chat GPT.
And yet this is precisely what happened recently to Lumière in Cheltenham, the husband-and-wife jewel that has just retained its Michelin star (again, because of course it has), and is very much open for business. Not merely open, but flourishing; confident, polished, and quietly at the top of its game.
So when the confusion began circulating on social media, we did what any sensible person would do. We booked lunch immediately. Not out of spite, exactly, though there may have been a dash of it, but because if someone is going to spread rumours about one of the Cotswolds’ finest dining rooms, the least we can do is turn up, eat magnificently, and report back.
Lumière has now been operating for 17 years under husband-and-wife team Jon and Helen Howe, and it shows in the best possible way. It offers tasting menus in four, six or eight courses (£85, £130, £175). We went for six. Which is the sweet spot, really: enough to feel thoroughly indulged, not enough to require a nap in Montpellier Gardens afterwards with your belt undone and your soul drifting gently out of your body.
Jon is the artist in the kitchen, trained under some of the country’s finest Michelin-starred talent, but very much cooking in his own voice. Meanwhile, Helen leads the front of house with warmth and ease, alongside Restaurant Manager Matthew, and together they create that most elusive of experiences: service that feels attentive, personal, professional, but never stiff. There are white tablecloths, certainly, but no sense of intimidation. Nobody is whispering and nobody is judging your pronunciation of “velouté.”
A lovely touch is the menu itself, presented on a tablet at the table, a legacy of going paperless after Covid. It sounds like the sort of thing that might ruin the romance. It doesn’t. In fact, it’s rather wonderful: each dish laid out like a chapter in a novel, complete with origins, technique and detail. Between courses I read like a crime novel on a Kindle, except the evidence was crab, asparagus and dangerously good sourdough.
The canapés arrived first. Creedy Carver duck doughnut with fig and lime; Cornish crab in a delicate waffle tart with peas and elderflower; and Stinking Bishop with pear and chive.
The duck doughnut was an outrageously good one-biter, crisp, rich, sweet, sharp. The sort of thing that makes you briefly consider asking if they do them by the dozen. The crab was all freshness and finesse you could wish for, and the Stinking Bishop was exactly as advertised: you could smell it before you ate it, which was no surprise. What was a surprise is that it may have been my favourite of the three.
Then came the sourdough. Not just bread, but an event. A 32-hour labour of obsession, with Wildfarmed flour and the sort of crust that makes a noise when you break it. Two butters followed: Ampersand cultured with Himalayan pink salt, and a chicken butter crowned with crisp skin, which sounds faintly outrageous until you taste it and realise it’s simply genius.
Soon after arrived the Cornish John Dory with fennel, St Austell mussels, cauliflower and vadouvan, the dish I would return for alone.
Perfectly cooked fish is one of life’s great luxuries, so often promised, so rarely delivered, but this was immaculate. Lightly cured, delicately caramelised, and sitting in a sauce so good I momentarily forgot I was a respectable adult and began mopping it up with bread like a man who’d just survived a famine. Fortunately, I was then told that this was not only acceptable, but seemingly encouraged. Alongside it we had a glass of Woodchester Valley Blanc de Blancs 2019, which felt like the perfect local nod: ripe, elegant, all lemon zest and creamy mousse. The sort of wine that you can't believe is made just down the road.
Next came Wye Valley asparagus with morel, wild garlic, truffle and Jersey Royals, a plate that looked like it belonged in a gallery. I'm still a bit unsure how Jon made an asparagus spear look so glamorous. The morels, stuffed and roasted, were earthy and decadent; the truffle butter made everything feel faintly sinful; and the whole dish sang with that early-summer optimism that only asparagus season can bring.
Then, a palate cleanser; Lumière’s legendary take on a Tequila Slammer, which has been on the menu for 14 years and is still delivering theatre. Smoke billowed. Sorbet appeared. A lime sphere waited ominously, daring you not to nibble. It was playful, clever, and oddly nostalgic. Tequila is the drink I swore off after a house party at the age of seventeen and have never revisited. If it had always tasted like this, I'd have ended up as tequila connoisseur rather than emotionally scarred.
Up next came the “main event”, if such a concept exists on a tasting menu: Mount Grace Farm Kerry Hill hogget, with ewe’s curd, carrot, mint and Cobble Lane pancetta.
This was serious cooking. Deeply savoury, beautifully judged, the lamb aged for complexity rather than youth. The loin was tender and caramelised, the belly transformed into something like hogget bacon and the sauce rich with roasted bones and intelligence. It was rustic ingredients treated with refined discipline and the sort of dish that reminds you why fine dining matters when it’s done properly.
The wine pairing was Pyramid Valley ‘Earth Smoke’ Pinot Noir 2022, and at £30 a glass it was the price that persuaded us to share a glass. Fortunately, it was superb.
Dessert was the first of the British strawberries: New Forest strawberry with duck egg custard, caramelised filo and sorrel. Bright, fresh, intricate, and beautifully balanced. Strawberries in several forms, frozen with liquid nitrogen, compressed, gelled, granita’d (all the technical wizardry I've never really understood). It tasted like the start of summer, centre court at Wimbledon, or, perhaps, like the first day you dare to leave the house without a jumper.
And that, really, is the magic of Lumière.
It is Michelin-starred dining that never forgets it is meant to be enjoyed. It is clever without being overly showy, luxurious without being pompous. Everything is about the food, yes, but it is also about the feeling. The welcome. The comfort. The sense that you are somewhere special without having to endure any of the stuff that sometimes comes with “somewhere special.”
Frankly, this is one of the standout dining experiences in the Cotswolds, and although we went in fully aware of the £130 six-course menu, we still left slightly surprised it wasn’t higher, which is perhaps the highest compliment you can give a restaurant in 2026 without sounding like a complete lunatic.
And Lumière, very happily, is not going anywhere.
lumiererestaurant.co.uk
And yet this is precisely what happened recently to Lumière in Cheltenham, the husband-and-wife jewel that has just retained its Michelin star (again, because of course it has), and is very much open for business. Not merely open, but flourishing; confident, polished, and quietly at the top of its game.
So when the confusion began circulating on social media, we did what any sensible person would do. We booked lunch immediately. Not out of spite, exactly, though there may have been a dash of it, but because if someone is going to spread rumours about one of the Cotswolds’ finest dining rooms, the least we can do is turn up, eat magnificently, and report back.
Lumière has now been operating for 17 years under husband-and-wife team Jon and Helen Howe, and it shows in the best possible way. It offers tasting menus in four, six or eight courses (£85, £130, £175). We went for six. Which is the sweet spot, really: enough to feel thoroughly indulged, not enough to require a nap in Montpellier Gardens afterwards with your belt undone and your soul drifting gently out of your body.
Jon is the artist in the kitchen, trained under some of the country’s finest Michelin-starred talent, but very much cooking in his own voice. Meanwhile, Helen leads the front of house with warmth and ease, alongside Restaurant Manager Matthew, and together they create that most elusive of experiences: service that feels attentive, personal, professional, but never stiff. There are white tablecloths, certainly, but no sense of intimidation. Nobody is whispering and nobody is judging your pronunciation of “velouté.”
A lovely touch is the menu itself, presented on a tablet at the table, a legacy of going paperless after Covid. It sounds like the sort of thing that might ruin the romance. It doesn’t. In fact, it’s rather wonderful: each dish laid out like a chapter in a novel, complete with origins, technique and detail. Between courses I read like a crime novel on a Kindle, except the evidence was crab, asparagus and dangerously good sourdough.
The canapés arrived first. Creedy Carver duck doughnut with fig and lime; Cornish crab in a delicate waffle tart with peas and elderflower; and Stinking Bishop with pear and chive.
The duck doughnut was an outrageously good one-biter, crisp, rich, sweet, sharp. The sort of thing that makes you briefly consider asking if they do them by the dozen. The crab was all freshness and finesse you could wish for, and the Stinking Bishop was exactly as advertised: you could smell it before you ate it, which was no surprise. What was a surprise is that it may have been my favourite of the three.
Then came the sourdough. Not just bread, but an event. A 32-hour labour of obsession, with Wildfarmed flour and the sort of crust that makes a noise when you break it. Two butters followed: Ampersand cultured with Himalayan pink salt, and a chicken butter crowned with crisp skin, which sounds faintly outrageous until you taste it and realise it’s simply genius.
Soon after arrived the Cornish John Dory with fennel, St Austell mussels, cauliflower and vadouvan, the dish I would return for alone.
Perfectly cooked fish is one of life’s great luxuries, so often promised, so rarely delivered, but this was immaculate. Lightly cured, delicately caramelised, and sitting in a sauce so good I momentarily forgot I was a respectable adult and began mopping it up with bread like a man who’d just survived a famine. Fortunately, I was then told that this was not only acceptable, but seemingly encouraged. Alongside it we had a glass of Woodchester Valley Blanc de Blancs 2019, which felt like the perfect local nod: ripe, elegant, all lemon zest and creamy mousse. The sort of wine that you can't believe is made just down the road.
Next came Wye Valley asparagus with morel, wild garlic, truffle and Jersey Royals, a plate that looked like it belonged in a gallery. I'm still a bit unsure how Jon made an asparagus spear look so glamorous. The morels, stuffed and roasted, were earthy and decadent; the truffle butter made everything feel faintly sinful; and the whole dish sang with that early-summer optimism that only asparagus season can bring.
Then, a palate cleanser; Lumière’s legendary take on a Tequila Slammer, which has been on the menu for 14 years and is still delivering theatre. Smoke billowed. Sorbet appeared. A lime sphere waited ominously, daring you not to nibble. It was playful, clever, and oddly nostalgic. Tequila is the drink I swore off after a house party at the age of seventeen and have never revisited. If it had always tasted like this, I'd have ended up as tequila connoisseur rather than emotionally scarred.
Up next came the “main event”, if such a concept exists on a tasting menu: Mount Grace Farm Kerry Hill hogget, with ewe’s curd, carrot, mint and Cobble Lane pancetta.
This was serious cooking. Deeply savoury, beautifully judged, the lamb aged for complexity rather than youth. The loin was tender and caramelised, the belly transformed into something like hogget bacon and the sauce rich with roasted bones and intelligence. It was rustic ingredients treated with refined discipline and the sort of dish that reminds you why fine dining matters when it’s done properly.
The wine pairing was Pyramid Valley ‘Earth Smoke’ Pinot Noir 2022, and at £30 a glass it was the price that persuaded us to share a glass. Fortunately, it was superb.
Dessert was the first of the British strawberries: New Forest strawberry with duck egg custard, caramelised filo and sorrel. Bright, fresh, intricate, and beautifully balanced. Strawberries in several forms, frozen with liquid nitrogen, compressed, gelled, granita’d (all the technical wizardry I've never really understood). It tasted like the start of summer, centre court at Wimbledon, or, perhaps, like the first day you dare to leave the house without a jumper.
And that, really, is the magic of Lumière.
It is Michelin-starred dining that never forgets it is meant to be enjoyed. It is clever without being overly showy, luxurious without being pompous. Everything is about the food, yes, but it is also about the feeling. The welcome. The comfort. The sense that you are somewhere special without having to endure any of the stuff that sometimes comes with “somewhere special.”
Frankly, this is one of the standout dining experiences in the Cotswolds, and although we went in fully aware of the £130 six-course menu, we still left slightly surprised it wasn’t higher, which is perhaps the highest compliment you can give a restaurant in 2026 without sounding like a complete lunatic.
And Lumière, very happily, is not going anywhere.
lumiererestaurant.co.uk
 |  |
There are places in this world that do not simply host sport, but hold court. Cheltenham is one of them. And as we turn our collars up against the last sharp breaths of early spring, it is impossible not to feel that familiar tug on the chest with the quiet realisation that we must now wait a whole year for it all to happen again.
The 2027 Cheltenham Festival, running from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March, is already casting its long shadow across the Cotswolds. Four days that do not merely sit on the calendar, but arrive like an old friend: anticipated, celebrated, and never quite forgotten once they’ve gone.
This year, the 2026 Festival reminded us all why Cheltenham is spoken of in reverent tones. It was, without question, one of the finest in recent memory, a meeting where Cleeve Hill seemed to hum with pride as the Cotswolds training yards produced four glorious winners. The O’Neill team struck twice, with Johnnywho and Wilful delivering the sort of performances that live long in conversation and longer still in memory. Ben Pauling added further lustre with Meetmebythesea, while Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls ensured the local tally was complete when White Noise played her own stirring tune up the famous hill.
And now, as quickly as we say goodbye to the 2026 festival, we start to look ahead to next year and the grandest stage in National Hunt racing, where dreams are tested by fences and forged in courage.
Champion Day is not simply a Tuesday. It is ignition. A day of energy, expectation, and the kind of electricity that can be felt in the chest. The roar as the first big race turns for home is a sound like no other, not noise, but a living thing, rolling down from the stands and rising into the March air. The Festival begins, properly and proudly, with the sense that anything can happen.
Wednesday, with its elegant traditions and unmistakable glamour, brings its own charm. There is always something rather wonderful about seeing the sport’s grit and grandeur framed by tailored coats, polished boots, and a certain Cotswolds sophistication. It is a day when racing and society meet as they always have done, beautifully, and with a glass raised to the occasion.
Then comes St Patrick’s Thursday, when the spirit of Ireland seems to sweep through Prestbury Park like a joyful tide. It is colour, song, laughter, and fierce sporting passion rolled into one. No other meeting welcomes the Emerald Isle with quite the same warmth, and no other crowd gives back so willingly in return.
And then, at last, Gold Cup Day. Friday. The closing act. The final hymn. A day that carries a particular weight because everyone knows what it represents. The Gold Cup is not merely a race, it is the summit and a race not to be missed.
Throughout it all, Cheltenham remains what it has always been: tradition wrapped in spectacle. Whether you are a racing purist studying every stride, or simply drawn by the atmosphere and occasion, the Festival offers something rare: four days where the world feels a little brighter, louder, and more alive. Add in the unrivalled hospitality; exquisite dining, impeccable service, and views that place you right at the heart of the drama, and it becomes more than an event. It becomes a memory in the making.
Tickets for Cheltenham Festival 2027 are on sale now. And if last year taught us anything, it is that Prestbury Park will once again have a fantastic story to tell.
Because in truth, when it comes to racing, nothing feels like Cheltenham.
ALL TICKETS & INFO HERE
The 2027 Cheltenham Festival, running from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March, is already casting its long shadow across the Cotswolds. Four days that do not merely sit on the calendar, but arrive like an old friend: anticipated, celebrated, and never quite forgotten once they’ve gone.
This year, the 2026 Festival reminded us all why Cheltenham is spoken of in reverent tones. It was, without question, one of the finest in recent memory, a meeting where Cleeve Hill seemed to hum with pride as the Cotswolds training yards produced four glorious winners. The O’Neill team struck twice, with Johnnywho and Wilful delivering the sort of performances that live long in conversation and longer still in memory. Ben Pauling added further lustre with Meetmebythesea, while Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls ensured the local tally was complete when White Noise played her own stirring tune up the famous hill.
And now, as quickly as we say goodbye to the 2026 festival, we start to look ahead to next year and the grandest stage in National Hunt racing, where dreams are tested by fences and forged in courage.
Champion Day is not simply a Tuesday. It is ignition. A day of energy, expectation, and the kind of electricity that can be felt in the chest. The roar as the first big race turns for home is a sound like no other, not noise, but a living thing, rolling down from the stands and rising into the March air. The Festival begins, properly and proudly, with the sense that anything can happen.
Wednesday, with its elegant traditions and unmistakable glamour, brings its own charm. There is always something rather wonderful about seeing the sport’s grit and grandeur framed by tailored coats, polished boots, and a certain Cotswolds sophistication. It is a day when racing and society meet as they always have done, beautifully, and with a glass raised to the occasion.
Then comes St Patrick’s Thursday, when the spirit of Ireland seems to sweep through Prestbury Park like a joyful tide. It is colour, song, laughter, and fierce sporting passion rolled into one. No other meeting welcomes the Emerald Isle with quite the same warmth, and no other crowd gives back so willingly in return.
And then, at last, Gold Cup Day. Friday. The closing act. The final hymn. A day that carries a particular weight because everyone knows what it represents. The Gold Cup is not merely a race, it is the summit and a race not to be missed.
Throughout it all, Cheltenham remains what it has always been: tradition wrapped in spectacle. Whether you are a racing purist studying every stride, or simply drawn by the atmosphere and occasion, the Festival offers something rare: four days where the world feels a little brighter, louder, and more alive. Add in the unrivalled hospitality; exquisite dining, impeccable service, and views that place you right at the heart of the drama, and it becomes more than an event. It becomes a memory in the making.
Tickets for Cheltenham Festival 2027 are on sale now. And if last year taught us anything, it is that Prestbury Park will once again have a fantastic story to tell.
Because in truth, when it comes to racing, nothing feels like Cheltenham.
ALL TICKETS & INFO HERE
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