Cheltenham Racecourse has got a great combination for racegoers as West Country legends, The Wurzels will be taking to the stage on Friday 15 November after racing on Countryside Day, the first day of The November Meeting. 
  
The Wurzels have got a ‘brand new combine harvester and are giving you the key’ to unlock your evening’s entertainment in The Centaur with West Country legends. 
  
The extremely popular four-piece band, famed for hits such as “I am a Cider drinker” and “The Combine Harvester” will perform in The Centaur after racing for free for all Club and Tattersalls ticket holders. The West Country singers will be part of plenty of countryside-themed activities taking place throughout the day. 
  
From local Hunt Parades, to Silent Auctions, Countryside Day offers a wealth of family entertainment as well as six quality races on offer. The proceeds of this special day shall be split between the Countryside Alliance and Equestrian Team GBR Tokyo2020, to help with expenses in the run up to the Olympic Games. 

The November Meeting is Cheltenham’s largest race meeting outside of The Festival™ presented by Magners, and runs from Friday 15 – Sunday 17 November. The November Meeting Saturday hosts the feature race of the meeting, the BetVictor Gold Cup while The November Meeting Sunday is the famous Family Fun Day with plenty of entertainment, including appearances from the Minions at intervals throughout the day and the D-Day Darlings performing in The Centaur after racing.

www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/the-november-meeting/

I always look forward to The Big Feastival. I have watched it grow since 2012 when Razorlight and Texas were topping the bill, Jamie Oliver and Valentine Warner were doing cooking demos , and Peppa Pig was the highlight in the Little Dude's Den. 

Eight festivals on and all of the original foundations are still there. It's just got bigger and a whole lot better and this year was by far and away the best yet. 

They got lucky with the weather. It was over 25 degrees all weekend and no matter what anyone says, it makes a massive difference. They also got a little bit lucky with Lewis Capaldi. When he was announced on the line-up he was nowhere near as big is he is today. I think many people there on Friday were purely there to see him. 

In keeping with tradition, Friday was brought to a close with a DJ set. This year saw Rudimental turn Alex James' Farm into Ibiza Rocks with their 75-minute set. 

Lucy May Walker was the highlight from The Udder Stage which BBC Introducing took over each afternoon showcasing some rising talent from the UK.

Dodgy and The Zutons both played the main stage on Saturday before Jess Glynne brought the evening to a close. 

The sun was beating down again on Sunday afternoon where Barns Courtney produced one of the best sets of the weekend. He was followed by Alex James' Orchestra and an awesome DJ Set by Jonas Blue that would probably have been suited being on a little later than his 4.30pm slot, but nobody seemed to mind. The sad loss of Jade Bird to illness meant that she was replaced by Abba Tribute Björn Again which is never a good thing, and triggered a quick escape back to the Cheese Hub.

Jack Savoretti is riding the wave of success from his hugely successful "Singing to Strangers" album and was perfect as the sun was setting behind the main stag, before Elbow, who I feel were lost on a lot of the younger generation, brought the Feastival 2019 to a close with a customary flawless set that concluded with Grounds For Divorce and One Day Like This from their number one album, The Seldom Seen Kid. 

As the name of the festival suggests, food is a huge part of the weekend. You need more that 3 days to sample all of the incredible street food on offer and without doubt the best food ant any festival I have ever been to. The brisket bun, pickled red chilli from Smokstak and the steak from Carcass were both incredibly good. As was the meat from DJ BBQ where you can sing along to some classic rock with T-Bone Chops, not his real name, on air shovel. The fried chicken from Only Jerkin' and Burger and Beyond burgers were both exceptional, and the queue for Souvlaki Street suggests their amazing looking Greek wraps were hugely popular. Sadly I couldn't fit anymore in and have already noted them down for next year. 

The Collaboration Kitchen returned for a second year serving up some special edition dishes from most innovative names on the UK street food scene. I tasted my first ever mac 'n' cheese pie thanks to My Pie x Anna Maes (Mac Not Crack) which was ridiculously good. 

The NEFF Big Kitchen again played host to an array of demonstrations and Q&A sessions from some of the biggest names in food including Raymond Blanc, Mark Hix, Prue Leith and Gennaro Contaldo. 

The thing I love is that the Feastival isn't trying to be edgy or cool in the slightest. In all fairness it would actually struggle if it was when Dick and Dom introduce Lewis Capaldi to the stage following a quick game of "Bogey".

​It is just brilliantly British with outstanding food, heaps for families to see and do (under 12's go free) and music which is the aural equivalent of comfort eating. 

thebigfeastival.com

The wait is almost over! The Home of Jump Racing, Cheltenham Racecourse, kicks off the 2019/2020 season this October with its traditional Showcase fixture commencing procedures. The two day meeting takes place on Friday 25th October and Saturday 26th October, 2019. 
  
Each raceday will host seven races, where the UK’s top trainers and jockeys will return to Cheltenham after the six-month summer break. The action on the track is sure to be competitive as trainers target their horses to try and claim their place in the famous Cheltenham Winners’ Enclosure. 
  
In addition to all the exciting racing to enjoy the racecourse will be hosting its first Cheltoberfest, which will take place in The Centaur both days. October is the month that is synonymous with OctoberFest, a Beer-themed event which takes place around the country and the racecourse’s very own is sure to be hugely enjoyable. 
  
There will be a range of local Real Ales and Magners Cider available for purchase on the day, as well as live music from the Bierkeller Boys and a racing tipster before the action commences. Think of lots of tweed, lederhosen and bunting aplenty to fully embrace the Cotswolds / Austrian theme! 

ccess to Cheltoberfest is £15 (in addition to a Club/Tattersalls admission ticket to the racecourse) or £20 on the day. A package including access to both the racecourse and Cheltoberfest costs £40 when booked in advance.
 
Gates open at 12noon on both days, with the first race at 2pm.

For details please visit www.cheltenham.co.uk or call 0344 579 3003 to book tickets

We're not sure about you but this is the moment we have been waiting for. 

The Big Feastival's Big Menu has landed and it lists all of the food options that you will be able to work your way through across the weekend. 

The Big Feastival takes place this weekend at Alex James' Farm in Kingham.

thebigfeastival.com

The Lygon Arms in Broadway has created a limited edition burger named after us, The Cotswolds Gentleman, to celebrate National Burger Day. 

The incredible double patty stack will be available for a week from Monday 19th - Monday 26th August 2019 and costs £25 with 10% from each burger sold going to Children's Air Ambulance. 

The burger consists of:

West Bakery Bun
2 Waghorne's Beef Burgers
Old Spot Flaked Ham Hock
Chargrilled Pork Belly Slices
Tracklements Onion and Apple Cider Jam
Cotswold Gold Mayonnaise
Applewood Cheese

and is accompanied by:

Sweet Potato Fries 
Onion Rings
​
Nation Burger day takes place on Thursday 22nd August 2019. 

Tag us @CotswoldsGent and @LygonCotswolds into your social media posts!

www.lygonarmshotel.co.uk

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) have announced that a 2½ Mare's Chase will be introduced to the Cheltenham Festival from 2021. 

There are currently two mares-only hurdle races run over hurdles at The Festival, Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle and Grade 2 Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, but nothing over fences. The race will replace one of the existing 28 races. 

There is also changes taking place to the National Hunt Chase. The Grade 2 four-mile race will now be 2 furlongs shorter and have less obstacles, 23 from 25. It will remain an amateur race but will now include a minimun number of rides and winners for the jockey, and starts for the horse under rules. 

The Festival™ takes place from 10th - 13th March 2020. Watch finest horses, jockeys, owners, and trainers to battle it out for the highest racing honours, their reputations and over £4.5 million of prize money.
​

FULL CHANGES AT THE FESTIVAL

The former Hare and Hounds pub at Fosse Cross between Northleach and Cirencester is reopening with a new name this August. 

The Stump, the locals' nickname for the Hare and Hounds, will open on August 19th after a complete renovation and will offer a wonderful Italian inspired menu with pizza legends Baz and Fred at the helm.

​A huge bar spans the length of the pub, three open fires keep the pub cosy in the winter and there is the sunny garden for the summer months. Oak beams and stone floors are juxtaposed with the modern tiled open kitchen and the huge wood fired pizza oven. 

Pizza aficionados Baz & Fred have created a simple yet delectable menu of wood fired pizzas, classic pastas, as well as salads and small plates. All of the food will be served freshly prepared from the new open kitchen.

Local beers line the bar including  DEYA Steady Rolling Man Pale Ale and there is a good selection of local gin for The Stump G&Ts. You can also enjoy an aged negroni, the signature cocktail at The Stump.

The pub also boasts  ten simple ensuite rooms for anyone wanting to make a weekend of it. 

Enjoy 25% off all food during opening week from 19th -23rd August 2019.

Check them out at thestump.co.uk

Timings for the main stage and The Big Kitchen at The big Feastival have been released. 

The 3-day festival takes place at Alex James' Farm in Kingham, Oxfordshire from Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th August 2019 and sees Lewis Capaldi, Elbow, Jess Glynne and Rudimental all headline. 

thebigfeastival.com

Barons Eden Limited, represented by Savills, has brought four assets in the Cotswolds to the market. 

The assets in the portfolio are Huxleys Restaurant and Island House, both in Chipping Campden; The Dial House Hotel in Bourton-on-the-Water and The Old Bank in Moreton-in-Marsh.  The portfolio is available to purchase either individually or as a whole. 

Housed in a seventeenth century building, Huxleys Restaurant in the heart of Chipping Campden, offers 100 covers across both inside and outside space, including two private dining rooms. Island House, on Chipping Campden’s high street, provides a rare opportunity to create a new food and beverage offering.

The Dial House Hotel provides 15 boutique rooms all of which are en-suite alongside two recently renovated dining areas and a bar lounge. Prominently located in the centre of the picturesque high street of Bourton-on-the-Water, there’s ample opportunity for further development of the grounds.

The Old Bank in Moreton-in-Marsh town centre has planning to convert to a 10 bedroom hotel with restaurant and bar and would suit a range of other uses subject to planning permission.

​Adrian Pearson of Barons Eden Limited adds: “We are choosing to sell our Cotswold assets in order to concentrate on expanding our portfolio of larger hotels and spas.” 

James Greenslade, associate director in the hotels team at Savills, comments: “These four charming assets provide a rare opportunity to acquire properties in the picturesque Cotswolds villages. Each one is unique in its character and all provide a range of opportunities for new owners, in particular the redevelopment of Island House could work well in conjunction with the existing operation at Huxleys.”