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.
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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

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

​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.
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Breakfast: 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

Breakfast: Eleven, Bibury

Some breakfasts are memorable because they're innovative. Others are memorable because they're executed flawlessly. Eleven belongs firmly in the second category.

Order the Eggs Royale. It's the standout dish and a fair reflection of Eleven itself; elegant without being fussy and indulgent without going overboard. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's influence is evident throughout the interiors, creating a space that feels a little more interesting than the average breakfast stop.

www.elevenbibury.com

Also worth considering:

The Twig, Bibury

Also in Bibury, The Twig offers excellent coffee, excellent pastries and a good excuse to visit the most beautiful village in England (William Morris' words, not mine) before the crowds arrive. 

www.bazfred.com/the-twig

The Kitchen, Calmsden

A beautiful space serving excellent local coffee, quality pastries, decent smoothies and croissants that consistently hit the mark. Perfect if four-legged company is joining the itinerary.


Lunch: New Wave Brasserie, Lechlade

The idea of outstanding seafood in the Cotswolds still surprises some people, and it really shouldn't.

New Wave Brasserie has become one of the best restaurants around, bringing the best of Cornwall, Devon and the Scottish coast to Lechlade. The menu changes according to availability, the fish is exceptional and the cooking has the confidence not to overcomplicate things.

newwavebrasserie.com

Also worth considering:

Lola & Co, Tetbury

I despise the term hidden gem, but Lola & Co is somewhere that needs to be discovered by everyone. Excellent tapas and a wine list to match, and the sort of place where lunch accidentally becomes dinner if you are not careful.

www.lolaandco.co.uk

Jolly Nice, Frampton Mansell

Part farm shop, part cafe, part roadside institution. The burgers remain excellent, the atmosphere refreshingly relaxed and the outdoor seating makes it a particularly strong summer stop.

jollynicefarmshop.com


Dinner: ​Juliet, Stroud

Created by the team behind The Woolpack, Juliet has quickly established itself as one of the best restaurants in the Cotswolds.

It's a calm, confident bistro that feels as if it has quietly decided Europe still knows best. The cooking is seasonal, restrained, and pointedly unfussy, drawing on France and Italy while leaning heavily on British and local produce, including their own Walled Garden at Lypiatt Park. Dishes arrive designed for sharing, moving from small, precise plates to grill-led larger ones, all underpinned by a sense that good ingredients, properly handled, are quite enough.

www.julietrestaurant.co.uk

Also worth considering:

Sam & Jak, Cirencester

For us, Sam & Jak is Cirencester's standout restaurant. The menu takes British food and reworks it with seasonal confidence, rooted firmly in the Cotswolds. The cooking is hearty, refined where it matters, and clearly driven by good sourcing rather than fuss.

www.samandjak.co.uk

Sauce at The Painswick

Elegant without becoming formal and refined without becoming intimidating, the team cook with a clear focus on seasonal, top-quality produce, turning it into a sharing-style menu that’s built for flavour rather than formality. It’s thoughtful cooking, but never fussy, letting the ingredients do the heavy lifting.

thepainswick.co.uk

The Rectory, Crudwell

The Rectory is all about relaxed evening dining: classic dishes given a light contemporary lift, served in an elegant dining room and its striking glasshouse. It feels polished without ever becoming formal with a menu designed for unhurried dining and food that’s straightforward, well-judged, and quietly confident.

therectoryhotel.com

Breakfast: Quince and Clover, Great Tew

Quince and Clover is a relaxed and focusses on breakfast and brunch done properly. Seasonal, straightforward cooking built around good local produce, free-range eggs, sourdough, and the kind of ingredients that don’t need dressing up.

Alongside the classics, there’s a strong counter of homemade pastries and cakes if you’re there more for grazing than planning, all served in an easy, unhurried space that suits a slow morning as well as a late brunch.

quinceandclover.co.uk

Also worth considering:

Missing Bean, Charlbury

Opened in 2025, Missing Bean Charlbury brings a welcome outpost of its East Oxford originals to the Cotswolds.

It’s a simple equation done well with excellent coffee, freshly-made pastries, and a relaxed, welcoming space that turns a quick stop into the best possible start to the day.

www.themissingbean.co.uk

Bromley's, Chipping Norton

Bromley’s in Chipping Norton is built around a simple idea: great coffee, fresh local produce, and food made without unnecessary complication. It’s rooted in the Cotswolds and proudly so, working closely with nearby suppliers to keep things local and well sourced.

Excellent coffee sits alongside superb Cacklebean eggs, smoked salmon, and sourdough. A simple combination, executed perfectly.

bromleysofcotswolds.co.uk


Lunch: The Killingworth Castle

The Killingworth Castle is one of the Cotswolds’ standout food pubs with a 3 AA Rosette kitchen and a place in the 2026 Michelin Guide. 

The cooking is confident, seasonal, and rooted in quality produce, with thoughtful organic menus that make the most of wild and local ingredients from the surrounding countryside. It’s proper destination dining, but still feels like a pub; relaxed, welcoming, and entirely unpretentious about how good it is.

www.thekillingworthcastle.com

Also worth considering:

Thyme & Lovage, Burford

This is Burford’s only riverside cafe, where the cooking follows the seasons with quiet precision. Menus are built around what nature is offering at its peak, so every dish feels direct, fresh, and full of flavour.

There’s a clear commitment to local producers too, working closely with small farmers and growers around Burford and beyond. It’s simple, seasonal food in an easy setting.

thymeandlovage.com


Dinner: Wild at Bull Burford

Every great food tour deserves a memorable finale, and Wild delivers one of the most distinctive dining experiences currently available in the Cotswolds.

Wild at The Bull Burford is an intimate open-fire restaurant tucked into a sunken courtyard, where Chef Ben Chamberlain has created an 11-course tasting journey built around flame, smoke, theatre and the simple pleasure of people coming together. 

www.bullburford.com/explore-wild

Also worth considering:

Canteen Cotswolds, Gagingwell

Canteen arrives in the Cotswolds as one of the most exciting pop-ups of the summer; a London favourite brought countryside, without losing its rhythm or confidence.

The cooking is simple, Italian-leaning, and ingredient-led, changing with the week and built for easy, generous summer eating. Fresh pasta, pizza, seasonal plates.

www.canteen310.com/cotswolds

​What makes these three days work is the rhythm of it: driving through some of the most beautiful parts of the Cotswolds, then sitting down to food that feels rooted in where you are, even when the ideas travel further. It’s not about discovery for its own sake, but about eating well in places that feel entirely of their setting.

By the end, it’s less a list of restaurants and more a map of experiences, each one adding something to a picture of the Cotswolds that’s quietly, consistently, eating very well indeed.

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

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

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.
​
​

​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

​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 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

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

​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

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

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

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.

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

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. 

​
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.

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.
​

​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

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

​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

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

​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

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

​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

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.

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

​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

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 

​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

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

A quarter of a century after Trigger Happy TV first unleashed its glorious chaos onto unsuspecting members of the public, the Cheltenham-born comedian is marking the milestone with a full-blown national celebration: a huge 100-date UK tour, honouring the hidden camera phenomenon that went on to sell to 80 countries and reshape modern comedy.

Before “viral” was a career path and before YouTube became the world’s stage, Joly was already out there creating the blueprint, armed with an absurdly large mobile phone, a suspicious number of squirrels, and a giant snail that somehow became national treasure status. His anarchic, intelligent style didn’t just define the early 2000s, it quietly set the tone for an entire generation of prank comedy and meme culture that followed.

The announcement comes hot on the heels of a major appearance at the Royal Albert Hall, where Joly hosted and performed at the Teenage Cancer Trust comedy night, curated by Robert Smith of The Cure. Sharing the bill with comedy royalty, he revived some of his best-loved characters to a rapturous response - proof, if any were needed, that the world still has an appetite for well-executed mischief.

Now, for the first time in decades, those characters are returning properly, live, in person, and with a few surprises. The Trigger Happy TV 25th Anniversary Tour promises behind-the-scenes stories, bloopers, unseen original footage and, perhaps most excitingly, brand-new material. Expect fresh tales of the Giant Snail’s painfully slow zebra-crossing journeys, Dom’s arrest while dressed as a KGB spy, and the long-running obsession with the elusive “grey squirrel.” And yes, the giant mobile phone will, inevitably, feature.

For Cheltenham, however, this isn’t just another tour date. It’s personal.

Joly has already been making waves locally with Dom Joly’s SpeakeaZy, his cult comedy night at the fiercely independent Steam & Whistle. Approaching its one-year residency this April, it has become something of a town secret, the sort of thing people mention in lowered voices, usually followed by: “You’ll never get a ticket.”

The Trigger Happy tour arrives at the Parabola Arts Centre on Saturday 5th December 2026, and with its intimate atmosphere and famously fine acoustics, it’s the perfect venue for two hours of nostalgia, new material, and utter comedic mayhem.

While the tour spans 100 dates nationwide, the Cheltenham show is shaping up to be the jewel in the crown, a homecoming in every sense, and arguably the most anticipated night of the entire run.

As Joly himself puts it:

"I can’t believe it’s been twenty-five years since I first started shouting into a giant mobile phone. Trigger Happy TV changed my life, and bringing these characters back for a massive anniversary tour is a total blast. Cheltenham is my home, and while the SpeakeaZy at the Steam & Whistle has been incredible, bringing the full Trigger Happy chaos to the Parabola is going to be a level up. I can't wait to share some brand-new mayhem with my hometown audience."

For all the info and tickets, please visit www.domjoly.tv

I’m going to start with a something that sounds like the conclusion of a midlife crisis.

The gym saved my life.

It didn’t, of course. Not literally. Nobody dragged me out of a burning building and handed me a protein shake. But in a quieter, more British way, the kind of way where nothing is ever said out loud until you’ve made a joke about it first, it has genuinely changed my life. And for someone who used to view gyms as fluorescent torture chambers filled with men admiring themselves from every possible angle, that is saying something.

Before Christmas, I spent a month in Australia for a wedding and to see family, and for a couple of weeks I stayed on Manly Beach. If you’ve never been, Manly is essentially a postcard with abs. Everyone there is not only in ludicrous shape, but also infuriatingly happy. It’s hard to know whether the happiness comes from the exercise, the ocean, or simply the fact that their vitamin D levels are not in a permanent state of British deficiency.

Naturally, I started comparing it to the UK, where we spend most of winter looking like damp laundry left out overnight.

A friend summed it up perfectly.

“If you had your shirt off for seven months of the year, you’d be in good shape too.”

He’s right. The British climate isn’t built for visible abdominal muscles. It’s built for jumpers, coats, and pretending we don’t mind the drizzle. You can’t blame the average man in Cotswolds for not maintaining beach body standards when the closest thing we get to a heatwave is a slightly warm day in June that causes panic-buying of fans.

But there was something else happening in Australia that I didn’t fully appreciate until later.

Every morning I was up at 6am, walking to my favourite coffee spot (Little Legends, which I recommend if you ever find yourself on the other side of the world needing caffeine and a sense of purpose). Then I’d walk along the beach.

And the place was alive.

Surfers were already in the water, runners were flying past, volleyball games were underway, and there were people like me, the coffee walkers, strolling around as if this was the most normal thing in the world. It felt like everyone had collectively agreed that mornings were not something to endure, but something to use.

One dad stood on the sand whistling his son in from the sea.

“This is every morning,” he said, shaking his head. “I just can’t get him out the water. He’s meant to be going to school.”

I remember thinking how wonderful that is. Imagine your biggest parenting battle being that your child is too committed to surfing at sunrise.

I also kept hearing a phrase: think of the 5–9 rather than the 9–5. In other words: don’t let life be swallowed by work. Make your mornings count. Build something for yourself before the day begins.

I loved it. I felt inspired. Almost unbearably optimistic.

“That’s it,” I thought. “When I get home I’m going to be a morning person. I’ll go for runs. Walk the dog. Enjoy the early hours. Become one of those annoyingly productive people who have already ‘done loads’ before breakfast.”

Then we landed back in the UK in early December.

It was raining at Heathrow when we arrived and I don't think it stopped until the end of January. The mornings were dark, cold and cheerless. Not the romantic sort of cold either, more the kind that feels personal. The sort of weather that makes you question every decision you’ve ever made, including your choice of country that you live in.

There was no 5–9am. There was only 5–9pm, which was equally unpleasant and consisted mostly of eating dinner and wondering why I felt tired all the time.

However, just before Christmas, a new gym opened in Bourton-on-the-Water. It’s called SOMA, and it was set up by two friends of mine. SOMA feels less like a traditional gym and more like a very well-designed place that happens to involve exercise. Think quietly stylish Scandinavian wood, greenery, soft lighting. There’s a subtle club-like feel, but without the ego or intimidation that often comes with it. It’s welcoming, well-priced, and refreshingly unpretentious.

Now, I have never really been a gym person bar a few courtesy visits when my cousin used to own one near Winchcombe. I’ve always kept myself fairly active. I play padel, I walk the dog, and I play cricket, although cricket is a slightly questionable form of exercise given that most of it involves standing still for three hours and then suddenly sprinting in blind panic because the ball has gone somewhere unexpected.

But a gym? Not for me. In my mind, gyms were full of people kissing their biceps in the mirror and taking selfies with captions like “No days off”. I assumed it was all ego, sweat and strange noises.

I was very wrong.

I joined. It may have been the free Stow Town coffee (some of the best in the Cotswolds by the way) for members that finally tipped me over the edge. I’d love to say it was purely about self-improvement, but I am still British enough to be motivated by caffeine and mild perks.

At first, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. The machines looked like medieval torture devices designed by someone with a personal vendetta against hamstrings. I stuck to the safe options: bike, rower, lat pulldowns, pretty much anything where I couldn’t embarrass myself too publicly.

But over time I realised something. The gym wasn’t just about exercise. It was about routine. It was about discipline. And, unexpectedly, it was about mental health.

There’s something incredibly grounding about starting your day by doing something difficult on purpose. It clears your head. It resets your mood. And, strangely, it becomes addictive, not in a cult-like way, but in a “why do I feel better after this?” way.

SOMA talks a lot about community. Normally, when a business says that, it feels slightly twee. You imagine forced smiles and someone calling you “buddy” a bit too enthusiastically. But this is the opposite. It genuinely feels like a space built for its members, and in many ways, run by its members. People talk. People help. People encourage. Some have joined simply to meet others, which says a lot about modern life, and even more about the kind of environment SOMA has created.

The classes are brilliant (even though there was an ABBA-inspired spin class last week which sounds like double punishment),  the atmosphere is relaxed, and best of all nobody looks at you like an idiot if you don’t know how a machine works. Quite the opposite. Someone will show you, without judgement, without ego, and without making you feel like you’ve just asked how to tie your shoelaces.

It’s been three months now and I never thought I’d say it, but I’m a gym goer. Not quite a gym nerd yet, but I’m dangerously close. I’ve also become that person who bores others to death with talk of distances, times, weights and personal bests. For that, I can only apologise. I haven’t properly started posting it on social media, but I fear it’s only a matter of time.

The truth is, it has changed my life, physically, yes, but mentally even more so. It’s gave me energy and focus during the darkest months of the year, and a sense of momentum when everything outside is grey and dank.

You don’t need to be fit to join a gym. You don’t need to know what you’re doing. You just need to take the first step and start. And, if I’m honest, I suspect there are rather a lot of people, like myself, who quietly assumed the gym simply isn’t for them. People who picture it as a world of lycra, loud grunting, and unspoken rules that everyone else seems to understand but them. So they don’t go. Or they mean to go. Or they go once, feel slightly out of place, and decide it’s not their scene. Which is a shame, because the truth is far less intimidating than it looks from the outside. Nobody really knows what they’re doing at the beginning, and most people are too busy trying to remember their own routine to worry about yours. It is, in fact, one of the rare places where you are allowed, even encouraged, to start exactly where you are.

And what’s surprised me most is how much more it offers than just fitness. There is something quietly powerful about having somewhere to go and doing something for no reason other than it makes you feel better afterwards. It’s difficult to overstate what that does for your mental health. It doesn’t solve everything, of course, but it smooths the edges. It clears the fog a little. And in a world where it’s remarkably easy to overthink everything, there’s something rather grounding about simply lifting something heavy, putting it back down again, and realising, for an hour at least, that things are a bit more straightforward than they felt before you arrived. It turns out that “never too late” isn’t just a polite sentiment; it’s actually true.

And if you happen to live in the North Cotswolds, you could do a lot worse than starting at SOMA. You may not end up looking like a Manly Beach surfer. But you might end up feeling like one.

Because as we head into a British summer, when your shirt might come off roughly five times, and three of those will be accidental, feeling good in your own skin is probably the closest thing we have to the Manly Beach lifestyle.

And honestly, that’s more than enough.

www.somaclub.co.uk

There’s a new name to note for summer dining in the Cotswolds.

LARDON, a European-inspired small plates restaurant championing ingredient-led, wood-fired cooking, is set to open in early summer 2026 at Elkstone Studios, the beautifully curated destination nestled between Cirencester and Cheltenham.

Heading up the kitchen is Mikey Bain, formerly of Calcot Manor and Whatley Manor, bringing serious pedigree and a refined approach to bold, seasonal flavours. Leading front of house is Josh Newman, previously of No. 38 The Park (Lucky Onion Group), ensuring the service matches the ambition on the plate.

LARDON is the latest venture from the team behind two much-loved Cotswolds staples: KNEAD Bakery and Jesse Smith Butchers. Founders John & David Hawes and Kris Biggs are combining their passion for exceptional produce with a relaxed, modern dining experience rooted in European tradition.

Expect honest cooking, open fire, and plates designed for sharing — all set within one of the region’s most exciting lifestyle and hospitality developments.

For updates, follow @lardon_restaurant on Instagram or visit www.lardon-restaurant.com.

There are villages in the Cotswolds that regularly change hands; Guiting Power is not really one of them.

Houses here do not so much come onto the market as quietly re-enter circulation. People wait for them, sometimes for years, not in the hopeful, weekly refreshing of Rightmove way of the modern buyer, but with the patience of someone who understands that certain places operate on their own terms. You don’t simply decide to move to Guiting Power. You are, eventually, allowed to.

It is not a place arranged for admiration, nor one that has been coaxed into prettiness by committee. Instead, it has carried on, through decades, through fashions, through the quiet churn of modern life, and in doing so has arrived at something far more convincing than charm. It feels intact. Neither preserved nor polished, just… working.

Guiting Power did not always appear so steadfast. The agricultural depression of the 1870s left the village reeling, and by the early 20th century many of its houses were in a sorry state. In the 1930s, Moya Davidson began quietly buying properties to ensure they remained homes for locals, and in 1958 Raymond Cochrane took on the estate, continuing the restorations she had begun. A slow, careful stewardship that still shapes the village today.

That sense of continuity is not accidental. Today, much of the village is held by the Guiting Manor Amenity Trust, which does something rather radical by modern standards: it looks after the place without trying to improve it beyond recognition. Houses rarely, if ever, come onto the open market, and many who live here have done so because their family have lived there for centuries, they've married someone in the village or by way of patience rather than purchase, joining waiting lists and taking their turn when it comes.

The Trust also runs the surrounding farm, employing locals and keeping the village tied, quite literally, to the land beneath it. There is something faintly old-fashioned in the arrangement, in the best possible sense; rents feeding into the estate, the estate sustaining the farm, the farm sustaining the village. It creates the impression, not entirely fanciful, that Guiting Power could carry on quite happily even if the rest of the world became a little less organised.

And then, at the end of harvest, the whole thing resolves itself in the most civilised way imaginable: a free supper at The Hollow Bottom for those who have worked the land. No speeches, no banners, just food, drink, and the quiet acknowledgement that effort has been made and appreciated.

The Hollow Bottom has, in recent months, remembered exactly what it is supposed to be. When Nathan Eades and Liam Goff took it over last July, they found, with a mixture of disbelief and opportunity, that much of the pub’s horse racing memorabilia had been unceremoniously discarded, sitting in a skip as though it were of no consequence whatsoever. They rescued it, returned it to the walls, and in doing so restored not just decoration but identity. No wonder, perhaps, that things had gone slightly off track before for its previous tenants.

Now, the pub feels entirely itself again. A free house in every sense, with beers named after horses and spirits that nod toward the village’s past without over doing it. During the Cheltenham Festival, it became something of an epicentre for the racing world, the bar packed as it was a couple of decades ago, this time celebrating local jockey Tom Bellamy's first Festival victory.

The pub also boasts six recently finished bedrooms that are all named after racecourses (of course they are), superb "double spud" Sunday roasts, and with summer on the horizon, a garden decking area with a boules pit and wonderful wooden shack bar. It is the sort of place where one drink becomes several, and several become an evening that just seems to have happened without anyone really noticing.

At the opposite end of the village, The Farmers Arms offers a slightly different proposition, but no less essential. Owned by Donnington Brewery, it is a proper pub in the most reassuring sense: honest food, good drink, and absolutely no desire to be anything other than what it is.

There is a piano in the corner, which is either charming or dangerous depending on who is playing it. There's a skittle alley that the village team uses with admirable seriousness, although standards fluctuate depending on the amount of beer consumed: for some, a sudden flourish; for others, a remarkable decline.  If a player scores zero with all three balls, they will have to wear a remarkably warm beaver hat as if to mark the occasion. When the first two balls inevitably register nothing, teammates break into the chant of “BEAVER",  hoping for the worst, cheering his failures as though they were triumphs.

If The Hollow Bottom hums with racing stories, The Farmers Arms anchors the everyday; steady, familiar, and exactly what you hope to find when you push open the door.

Village life, of course, is not sustained by pubs alone.

The Cotswold Guy has become something of a quiet success story, though not quite in the way outsiders imagine. Yes, it is occasionally mentioned in connection with David Beckham and his apparent fondness for the sausage rolls, but this is treated locally with a level of interest that might best be described as polite neutrality. One suspects there are residents who are either unimpressed or only vaguely aware of who David Beckham is.

​The shop itself is far more interesting than any passing celebrity endorsement with exceptional coffee and brunch and lots of outstanding produce, from meat, veg and jars full of everything delicious. It took over from the village bakery, which is remembered with genuine affection and only the gentlest caveat that the bread was not its strongest point. Still, residents continued buying a loaf each week, supporting the business in the quiet English way that keeps small communities alive.

When The Cotswold Guy first opened, someone chalked “go away” on the wall, a bold if slightly unnecessary piece of feedback. Another villager was later seen attempting to scrub this off before the owner arrived, which feels like a perfect summary of rural conflict resolution: disagreement, followed swiftly by tidying up.

These days, the shop does excellent breakfasts and lunches alongside its produce, and has settled into the village as though it had always been there; a place to pick up something for supper or linger over coffee.

The post office performs a similar role, quietly indispensable and slightly underestimated until you realise how often you rely on it. It serves very good breakfasts, draws a steady stream of locals, and on most mornings will feature at least one cyclist in Lycra sitting outside with coffee, their bicycle leaning nearby like a patient accomplice. No one comments. This is England. We observe everything and mention nothing.

Beyond the buildings, there are walks that require nothing more than sensible shoes. Circular routes thread along Castlett Street or Tally Ho in the other direction. Dogs are optional and polite hellos to fellow walkers mandatory as you wander through countryside that feels untouched, unspoiled, and very much unconcerned with the rest of the world.

Life here is not dramatic, which is precisely its appeal.

Even its brush with notoriety, the infamous 1962 summer camp, is remembered more with a wry shake of the head than alarm. The British neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement had chosen the village as a meeting point for fascists from Europe and the U.S. Around a hundred villagers, led by publican Walter Morley, armed themselves with pitchforks, shotguns, and the kind of moral impatience only a small village can muster, marched to confront the intruders and send them on their way.

And then, as ever, things returned to normal.

Normal, in Guiting Power, means the village calendar: music festival, pantomime (where opening night is a spectacle, with the hall packed with villagers, friends, and relatives, ready to cheer, boo, or groan at the traditional jokes, while a few seasoned performers take delight in flouting the script), fireworks, dog show, the festive light switch-on, and a steady stream of other events that make village life feel far more lively than it has any right to be.

Spend time here and you begin to notice what isn’t present. There is little urgency (unless you're running late for Happy Hour at The Hollow), no sense of performance, no need to prove anything to anyone. People are simply getting on with things; running the farm, opening the shop, pulling pints, walking dogs, waiting, perhaps, for a coffee, to pick a child up from the hugely popular nursery, or for a house that might one day become available.

And in that absence of noise, something else becomes clear, this is a village still shaped by the people who live within it rather than those passing through. 

With that you realise that what makes Guiting Power unique is not its beauty, though it has plenty of that, nor its history, though it has that too. It is the simple, increasingly rare fact that it works. Not loudly, not perfectly, but properly.

And in modern Britain, that is about as close to perfection as you are likely to find.

With the first hints of longer days upon us, it’s impossible not to start looking ahead to summer. The season of golden evenings, open-air stages and weekends that blur into one unforgettable soundtrack is almost within reach. Think cocktails and sunset sing-a-longs with friends as world-class artists light up some of the most beautiful festival settings in the country. Summer 2026 is already shaping up to be a standout, and we honestly can't wait. 
​

The Big Feastival
28 - 30 August 2026
​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

bigfeastival.com

​Blenheim Palace Festival
27 June - 4 July
​Woodstock

With the first-ever multi-day festival set to light up the Great Court at Blenheim Palace, summer in the Cotswolds just got a whole lot more exciting. On the music front, global superstars and beloved voices take centre stage, from the pop magic of Katy Perry and the smooth classics of Michael Bublé to the genre-defying sounds of Teddy Swims and the orchestral dance experience of Pete Tong Ibiza Classics, with Alanis Morissette bringing her anthemic catalogue to the stunning backdrop.

www.blenheimpalace.com

​Wychwood Festival
29 - 31 May 2026
​Cheltenham

Wychwood Festival will once again kick off the summer season in style when it returns to Cheltenham Racecourse for its landmark 20th edition this May, and this year’s celebration promises a quality mix of music, comedy and family‑friendly fun. Over three glorious days you’ll find headline energy from Craig David presents TS5, indie favourites Kaiser Chiefs and folk‑rock icons Levellers, alongside a wonderfully eclectic roster that includes Sophie Ellis‑Bextor, Feeder, The Pigeon Detectives, Boney M, The Horne Section and Newton Faulkner, plus plenty more across multiple stages.

Wychwood has long been beloved for its welcoming, inclusive atmosphere, pairing great live performances with everything from comedy spots and creative workshops to chilled out spaces and activities for all ages, making it the perfect weekend for friends, families and music lovers alike to toast the start of summer together.

wychwoodfestival.com

​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.

www.wildernessfestival.com

​Cheltenham Jazz Festival
29 April – 4 May 2026
Cheltenham
​
The Cheltenham Jazz Festival returns to the heart of Cheltenham, celebrating three decades of bold music, brilliant performances and boundary‑crossing creativity, and this year’s line‑up is already sounding unforgettable. From stirring headline sets by Van Morrison, Jessie J and pop‑soul favourite Joss Stone and Jack Savoretti to the genre‑defying sounds of Lady Blackbird and jazz luminaries like Joshua Redman and Bill Frisell, the festival continues to blend world‑class talent with fresh voices and new collaborations. Alongside classic and contemporary jazz, you’ll find everything from orchestral tributes to Miles Davis to soulful UK jazz from artists such as Courtney Pine, Emma‑Jean Thackray and Blue Lab Beats, giving you six days of music that run the gamut from timeless to trailblazing.

www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/festivals/jazz-festival

​
​Forest Live
24 - 28 June 2026
Westonbirt Arboretum

As summer unfolds across the Cotswolds and the woodlands of Westonbirt Arboretum come alive with greenery, Forest Live 2026 offers a magical way to enjoy long summer evenings with friends, music, food and laughter beneath the trees. This beloved outdoor series brings big‑name acts to one of England’s most beautiful natural stages, starting with dance‑floor legend Fatboy Slim and continuing with timeless anthems from Deacon Blue (with Lightning Seeds), reggae favourites UB40 feat. Ali Campbell (with Bitty McLean & Reggae Roast), pop icon Rick Astley (with The Lottery Winners) and closing with Richard Ashcroft alongside Tom Meighan & Apollo Junction, a line‑up that spans genres and generations under the canopy.

www.forestlive.com/westonbirtarboretum

2000 Trees
8 - 11 July 2026
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.

2000trees.co.uk

​
Shindig
21 - 24 May 2026
Malmesbury
​
As the May Bank Holiday approaches, Shindig Festival 2026 returns to the idyllic Charlton Park Estate with a vibrant and eclectic line‑up set to kickstart the UK festival season in style. Across multiple stages tucked into beautiful woodland and fields, expect sun‑soaked afternoons and late‑night grooves from standout names like punk‑funk crew Fat Dog, politically charge British punk rap duo Bob Vylan, genre‑blending innovators War, and heavyweight soundsystem favourites Mungo’s Hi‑Fi, MY BABY and Snapped Ankles, plus DJ‑led energy from the likes of Pola & Bryson, Stanton Warriors and Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy.

shindigfestival.co.uk

There are race meetings in the world that boast fatter prizes, brighter lights, perhaps even deeper pockets. Yet none of it touches the soul the way Cheltenham does. There is simply nowhere that presses so gently, so insistently, on the heart.

For those of us who live and work in the Cotswolds the Festival is more than four days in March, it is the heartbeat of a year. For pubs and restaurants, jockeys and trainers and anyone else within sight of the Prestbury Park grandstands or Cleeve Hill with an interest in horse racing, it is pretty much everything. 

This year, perhaps more than most, it felt like Cheltenham had remembered exactly what it is supposed to be and something very old and very dear had returned. Not through sheer dominance or record-breaking feats, but through something far more meaningful: a week of firsts, of long waits and loyalty rewarded, and of local people realising dreams they had carried since childhood. For while the Irish cavalry arrived once more in their familiar battalions, the story of this Festival belonged, in many ways, to the Cotswolds themselves.

White Noise became a name etched into the Festival history books when winning the Mares' Novices' Hurdle on Thursday. This was a landmark moment for Mat Nicholls, his first Cheltenham Festival winner since joining Kim Bailey on the training licence. It was a long way from the teenager from Nottingham who began his journey in racing years ago, working as a stable lad for Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Yet even the victory carried a deeper story in the saddle. Tom Bellamy is not a jockey who burst onto the scene with instant fanfare. He has built a career the old fashioned way: through patience, perseverance and an understanding that racing success rarely arrives overnight. He has had big days, but nothing compares to this. 

Bellamy, a local lad, sponsored by the Hollow Bottom (a pub that has long been a gathering place for racing folk), said afterwards that he has waited his entire life for that moment. The joy was not just his, it was for all the people watching in the pub and most of the locals in the crowd at Cheltenham who climbed the hill with him. 

If Bellamy’s victory felt like the arrival of something long hoped for, Richie McLernon’s win aboard Johnnywho for the O'Neill stable carried a different kind of emotion altogether. McLernon had last tasted Cheltenham Festival glory in 2014. Twelve years in racing can feel like a lifetime, especially when those years are punctuated by the injuries that are the unavoidable currency of riding racehorses.

Cheltenham has a way of demanding its dues before it ever grants its reward, and McLernon’s victory felt like justice finally catching up. All the broken bones, the long recoveries, the quiet doubts that another win at the Festival might never come fall away the instant you cross the line first. Even then, he paused to acknowledge the local NHS and surgeons who had seen him through his latest setback, a small reminder that triumph here is rarely won alone.

For the O’Neills, the Festival became something almost sacred. Wilful delivered a second win for the yard, giving AJ O’Neill his first Cheltenham Festival winners as a trainer alongside his father Jonjo. And consider the scale. The O’Neills sent just seven runners to the Festival. Seven. Against the massive armies of Willie Mullins (74) and Gordon Elliott (51), that makes their two winners all the more extraordinary although incredibly fitting that forty years after the elder Jonjo guided Dawn Run to Gold Cup glory, the yard once again enjoyed huge success. 

This time with brother Jonjo Jr in the saddle who, after the race, struggled to hide the emotion in his voice as he spoke about his father and brother, about the support they had given him and the long road that led to this moment. To repay that faith with a Festival winner, on the sport’s biggest stage, was clearly something more than a professional achievement, it was family. Moments like this are what make Cheltenham unique.

Meetmebythesea added another local note to the week when landing the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase for Naunton Downs-based trainer Ben Pauling, giving him his fifth Cheltenham Festival winner.

Amid the Irish dominance in recent years, for some yards it can sometimes feel like taking on a cavalry charge armed only with optimism. That is precisely why the victories of Bellamy, McLernon, the O’Neills, Pauling, and Bailey/Nicholls meant so much here in the Cotswolds. Every success is personal and every story is carried from the winner’s enclosure to celebrations at the local pubs and the stables where these horses are raised.

Still, for many who watched this year’s Festival unfold, the lasting memory might not be a single performance but a collective feeling that something special had returned. Perhaps it was the emotional weight of those first winners or the sight of familiar faces celebrating in the winner’s enclosure. Or perhaps it was simply the realisation that Cheltenham still holds the same magic it always has.

Every year there are voices suggesting that the Festival has lost its charm. Some prefer the idea of escaping to the sun, swapping the UK for beaches in Benidorm or Tenerife while the racing unfolds back home. Each to their own, of course. But those who chose that over Cheltenham this year missed something rather extraordinary. They missed the roar that greeted Tom Bellamy. They missed the raw emotion etched across Richie McLernon’s face and the pride over Mat Nicholls'. They missed the joy of the O’Neill family celebrating together.

And this year, as in all the best years, Cheltenham reminded us why it still matters. It's the place that justifies every early morning, every broken bone, every setback, and every dream. In racing, there is no place like it. Here, victory is sweeter, and every story more vivid, because the Cheltenham Festival, more than any other meeting, means absolutely everything.