Down the Cotswolds this weekend. I had booked the night away in the Dial House in Bourton many months ago and had almost forgotten about it, it was a night and a tasting menu for two – which is something that I don’t usually go for, but after watching the Trip I am now more keen!!. So got down to Bourton about midday, and couldn’t check in for a couple of hours, so we had plenty of time to stroll around the village. And what a place it is, we had been there a few times in the past, and it is really a great place, it is almost perfect as a chocolate box, English village. It has a river running through it which is fed by a spring, and is only 10 inches deep at any point – so perfect for paddling. Loads of lovely Cotswold stone houses and plenty of pubs and cafe’s.
Trouble is, it is always full of sodding tourists when the weather is nice.
We decided to head through the village for the first rest stop, as there is a pub on the way in which is some 500 yards from the village center, it has a couple of seats outside and compared to the village proper is dead. Real surly get behind the bar though, looked a little like Brick Top, but with a few “heavy” gold chains and rings – what a plonker Rodney. He didn’t seem to happy to serve us and after pouring Sian’s drink he said anything else – so I asked him for a taste of his Chilli nuts, and he turned and grunted – In the drink..
Back into Bourton for a quick bite to eat as we didn’t want to spoil supper, and we had a little sit down in the Hotel garden which was quiet and just perfect for me. Sian had a doze and I watched the people milling about. A little later when some of the hoards had left, around 5:30 we ventured back in and had a wonder around the place then had a couple of beers in the beer gardens overlooking the river – other than the nosy kids and the spaktards who descend on these places it was idyllic..
Quick spruse up in the room, which was quite nice – across the way from the hotel in the Coach House (No.9) was plenty big enough, great shower and large bed. We went down to our culinary experience. Order a Miguel and got a tiny glassful, we sat in the garden for a short while before the waitress come out with “Some c compliments of the Chef” obviously I figured that this was the smallest c in the world because they didn’t want to spoil our appetites but it was actually a sign of things to come. They were kidney and smoked butter with prawn – or something like that (something a little more poncy) well, it must have been an ant kidney, it was tiny. I ate it and the entire thing got caught between my teeth. The smoked butter thing was odd, but tastly, but it had one prawn in, one, and not as you might expect a massive prawn which looks more like a lobster, it was a tiny shrimp. I hadn’t even noticed mine, so i must have swallowed it, it was so small.
Anyway, I was worried I might burst, but we were shown to the table – and you could see that this was “that” sort of place, she even undid my napkins and placed it on my lap – oh how lardeedaa. The rest of the food was stupid.
So after eating some foam, and some chicken and some salmon, and some goat cheese with beetroot, and a cucumber and wasabi sorbet we left. Only realising we missed the scrummy after dinner chocolate festival when we were heading back to the room.
Breakfast was magnificent. You could have a Breakfast starter, so I had the fruit platter which was a work of art and the thinnest but most tasteful apple I have ever had. The full English was great, nice bacon, nice sausage, nice eggs, nice hash brown, nice mushroom, nice black pudding, crap fried bread.
We were out of there by 9:30. Really good trip, great place, nice hotel, interesting food experience and fab brekkie – what more could you ask for. Big thumbs up to Bourton and the Dial House.