The Ebrington Arms, The Cotswolds

It was a few weeks ago now that we were in the Cotswolds celebrating one of the many Gipsy Spread birthday shenanigans. We had a hired a bijou little cottage in the picturesque village of Bourton on the Hill and the owner had made a few recommendations for dinner. I had already exhausted one, when I did my best Withnail impression of having ‘come on holiday by mistake’, so it was the Ebrington arms we headed to for the birthday boy and his sister’s joint celebration.

We bimbled along to the rustic looking former coaching inn, I’m guessing. The dining room was delightfully laid out with wooden panels, flooring and tables and chairs. It was minimal, but warm and cosy, inviting the food to speak for itself. There were also large inglenook fireplaces, which sadly as we were there in September, were not lit.

We all perused the eclectic menu with excitement and indeed all found far too many dishes we wished to try than we had the capacity for at that time. Regardless, we all made our choices and eagerly awaited the plates which promised to be joyful. We were not disappointed. Every dish came out wonderfully dressed. In fact Brother in law Spread threatened to ‘do a Greg and John’ and destroy his pretty plate in the offing.

Regardless, I gently teased through my gorgeously earthy, slightly sweet and salty beetroot and goats cheese macaroon, with delightful beetroot additions. Others had the potato and grapefruit salad and the carpacio of tuna.

The main I picked because it promised some unusual combinations, flavours and textures and I again was not disappointed. It was the special with chickpea cakes, an olive fritter and olive puree for me. Others opted for the classic cod dish, the chicken and the steak.

I think all of us were pleasantly surprised by the high calibre of the food, its presentation and what great value for money it was. I did feel like I had been transposed outside of London, but received a London quality meal, at a fraction of the cost. I also took pleasure in the fact that I knew the ingredients would have been farmed locally and were seasonal. The vegetarian dishes in particular were extremelly creative and I appreciated the thought and techniques put into these. For those that ate meat, that the animals would have had a ‘good life’ assuaged their conscience.


Now, we were all full, but again, the creative combination of banana mousse, parsnip toffee and peanut butter ice-cream lured us in and we all had to try one between us. It was a fabulous combination of tastes.

I’d highly recommend this bijou little spot if visiting the Cotswolds’, a better meal, you won’t find. I shall remember this little pub and re-visit next time I’m in this beautiful part of the Country.