WHERE TO EAT
Restaurants and tea rooms change from day to day. So, don't hold us to our views here, but we have eaten recently in the ones below, which are middle-priced and freshly cooked. Each has its own special atmosphere.
A recent find is the Bantam Tea Rooms in the high Street at Chipping Campden, They serve good plain lunches and totally delicious cakes and cream teas - everything baked on the premises. Very friendly service and a welcoming atmosphere. See www.bantamtea-rooms.co.uk
The Coconut Lagoon in Sheep Street, Stratford serves South Asian food. The crispy, savoury Kara Vadai - biscuits made from lentil and rice flours and served with a mint-flavoured dip - are delicious to nibble on while you’re choosing. And a favourite main course of ours is the delicately spiced stuffed pomfret. All this is enhanced by discreet and friendly service. See http://www.coconutlagoon.com/stratford
The Bell Inn, Welford. Scrumptious food in a pretty village that is easy to reach from Stratford. It easily justifies the accolade of Warwickshire Dining Pub of the Year 2009 in The Good Pub Guide, though vegetarians and non-meat eaters might feel a little shortchanged. But this is conservative rural England, after all. www.thebellwelford.co.uk
Just one of the Bell's main courses
Hillers, outside Broom, is not just a great place to buy local produce for cooking back at Lantern Cottage - evidenced by its winning the Best Local Food Retailer (Midlands Region 2007) award - but has a terrific cafe. It is not a cheap-as-chips place. So, be prepared to pay a little bit more, and it's worth it, as it's all local veg and meat plus very fresh fish cooked with some flair and nicely presented. Highly recommended. See www.hillers.co.uk
Juri's Tea Shoppe in Winchcombe is really unusual, as it's run by a Japanese woman, who has not just an MA from St Andrew's, but a whole sheaf of cordon bleu qualifications and experience. The result is a cafe that offers 15 types of tea and truly delicious hand-made cakes (not so good for lunches). As a result Juri, the owner and baker, won the tea Council's Top Tea Place in 2008. Only open daytime Thursday - Sunday. See www.juris-tearoom.co.uk
The Howard Arms, Ilmington offers lovely, straightforward, well-cooked food. The specials are particularly good with vegetarian and fish that go way beyond the usual goat’s cheese dish and fish and chips, and there's always at least one fish and vegetarian dish daily. Maybe, there should be more? But a clear gold star for the delicious puddings and pudding wines by the glass. Overall, a great atmosphere, though not the place to go to for an intimate supper for two, perhaps. See http://www.howardarms.com
The Granville @ Barford. Having said we have eaten at all these restaurants / gastropubs, I must be honest and admit that we have not yet visited this one, but it comes with a superb portfolio. Its handful of awards includes a 2008 Warwickshire Life Food & Drink Award for the most distinctive local menu, and the samples on the website bear this out. Not the cheapest gastropub, it, nevertheless, looks good value for money. Lunches, for example, include extra large starters that will suit many better than a sleep-inducing main course. www.granvillebarford.co.uk
Inside at the Granville