THE Cotswolds is nationally recognised as an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is just a short journey away.
For anyone heading south for the day and with something to celebrate, keep the Churchill Arms in mind.
Situated in the stunning honey-stoned Cotwold village of Paxford near Chipping Camden, it offers an impressive range of ales – and food to die for.
We popped in one scorching Friday evening to try the mouthwatering menu created by head chef and proprietor Nick Deverell-Smith.
With flagstone flooring and a welcoming ambience, the staff immediately made us feel at home.
To get the gastric juices going we had focaccio and homemade bread with black olives (£3.50) before moving on to the starters.
If it’s Friday it has to be fish so we ordered the Smoked Haddock and Cornish Crab dishes (both £7.25) but before those could arrive there was an appetiser of cod croquets to devour. All three dishes were absolutely delicious.
Moving on to mains we had the Pan Fried Cod and Gressingham Duck dishes (£16.50 & £16.95) with local greens £3).
The cod was fabulous and the duck was cooked to pink perfection, tender and succulent.
All this meant the pudding had a hard act to follow, but in truth it proved to be the highlight of a memorable meal.
We plumped for the sharing Churchill’s Chocolate pudding with glazed bananas (£10.50). One word will suffice – stunning.
For that special occasion or if you’re feeling flush, call the Churchill Arms on 01386 593159. http://www.churchillarms.co/
Ross Crawford
