Corsham Restaurant Guide

“‘Old school’ dining… perhaps a bit stuffy, but the food’s good” – the dining room of this well-known luxury spa hotel has had, since 2006, chef Hywel Jones at the stoves. You can eat à la carte for £110 per person for three courses, or there’s an eight-course tasting menu for £140 per person, and the deft cuisine won nothing but praise this year. “The wild and woody setting of The Estate and the slightly faded grandeur of The House just make it a rather special place to stay” and it’s also praised for a “delicious afternoon tea in beautiful, elegant surroundings”.

2022 Review: Chef Rob Potter wins solid praise for the consistency of his cuisine at this plush Cotswolds five-star hotel with golf club. The style is “traditional rather than super-inventive” (“we didn’t experience stand-outs but good quality throughout”).

“Very enjoyable French food in a convivial atmosphere” ensures the continued high success of Chris Tabbitt (ex-of London haunt Bibendum) and Sarah Olivier’s modern European, est. 2016 and named after their first child. It’s a “comfortable and not showy” sort of place with “casual” service, where no one doubts the “very proficient” cooking (“not cheap, but definitely felt good value for the overall meal”).

“Outstanding views from the dining area” and “lovely garden” over the surrounding countryside (top walking territory) characterise this well-liked stone gastroboozer; there are plaudits too for its “small menu of good classics” (plus latterly small plates).

2023 Review: A “quirky and interesting” local with a “good atmosphere” serving a “creative menu, with cooking of a consistent high standard”. It makes a “fantastic pub for Sunday lunch”, with “outstanding roasts”.

“Great for game if you are in Bath” – a “pleasant” and clubby hotel-restaurant that’s the brainchild of Mike Robinson, of London’s acclaimed Harwood Arms, and accordingly strong on venison et. al. The venue occupies several adjoining Georgian townhouses, and the victuals are “gusty” and “immensely satisfying”, as The Telegraph’s William Sitwell put it in a Nov 2022 review (also proclaiming that he would “rave about this joint well into the New Year”).

This “interesting restaurant set in a bottle shop” (est. 2015) is part of the Beckford group, which runs four SW England inns, and – as of December 2022 – Bath’s Beckford Canteen, set in a Georgian greenhouse. The “tapas-style food” is “very moreish” and there’s unsurprisingly a “good, reasonably priced wine list” to go with it, making it “very popular” and “deservedly so”.

2021 Review: The USP of this “very relaxed” yet “lively” Bath pizzeria is the ability to choose your dough as well as the topping on your pizza; not just regular and gluten-free, they also offer hemp, seaweed, black rice and turmeric bases, plus distinctly adventurous toppings (“who knew pistachios on a pizza could be so amazing?!”). A Bristol branch opened in March 2019.

The “gorgeous room” is the highlight of a visit to this popular outpost of the “ever-expanding chain”, whose interior design based on the famous London original in Theatreland trumps the “unremarkable” cuisine. Flexibility is much of the appeal – there’s a “good varied all day menu, plus options for brunch or afternoon tea”.

“Buzzy” and “very popular city centre spot” that excels for its “great food, friendly ambience and good value”. Chef-patron Rob Clayton opened it 12 years ago, after seven years as head chef at the Bath Priory Hotel. He has worked in top kitchens for 35 years, including a stint at Chez Nico in London.

2022 Review: Taking afternoon tea in this “wonderful Georgian setting with a trio playing during the meal” – and the Roman baths next door – is to wallow in English history, with literary visitors from Jane Austen to Charles Dickens as your guides. The nibbles – “beetroot-cured smoked salmon with homemade blini”, perhaps – are a secondary consideration, “but well worth having!”.

“Pleased to say standards remain high in this popular and much commented-on bistro serving modern European food”, in a useful central location. it’s “one of the best choices in a city served mainly by the chains”.

“Brilliant Vietnamese venue, owned by chef Noya who was taught to cook by her mum”. “Honest and fresh-flavoured dishes” are “prepared with flair” in this “vibrant”, “reasonably priced” townhouse restaurant, where the “consistently friendly and enthusiastic service contributes to a lovely experience” – “every time I go here, I come out with a smile!”

Limited but positive feedback this year on this well-established wine bar and bottle shop, whose distinguishing feature is a large, barn-like extension and terrace that really comes into its own during the warmer months.

“If you like coffee, this is the place to go” – founder Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, three-times UK barista champion, has “unbeatable coffee knowledge” and his “friendly, engaged” staff also “really know their stuff”, which includes some “unusual” beans!