Tewkesbury, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

“The obvious attraction of this restaurant is the spectacular view from the Malvern Hills across the plain” – unusually dramatic for an English dining room – that creates an away-from-it-all impression at this small hotel owned since 2015 by Nick & Julia Davies, who have constantly upgraded it over the years. Service is “friendly and professional” and the cooking has become ever-more “impressive”. In July 2025, after our diners poll had concluded, they announced a redesigned offering from chef Mark Potts, with the introduction Thursday-Saturday of a tasting-menu-only format of seven courses for £95 per person. This will be followed with the opening of a new brasserie, with cheaper à la carte options.

2023 Review: A “country house atmosphere”, “excellent service” and “delicious food” win praise from fans of this “beautiful” Cotswolds hotel – owned by greetings card mogul Andrew Brownsword – and it “should please every romantic”. Ratings were dragged down, though, by other reporters who feel that the house is “lovely but tired”, while “the food is good-ish, but certainly could be better”.

“This Grande Dame still maintains standards in its main restaurant” according to most feedback on the impressive barrel-vaulted dining room of this picture-book, 600-year-old hotel in the Cotswolds, which – under TV chef James Martin – seems to have hit a more even stride in recent times with a straightforward, posh-grill house formula of steak and BBQ dishes (“best Sunday Lunch I’ve had in years in a wonderful room with very good service”).

“A miracle for Malvern” – this “pleasant and professional” year-old venture takes meat reared on the Lygon family’s 900-year-old Madresfield Estate and chef Tom Friedli prepares it here over fire in an open kitchen, with the menu providing a selection of cuts (or you can order a ‘Butcher’s Board’ for £64 for two to share). “Meats are tender, juicy and beautifully cooked and presented, while traditional ingredients are enhanced by some more contemporary flavourings such as wasabi, nori and yazu”. “Desserts can be similarly a little out-of-the ordinary such as thyme ice cream”.