Ledbury Restaurant Guide

“Outstanding food and service” are in store for guests at this tiny 14-seat restaurant from Elizabeth & James Winter (formerly of the highly rated Butchers Arms near Gloucester) – he works solo in the kitchen, sourcing dayboat fish and rare-breed meat to send out “dishes good enough to forgive the high pricing”, with “three choices for each course”. “They make the best they can of their small space”, two cute rooms in a Grade II listed 18th-century building in the historic town centre.

“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.

“Kick back with a plate of fine cheeses and meats and admire the beautiful views” advises a London-based fan of this cosy and informal brasserie central to one of England’s longest established vineyards (planted in 1973). You can also stay here. The food is focused on uncomplicated tapas and at dinner there’s some slightly more substantial dishes, such as a sharing board of grilled steak. Plenty of opportunity to taste their vintages of course, plus those of other vineyards too.

This “beautiful”, red-brick, 16th-century country pub near Gloucester has long been known for its “excellent food”, cooked these days by chef-patron Mark Block, whose wife Jo-Anne runs the front of house. It’s still very much a locals’ pub, with a snug low-ceilinged bar serving real ale from the barrel.

2024 Review: “A lovely setting – tucked away in a quiet-but-central location” beside the remains of Hereford’s castle moat adds to the joys of the Watkins family’s Grade II-listed Georgian hotel. Reports are limited, but all approve the cooking from Hungarian-born chef Gabor Katona (with much produce from the owners’ farm at Ballingham Hall, nearby).

2023 Review: The first bricks-and-mortar venture from Hereford’s 10 year-old ‘A Rule of Tum’ hospitality group, this local hit serves “top burgers in a great atmosphere”, with a focus on locally produced beef and other produce. A branch in Worcester has followed.

2022 Review: A steak-led “relative newcomer” – named for the former use of these premises – where the main event graces a “short, meat-focused menu” that “clearly concentrates on what they are skilled at” (though there’s also praise for the “second-to-none” coffee and cakes). “Fantastic staff” and a “great ambience” round out its charms…“if you take clients they never fail to be impressed”.

It’s “easy to miss” Richard & Shirley Cook’s acclaimed smokery but “you get great seafood from this unusual establishment accommodating a ground floor cafe and deli, plus the upstairs restaurant which seems to be ever-popular in spite of its location”. It is “not cheap” and the odd “uneven” meal is reported, but fans say “it is such a treat to eat here thanks to the most delicious shellfish dishes in generous portions”. You have to think there’s a reason they are also suppliers to Fortnum’s and by appointment to His Majesty King Charles. Top Menu Tip – “the smoked platter showcases what they do” and “there is usually a hot soufflé among the dessert choices and it is NEVER disappointing!”

“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”.