Bank Holiday Lunch at The Wild Rabbit Kingham

Last bank holiday Monday, The Chap and I took a leisurely country drive off into the heart of the Cotswolds. I say leisurely, it was p*****g it down - I totally wish we had this Mondays weather instead - still, we were in good spirits because we were off for lunch.

Kingham was our destination of choice; a gorgeous little village in the Evenlode Valley, Oxfordshire. We've swung by a few times before - I'd highly recommend Sunday lunch at The Kingham Plough - but this time we had a different agenda.

The Wild Rabbit is a name that crops up in every local travel guide, and is often highlighted as being the place to stay if you're after a luxurious Cotswold retreat. They class themselves as being a re-invention of the traditional English inn – a place to eat, drink and sleep - and by 'they', I mean the Daylesford team. That's right, with Daylesford Farm and the Bamford Haybarn Spa already residing in Kingham, it's no surprise that Lady Carole Bamford wanted to widen her organic empire by taking on this 18th century pub. It's become a dream destination for food and drink lovers, the health concious, and those just wanting to escape the city life. 

The Wild Rabbit's dining room serves lunch and dinner seven days a week. There's a separate bar menu for the pub side, which serves smaller, heartier fare for a few less pennies. Where possible they use organic ingredients from their own garden - picked fresh each morning and delivered straight to the kitchen - and their menu celebrates seasonal produce from local suppliers... You'd expect nothing less.

Michelin named The Wild Rabbit as 'Pub of The Year' in their 2015 guide - high praise indeed - so we were excited to test it out, and having previously seen Executive Chef Tim Allen on BBC's Great British Menu, we knew we were in capable hands. 

Quickly ditching the car in the car park (my bird poo splattered Seat didn't fit in with all the shiny new Range Rovers), first appearances were great; wisteria creeps across the front of the building, with comedy rabbit shaped bushes inviting you in. Inside, you immediately feel countrified with Cotswold stone, leather wingback chairs, aged wooden furniture, a roaring fire and a handful of pub dogs. The dining room is through the back, over the well; it's big and airy with lots of stylish decor, a long central table (looking after the tempting cheese selection), and the open kitchen in the corner. 

The menu is concise; five starters, five mains (plus two steaks), and five desserts (if you include cheese as an option). They have a decent wine list too, though seeing as I was designated driver for the day, I couldn't get involved. Instead, it was just the one Bloody Mary for me whilst The Chap had a couple of Hooky beers. 

Sourdough slices slathered with butter, we awaited our first course. I opted for Mackerel, served two ways, with Yorkshire rhubarb, pickled cucumber and frozen horseradish (£13.50). I loved the contrast of the flaky cooked mackerel against the fresh tartare, but it was the horseradish ice cream that really wowed me. The Chap went for the Quail; roasted breasts, Morteau sausage, smoked shallot, confit leg and lardo raviolo, with verjus reduction (£13.50). I politely only tried a teeny bit of quail seeing as it's such a small bird, and it was gorgeous. 

My main course was Rump of English veal, fricassée of braised veal, confit shallot, onion purée and baby capers (£26.00), that I ordered with a side of buttery purple sprouting broccoli (£4). That juicy pink rump was faultless; the onions and mushrooms gave the dish a deep earthy flavour, whilst the capers added bursts of acidity, ensuring it felt light and spring-like. 

The Chap went for the 10oz rib eye steak - dry aged for 40 days and cooked over charcoal - which came with hand cut chips, Daylesford leaves and a sauce of your choice (£30). He picked the tomato-y Bois boudran, a new one for the both of us. No matter how tasty it was, the fact it came on a small(!) wooden board with individual bowls for each component was a little frustrating. It might look neat for presentation, but it makes the logistics of eating near impossible. That said, the chunky chips were so good that all could be forgiven, and thank god they weren't stacked up like Jenga! With such a thick crispy casing, they almost verge on being classed as roast potatoes; I'll be ordering a portion 'for the table' next time. 

White Chocolate, gariguette strawberries, Yorkshire rhubarb and buckler sorrel (£8.50) was my final course - something I'd spied on social media before our visit. Not only do the ingredients have me written all over them, but it was the most photogenic dish of the lot. Bright with height, sweet but tart, and it had a great range of textures - I do love the snap of chocolate and the crunch of meringue. 

The Chap had the Cheesecake with Braeburn apple and caramelised honey (£7). I didn't get a look in on this one - it must've been good - but I admired the glass-like sugar disc on top before me and my phone were batted away so that he could enjoy his dessert in peace. 

We moved through to the pub to sit next to the fire with a coffee and the paper, and were surprised with a couple of freshly baked lemon syrup madeleines as petit fours. Such a nice touch, especially straight out of the oven. 

The Wild Rabbit is by no means cheap, but where is in such picturesque Cotswold locations? A three course meal with a drink and service averages at around £60 a head, and whilst everything was cooked beautifully, perhaps we expected to be a bit more excited for the money? We both agreed that the starters were our favourite course, followed by desserts, then mains - those chips come in a league of their own. 

We'll certainly go back - I can see myself escaping for hours in its rustic charm - but next time we'll just try out their bar menu, and maybe adopt a dog to join us.

The Fire Station Cheltenham

Things are hotting up in Cheltenham thanks to the latest new opening. Finally standing proud on St James' Square, the old fire station has had an extensive makeover, and is now the most talked about place in town. It's only had its doors open for one week, but I'm already certain that The Fire Station feels right at home.

The City Fund Pub Company are behind the refurb - I'm so glad someone has done something with the beautiful building - and they've created a space which seems appropriate for any time of the day. The glass roof ensures it's bright and airy for breakfast, brunch and lunch, and you'll be sure to catch the early evening sun over the summer. Then as it hits dinner, the well stocked bar will be churning out cocktails, and the dining spaces adopt a much more intimate feel. Essentially, come for whatever occasion.

Stripped back to brickwork, wooden flooring, and a few white walls, there are flashes of colour running throughout the restaurant thanks to the fiery orange leather seating and well placed greenery. Though it's definitely the stunning lighting, the large bar (with added ladder!) and the Robata Grill that are the main features.

The Fire Station was built in 1906, with firefighters vacating the premises 57 years ago. So having a large open flame grill taking central stage seems like a nice cheeky nod to its original use. Shame there's no pole left in there though... Probably for the best.

In the space of a week, I managed to visit the place twice; once to try out the menu, then again for the launch party. Other than the knowledge of the grill, I had no idea what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised when I saw a Middle Eastern streak running throughout the menu. Those Ottolenghi inspired ingredients are most predominant - harissa, tahini, dukkah, za'atar, chermoula - though there's a Mexican/Argentinian twist in there too - chimichurri, pico de gallo, ancho chilli and chipotle. It's all the kind of things I like to eat; fresh, flavoursome, packing a punch. They had me at hello.

Saturday night dinner started as any night should - cocktails! The Chap had a Barrel Aged Manhattan (£8.50), K had a Margarita (£7.50) and I had an Ume Sour (£9), which included Japanese Nikka whisky, plum sake, lemon juice, plum and lemon grass cordial, egg white. All delicious and not overly expensive for cocktails with decent ingredients.

For starters, we ordered a number of dishes to sample between us; the advantage of going with more than just one other person - more food. Other than the soup option, which is really just a solo job, I think this is the best way to go about it. Sharing's caring. 

Grilled mussels, smoked butter and chives (£7) were just as you'd expect, plump and juicy, though a tad on the small side, with a smoky, salty liquor. Hummus, dukkah and flatbreads (£5) is a go-to combination. The hummus had great texture and plenty of flavour thanks to the cumin-heavy dukkah, with the charred bread adding an extra depth. The Pomegranate molasses chicken wings with green harissa (£6.50) were an instant win - sticky, sweet and sour with a fragrant herbal hit - and the spicy N'duja croquettes with aioli (£6) barely lasted two seconds on the table before being devoured with sorrowful eyes, wishing we'd ordered more. 

All main courses at The Fire Station come with a house salad (baby gem lettuce, shallots, mint) and fries (skin on, hand cut), which come in big sharing bowls; a unique selling point I think. The Chap had Beef short rib, chipotle glaze (£15), where the meat was tender and the sauce was rich and smoky. Nice, a crowd pleaser, but perhaps a little safe? I had Cod, pine nuts, parsley (£14); really clean flavours for those who don't like dishes with too much fuss, the chargrilled lemon really made it what it was, as well as the crispy skin. K had the best of the three with the Bavette steak, chimichurri (£14). Basically black on the outside, it was perfectly pink in the middle, and the chimichurri added a herby garlic tang - a dream with the chips! We had a side of Chermoula aubergine, bulgar wheat and yoghurt (£4) too, and although nice, it definitely wasn't necessary.

Squeezing in dessert, between the three of us we ordered the Rum baba, charred pineapple, Brugal Añejo (£11 for 2 people); not enough rum or syrup for me, though as this was the first service, mistakes can easily be forgiven. And also the Little chocolate pot, ginger biscuit (£6); rich, gooey and utterly indulgent (I didn't share), the sprinkling of salt on top made it feel even more luxurious. I washed this down with a liqueur coffee (their coffee's from The Scandinavian Coffee Pod) and the other two scouted the rum and whisky selection.

When we returned a few days later for the jam packed opening party, we had Margaritas aplenty, and one of my favourite aperitifs, Brit Spritz - Kamm & Sons, prosecco, elderflower, soda (£8). Samples of food were floating round, but The Chap and I went and did a mini wine and food pairing class in the private dining room upstairs. I'd not really looked at the wine list the first time - shock horror - so I'm really glad we got the opportunity to do this.

Split into French, Rest of Europe and Rest of the World, the wines are pretty easy to navigate, with 6 whites, 6 reds, 2 rosés and a sparkler available by the glass; not too shabby for restaurant standards. Our host - the wine supplier for The Fire Station - took us through four wines matched to four different dishes from the menu, so you can use this as a handy heads up if you're planning on going soon! 

Pick d'Arenberg The Money Spider Roussanne from Australia's McClaren Vale to go with your N'duja croquettes // Ken Forrester's Chenin Blanc Reserve from South Africa to partner the grilled mussels // The Argentinian Humberto Canale Cabernet Franc goes wonderfully with the bavette steak // Go for the Recioto Valpolicella DOC dessert wine to finish things off with the chocolate pot.  

If I haven't tempted you to try it out, I'm not sure what will... I'm already planning on going again at the weekend! The 'On Toast' breakfast menu is a great idea, as is the 'Bottomless Brunch' (though slightly dangerous) - a 2 hour sitting where you can get two courses for £30 or three for £35 with unlimited Bellinis or Prosecco! The Roast Half Shoulder of Hardwick Lamb (£55 for 3/4 people) sounds great for a Sunday afternoon too.

Can't get hold of me? You'll probably find me at The Fire Station...