Drink, Eat & Be Social: The Bottle of Sauce Cheltenham

No doubt we're all seeing in January with various saintly resolutions… New year, new me… But let's face it, it never quite works out. If you're dry the whole of Jan, only to get hammered every weekend for the rest of the year, or eat nothing but lettuce for a month, then stuff your face full of the remaining Christmas chocs on the first of February, then really, what's the point?

Cheltenham, I say ditch the diet, especially as there are some excellent new (and old) places to eat in town, all of which need your custom at this sluggish time of year.

Looking back to November, with a flurry of foodie openings, the stakes were well and truly upped in the burger game. Not only did The Tavern reopen after its fire (more on that in another post), but we welcomed in Dodo Pub Co.'s The Bottle of Sauce - hurrah! Ok, I know we already had quite a few places for your beef fix, but variety is the spice of life, right?

Housed in what was formerly The Quaich - quiche, kwaysh, quack, however you said it - found on the corner of Ambrose and Clarence Street, The Bottle of Sauce brands itself as a 'hip new watering hole and eatery'; a place to 'drink, eat and be social'... Yup, I like all of those things. I'm in.

The place has undergone a pretty hefty refurbishment, which no doubt cost quite a few pennies, and contains all those cool-kid culprits; exposed brickwork, industrial fixtures and fittings, snazzy lighting, etc. Centre stage at the bar is the beer board, of which lists many a great beer, shining so bright in its coppery hues, there's a private dining room with a looovely long wooden table (perfect for parties), and even a games room with table tennis and table football. But wait, there's more. There's a large outside space lit with zig-zagged festoon lighting, no doubt this'll be heaving come summer, and a 'canteen' dining area in what used to be the pubs old skittle alley. You'll find the kitchen in here, which is semi-open so you can peek through to see what's going on, and when everyone's full of food, there's a DJ booth to see you into the early hours, dancing shoes or not.

The general gist; Bottle of Sauce offers various booths, tables, high stools, benches and surprisingly armchairs by the fireplace to sit at, so even Goldilocks would be able to find somewhere that was 'just right' in here.

Foodwise they serve dirty burgers, filthy fries, Neapolitan pizzas, sticky wings and souped up salads (though no one really wants the salad do they?). And having been invited along to the bloggers event with a whole host of fellow food lovers, we all took it upon ourselves to try out as much of the menu as possible.

Big hits in the burger section; Mother Clucker (kimchi buttermilk chicken, pickled red onions, napalm sauce, chipotle mayo, lettuce), The Big D (beef patty, aged cheddar, caramelised onions, Kelmscott dry cured bacon, Dodo burger mayo, lettuce), and The Al Capone (beef patty, spicy 'nduja relish, American cheese, pickled red onions, chipotle mayo, lettuce)... Basically all of them then. You can choose if you want your burger pink or well done too, something that was a bit hit and miss on the bloggers night, but having been back since has been spot on. Pink every time obvs.

I ordered the Speckenwolf pizza (no longer on the menu), with paper thin slices of smoky cured speck, mozzarella, parmesan, rocket and lemon. Delicious, but I was instantly jealous when I saw someone else's Truffle Funghi come out. I fit in another visit recently and ordered myself one - white pizza, mozzarella, portobello mushrooms, Cotswold Gold truffle oil, sorrel and shaved parmesan - and it was even better than the one I'd longingly spied. I thought the bases were a little overdone on our first visit - not a terrible offence, just new chefs getting used to their new kitchen - but now they have the perfect amount of scorched spots from the pizza oven, and the toppings were much more generous.

The consensus was that the Napalm Wings were the best of the bunch being both sweet and hot, though if you've ordered lots of other spicy things then you won't be disappointed with the Sticky BBQ Wings. And I'm almost certain there's no elegant way to eat a wing; suck it up, you're going to get messy.

Bottle of Sauce gives you a choice of three types of fries; Rosemary Salted (yet to try), Buffalo (the winner - with hot sauce and blue cheese drizzle), and Cheese n' Truffle (with melted fontina and Cotswold Gold truffle oil - not as truffley as I'd hoped; I think the pizza got the best dousing of oil). The other sides take a bit of a back seat; the Dodo Slaw, with apple, white cabbage, mint and mayo, was nice but nothing spesh, and the Mac n' Cheese seemed to be missing all the melty cheese - sigh. Hey ho, no love lost. It's not like you're stuck for choice!

If you're not in the mood for food and just fancy some drinks, then that's highly recommended too. I mentioned the beers earlier on, but there's a solid wine list, interesting spirits, and cocktails which slip down all too easily. Try them all.

So then, my advice for a Happy New Year and to beat those January blues... Hit up The Bottle of Sauce and start as you mean to go on.

50% off selected burgers every Monday / 50% off selected pizzas Tuesday - Friday lunchtimes / 15% off takeaway pizza at all times / £4.50 cocktails during afterwork drinking hours / bottomless coffees and bloody marys available with weekend brunch / gluten free buns and bases available

New Kid on The Block: The Stable

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie. That's amore."

... And yes Dean Martin, it really is amore with Cheltenham's latest food joint. Serving both pizzas and pies, this place is already a hit with me. Then adding in a healthy supply of cider, well that just sweetens the deal. Cheltenham, say hello to The Stable.

Having taken over the old D'fly/Ange Noir building on Clarence Street, and undergone extensive refurbishment, The Stable opened their doors just a month ago - prime time in the run up to Christmas. It's a big space, one which previous occupants have struggled to fill, but that doesn't seem to be the case here; locals have been constantly flocking to the restaurant to get their proper pizza fix, and I'm guessing it's because decent pizza is something that we've been missing in the town for quite a while.

Now I know The Stable is a chain - and we all know how I feel about chains - but this one is different. With just 13 locations, solely in the South West, there's a lovely story to how the business has got to where it is today. Long story short (you can read it all on their website if you wish), founders Richard and Nikki Cooper bought a hotel in Dorset that had an outbuilding/former stable at the back. Deciding to do something with it, to share with the locals, they started with the obvious; Dorset = Real Cider. Richard’s brother Andy, who also happened to be a chef, got in on the action and the trio began experimenting with creating some extraordinary sourdough pizzas. The concept was born; fine food and crafted cider set within an alluring atmosphere.

What I really like is that despite the growth, ingredients are still sourced locally to each venue (Gloucestershire bacon, Severn and Wye smoked salmon and cheese from nearby dairies feature on Cheltenham's menu). Inventive names and a truly local approach, as they say, "keeps The Stable grounded with its community and continues to win the hearts of its customers." I'd have to agree.

The Chap and I went along to the launch night, where we tried every pizza available - probably equating to at least 2 pizzas each - and sampled a hell of a lot of cider too. I definitely regretted telling the barman that my favourite kind was "the dangerous side of dry"... Ouch! To get a less hazy experience, we promised that we'd go back before the New Year, and sure enough we did.

It was utterly miserable weather, but we battled the wind and rain to get there, only to find that everyone else clearly had the same idea, and we struggled to find a table! You find a spot, order and pay at the bar, then wait for your food to come... Simple. And even though it was heaving, it really didn't take very long.

Having drank our weight in cider on our last visit, The Chap chickened out and tried one of the local ales, whilst I had a pint of Gwatkin's Silly Ewe (from just over the border in Herefordshire). There are over 100 ciders to choose from - sweet, dry, sparkling, you name it - though if you really can't decide, you can opt for a special tasting board; 5 different ciders, each 1/3 pint, for £7.50.

Foodwise, we ordered two pizzas to share between us, though we probably should have got one of the pies to get the full Stable experience (The Lamb Bam Boogie with lamb, rosemary, garlic potato and honey sounds delicious).

The Blue Forest (£10.50) was one of our faves at the opening, so we had to go for that again; herb roasted potato, Fowlers Forest blue cheese, roasted Spanish onions, English spinach, our fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella. Our other choice was The Blazing Saddle (£13.00); slow roasted pulled beef, Gloucestershire smoked bacon, caramelised onions, roasted red pepper and mozzarella. Topped with sour cream and jalapeños, it was flippin' fabulous.

Thin and crispy, The Stable's pizzas aren't too stodgy, leaving you feeling overstuffed, and with generous toppings, you're not left with any naked boring crusts - yay! It's a pizza dream.

Good food at a good price (and even better on Tuesdays, where you can get a pizza, side salad and a pint for a tenner)... Welcome to Cheltenham The Stable, I can tell we're going to be great friends.

Rock The Cotswolds: The Big Launch

June's been quite the month, and before I forget - though I really won't forget - I thought I'd tell you about a super special party I was invited to a few weeks ago.

On Friday 6th June (coincidentally my birthday!) approximately 275 rockers, movers, shakers, media, influencers and VIPs descended upon Blackfriars Priory in Gloucester City Centre to celebrate the launch of Rock The Cotswolds.

Founded by Oli Christie, of Neon Play, Cirencester, Rock The Cotswolds champions everything cool about this lovely area. Sure, we have some fine scenery, idyllic countryside and chocolate box villages, but we're not all tweed clad horse racing fanatics or the stereotypical red trousered snobs*. We have some truly innovative, creative, proactive people working within the Cotswolds, and its time to open everyone's eyes to this fact.

*I've no problem with either of these - embrace it, don't hate it.

There are fantastic companies designing and selling in some of the hottest global industries. There are hotels and restaurants galore. There are fashion labels that are recognised worldwide, and many a superstar who call the Cotswolds 'home'. This proves that not everything is centered around London, and you certainly don't need to escape to the big smoke in order to 'make it'. What Oli's determined to do with Rock The Cotswolds is to challenge those preconceptions, and make everyone realise that this is one of the best places to live and work in the UK.

The launch party toasted to the first selection of 'Rockers'; a hotlist of 75 people, businesses and events, which were picked from over 300 nominated in the previous months. You can see the full list on the website, along with all the trusty supporters - or 'fans' - that they've gathered along the way, but a few to mention are; 2000 Trees, Giffords Circus, Cheltenham Festivals, Superdry and Missy Malone. Oh and Cherry Press were responsible for the gorgeous invitations too.

The venue was not one I'd been to before - Blackfriars Priory - built in the 13th century on the site of Gloucester’s Norman Castle, it is the most well preserved medieval Dominican Priory in Britain. Only having recently reopened in 2012, it's now available for meetings, conferences, exhibitions, weddings and other private hires and events, like Rock The Cotswolds.

Drummers and circus performers entertained the guests as they arrived, and a quick red-carpet-style snap was taken as soon as you entered. (Tactical.. it's always good to get some nice 'before' photos. Everyone looks progressively worse as the night goes on, especially when there's a free bar!)

Cocktails and canapes were doing the rounds as people mingled, and explored the venue. There was a bit of celebrity spotting with Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, Phil Vickery and Adam Henson, and there was a lady with a very large, but very friendly snake round her neck.

Relish Events sourced all the fabulous food; I had an amazing pizza courtesy of Baz & Fred, whilst the chap scoffed a burger from a local butchers. Later in the evening ice creams from Dolcetti made an appearance, along with cheese from Simon Weaver and tasty Hobbs House Bread. Erm, I may have eaten a lot of cheese.. one hell of a lot of cheese. I had to soak up the alcohol somehow right? As a result, I'm laying off the Brie for a while. Please don't judge me.

Drinks consisted of Black Moth Vodka, Brennen & Brown Gin, Heritage Wine, Arkell's Beer and Cotswold Cider, cheerfully served by the folks from Cirencester's Somewhere Else.

We had live music from Duke, who are MASTERS of beatboxing. They use only their three voices and one guitar - no backing tracks, looping or sampling - which is mega impressive when you hear the sounds they come out with. If you've not seen them locally, you might recognise them from X-Factor a couple of years ago, where they made it to judges' houses.

Glowsticks and dodgy shades were dished out as the DJ, Luke Delaney, played some cracking tunes. We even bumped into the Hobbs House gang - it seems to have become a bit of a thing now, hasn't it? - and we all busted our best moves well into the night.

The bus home is a little hazy, but I think the launch of Rock The Cotswolds made for one of the most exciting birthdays yet.. 'Til next year?