Sunday
On our way to Cirencester we stopped at the Pheasant Inn to break up the drive. A lovely gastropub with indoor and outdoor options, we chose to sit inside but near a large open door to catch the breeze. We each ordered starter portions, I had the cold smoked trout with creme fresh, endive, pickles and a Guinness and Eric had the smoked chicken and ham terrine and a cider. We split a side of padron peppers. Eric’s dad really enjoyed his scallops.
Later that evening we had dinner at The Fleece in Cirencester. While they were out of several menu items, we still enjoyed the Sunday roast situation. Eric decided on the beef roast and I got the small(ish) cheese souffle and helped him finish his veg! The carrots were great, and the gravy and beef were nice too. We all split a bottle of Pinot grigio rose (La Delfina Pinot Grigio Rose) which Dad said went nicely with his nut roast. The windows were open, so there was a light breeze in the dining room. Service and atmosphere were great.
Monday
Located down a narrow (and busy!) country lane, the Green Dragon pub was a good place to stop for a quick drink between Gloucester and Bibury. We sat at a shaded outdoor table and enjoyed a Henry Weston’s cider (Eric), a Guinness (me, of course!) and a cask brown ale for Dad.
For dinner we dined al fresco on the back patio of Mezze Garden. Eric had the Tavuk Shish (juicy and charcoal-y tender chicken) with a very zingy red cabbage slaw and a Batman mocktail (orange, lime, lemonade, and grenadine). I had the Sarma Beyti (minced lamb wrapped in flat bread with tomato yogurt sauce). I also really liked the barley side and everything paired well with their house red.
Tuesday
In Stow-on-the-Wold we had lunch at the oldest inn in England, The Porch House. This place has so many levels! Our reservation had us downstairs near the open doors to the patio. Eric ordered the tomato bruschetta with a draft cider and I went for the liver pate with a glass of shiraz. We also shared some sweet potato fries. Eric’s Dad ordered the fish and chips and glass of Chardonnay. Eric’s passion fruit mango creme brulee was great (he didn’t share)! We all left full.
We had to squeeze in another Italian place for Dad, so for our final dinner we went with Amore Mio, which was a short walk from our hotel in Cirencester. I got the penne arrabiata with chorizo and Eric got the spaghetti carbonara, both a bit over-salted. We all split a carafe of the house rosé, a chiaretto.
Monday-Wednesday
Our stay at the The Kings Head in Cirencester included breakfast each morning, and we enjoyed everything from eggs benedict with smoked salmon, to french toast, to granola with yogurt.
