Lockdown relaxation - Our local drinking and dining recommendations - Part 3

In the third and final part of our local recommendation series we focus this time on the Cotswolds. To pick three of the best from such a vast area, and with such an impressive gastronomic offering, has been no easy task. 

HOWARD ARMS, ILMINGTON 

This gorgeous village centre pub is positioned at the furthest northern tip of the Cotswolds. Just over the Warwickshire boarder and within the pretty and popular village of Ilmington sits the Howard Arms. The bar is cosy with a crackling log fire, the restaurant busy and airy.  Eight smart en suite bedrooms are also available for bed and breakfast. The West Midlands Tourism Awards awarded the Howard Arms 2020 pub of the year. The menu offers pub classics alongside some more imaginative choices and a good range of local ales and fine wines. The service is friendly and efficient, to the point you start to feel like a local regular from the moment you arrive.

LYGON BAR AND GRILL, BROADWAY 

This beautiful and historic hotel is home to the Lygon Bar and Grill. With a courtyard for summer and an impressive vaulted dining room for winter the venue offers atmospheric dining year round. Their menu is designed the encapsulate 'the best of the cotswolds' with local and seasonal menu choices. If you fancy extending your stay beyond dinner the hotel also offers speciality afternoon teas, a wine bar and a spa, gym and swimming pool. Dogs are very welcome and there is even an outdoor doggy bathroom for canine guests returning from a day of Cotswold walking. 

THE BELL, LANGFORD

Now this is a pub which oozes personality. Peter Creed & Tom Noest reopened the doors in December 2017 and we suspect their feet have not since touched the floor. The pub is small and pretty and central within the desirable village of Langford near Burford. There is a small sunny patio with a handful of tables but inside is really where the magic happens. The main pub rooms are cozy, painted in deep and rich colours. Rustic but with style and throughly inviting. Their menu changes regularly with a focus on local sourcing, seasonal produce. Offal and game feature regularly, alongside some of the classics. They also have eight bedrooms for guests wishing to stay over, which we thoroughly recommend you do!