"I 'mma be bold: I think this is my favourite pub I have visited in the UK. If I had to open up the pub awards category to sub classifications I 'd specify that this is my favourite non London pub. But even if we 're going general with big, bold claims...I think The Ebrington Arms wins. I heard about The Ebrington Arms last fall; someone who I 'd met in passing proclaimed it his favourite place on Earth . Ok sure, I thought, that sounds impressive, but maybe this guy also doesn 't care about local food, or strong coffee or innovative twists the way I do. I mean, EARTH? There 's a lot of good eatin ' out there. But then I got it. I went for Sunday roast day, on one of the first rainy it kinda feels like fall 's a coming days. There was a fire going. A lot of stonework. Someone popped up immediately to welcome us, to offer a spot for our umbrellas, to guide us to our table. Sunday means roast options pulled pork and beef complete with Yorkshire pud as well as the veggie friendly nut roast in addition to an a la carte lunch menu. As a party of two we went in the direction of: To split: blue cheese souffle to start. It had a tart yet sweet fruit puree and a light salad. It was warm, and salty, and light but deeply flavoured. A perfect way to kick off a meal. The roast we went for was the ol ' pulled pork...my flat can never accommodate roast cooking so we decided to go, erm...(pun ahead ...whole hog. The pulled pork came with perfectly caramelized parsnip, cauliflower cheese, and golden roasted potatoes. Condiments? You got 'em. AMAZING apple sauce and a whipped horseradish cream that I wanted to scrape out of the ramekin directly into my purse. But on to the second main... ...The Ebrington Arms also has a reputation for their fish and chips. Fish of the day was halibut. Sold. AND HOW! It was clean, and fleshy, and substantial but lightly textured. Very well fried, with the most delicious pea puree I 've ever tried. Pro tip: because it was made from actual fresh eye wincingly bright green peas. The tartar sauce was speckled with seasoning and pickle and was a perfect pairing to the fish. On the side came some dang fine chips. They weren 't the standard British thick chip (a welcome change but were thicker than a frite. They were perfectly cooked, crunchy, salted and hot. And were the first thing to disappear with four hands launching into the side dish. Was there room for dessert? Not really. But we did it. A fragipane/mixed berry tart and a chocolate almond brownie with some raspberry cream. The desserts were good, but perhaps not as memorable as the first two courses. I adored the choice to use unsweetened whipped cream mixed with muddled raspberries to top the already sweet brownie. Smart decisions like these characterise the menu at The Ebrington Arms and really make it stand out as a winner. The coffee was affordable, and strong, and made from a solid espresso machine that chugged away and expelled some locally sourced brew. Last but most certainly not least: the staff here is extremely warm, and casual, but...knowledgeable. Our server was extremely hard working; knew her stuff, popped by to check in, but didn 't rush. Hats off to that. The affordability was just the final icing on the cake. Lesson learned: taking pub advice from strangers ain 't such a bad idea after all. Yelp note: truly my only criticism, at all, is that there are very few bathrooms for the space. One single bathroom for gals and dudes, unless you 're wanting to brave the chill and go to the one that involves walking outdoors (I assume this is a more popular option during patio season . That 's it, though. No biggie. Second Yelp note: this place books up (Sunday lunch was bumpin ' so...reservations, gang! Use 'em. Third Yelp note: this place also has several rooms for stay overs. Long pub y meals and field stomping through public access paths and Cotswoldian beauty? You 're welcome: I think I just put a wonderful weekend idea in your head! (See you there!"
Onion Rings
