Purslane

The story

Purslane Cheltenham – Michelin Recommended Modern British Seafood

Purslane

Chef-patron Gareth Fulford opened Purslane in Cheltenham in 2012 with a clear vision: to combine the freshest, sustainably-caught seafood from British waters with the best seasonal produce the Cotswolds can offer. It is a small, independent, family-run restaurant that has earned a Michelin recommendation for its thoughtful, ingredient-focused cooking.

Fulford comes from a family of butchers, yet his passion lies with the sea. His menus champion lesser-used, sustainable species — gurnard, silver mullet and megrim sole sit alongside line-caught cod and hake, all sourced from small day-boat fishermen off the coast of Cornwall. The fish is landed the same day it is caught, often by handline or net, and arrives on the plate the next. This commitment to traceability and low-impact fishing runs through everything.

The cooking is modern British and seafood-led, drawing on techniques from traditional salt-baking to sous vide. The bi-monthly changing à la carte and weekly light lunch menus capture the flavour of Britain’s wild larder. A tasting menu — five or seven courses — offers a deeper tour, with dishes such as Hampshire chalk stream trout with coal-roasted beetroots and horseradish, or Scottish halibut with sand carrot risotto and barbecued octopus. Lamb from Garn Flock appears alongside parsley root and smoked garlic, and puddings like apple and blackberry pie with Dorset cultured cream keep things firmly seasonal.

The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming — “relaxed fine-dining in the Cotswolds” is how the team describe it. The dining room is intimate, the front-of-house team pair each course with carefully chosen wines, and the service is friendly rather than formal. It is the kind of place you might visit for a quick lunch or settle into for an evening after Cheltenham Races.

Awards have followed steadily. Fulford was named Chef of the Year at the Cotswold Life Food and Drink Awards and Best Chef at the Taste of Gloucestershire Awards. The Good Food Guide has consistently scored the restaurant highly, and the AA has awarded two rosettes. The Michelin recommendation, most recently confirmed, reflects the quiet consistency of a restaurant that knows exactly what it is.