The story
In the parish of Eldersfield near Gloucester, a 16th-century public house has earned a reputation that reaches well beyond the countryside. The Butchers Arms is a rural pub first, where the bar remains the heart of the place – low ceilings, wooden floors, roaring fires, and real ale served straight from the cask. It is also a restaurant serving high quality seasonal Modern British food, and its kitchen is led by chef Mark Block, who runs the front of house with his wife Jo-Anne.
The Block family have built something that feels both timeless and current. The menu changes constantly with the seasons, drawing on carefully chosen suppliers. Dishes from the kitchen include a salt cod Scotch egg with Burford Brown egg, chorizo and romesco sauce; potted Cornish crab with brown shrimps, pickled cucumber and sourdough toast; venison loin with a croquette, red cabbage, celeriac purée and Griottine cherries; and a chocolate delice with salted caramel ice cream and honeycomb. The cooking is precise, the flavours direct.
This approach has not gone unnoticed. The Butchers Arms has been recognised as a Michelin Recommended restaurant, a distinction that speaks to the consistency and skill of the cooking in a setting that remains, first and foremost, a proper pub. Children over the age of nine are welcome, and dogs are allowed in the garden.
For those who want to take a taste home, the pub offers a click and collect service on selected wines from its list. Gift cards are also available, making it easy to share the experience.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
In secluded countryside and surrounded by orchards, this is a 'lovely traditional pub with an immaculately kept garden,’ noted one visitor. Inside, the bar with its open fires and dried hops entwined across low-beamed ceilings doubles as the restaurant, creating a cosy atmosphere. The menu of ‘good, simple, seasonal dishes’ offers excellent value for accomplished homely cooking. At inspection that included a ’very fresh and summery’ squid salad with shavings of raw fennel, and a dish of thick, creamy and 'not overly smoked' cod’s roe with seaweed crackers, a soft-boiled egg and fresh radish. Cornish cod was ‘perfectly cooked’ and accompanied by fresh broad beans, basil pesto and Jerey Royals, while a special of 'lobster frites' came dressed with garlic and parsley butter. ‘Perfect’ desserts included strawberry shortbread with fresh raspberries, crème patissière and coulis, and a chocolate crémeux with homemade honeycomb and lusciously boozy cherries. Staff are ‘super chatty, friendly and very efficient’. If the line-up of cask ales and ciders doesn't tempt you, there's also a short, reasonably priced wine list with bottles from £25. A gem of a place.
2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
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