The story
The Red Lion at East Chisenbury is an 18th-century country pub and restaurant set in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire. Family-owned and run since 2008, it has built a reputation as a gastronomic destination rooted in a love of big, natural flavours and classic cooking technique.
The kitchen team describes their ethos simply: "We’re just a couple of chefs working to create a place with real soul – where the food is delicious, the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed and the hospitality is warm and sincere." This approach has earned the pub a Michelin recommendation and the distinction of being Wiltshire’s only 3 AA Rosette pub.
The menu offers an A la Carte selection, a daily 5-course Set Menu, and bar snacks for both lunch and dinner. A midweek lunch special provides 5 courses for £50, while the monthly East Chisenbury Supper Club presents a more expressive, seasonal bistro-style menu. The press has noted the signature crab tart as a standout dish, described by Harden's Restaurant Guide as "as good as anything you’ll eat from The Ritz to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons."
Beyond the plate, the pub offers local hand-pumped beer and cider, cocktails, and a carefully curated wine list. The atmosphere is described as friendly and relaxed, free from the formality often associated with fine dining. The adjoining guest house provides five luxury boutique rooms with views of the River Avon, and the property is dog-friendly in select rooms.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
‘I’m from London but happily go to Wiltshire to eat at the Red Lion,’ declared one reader who loves everything about this ‘brilliant village pub’. Snuggled away in a pastoral backwater on the remote fringes of Salisbury Plain, the self-styled and impressively thatched ‘Freehouse’ amply fulfils its obligations as a local (indie real ales and jolly chatter at the bar), although Guy and Brittany Manning have long established the place as a serious gastronomic destination. The food is defined by big natural flavours in the Anglo-European idiom, be it a terrine of Salisbury Plain venison with Armagnac prunes, chargrilled chateaubriand of Wiltshire beef or Cornish monkfish accompanied by roast romanesco, cauliflower purée, brown shrimp and sauce grenobloise. These are dishes culled from the carte, but you can also partake of a five-course tasting menu offering the likes of scallop and crab tortellono with ras el hanout bisque or English rose veal partnered by potato millefeuille, steamed spinach and chanterelles. Desserts follow a similar path, so expect anything from orange-blossom panna cotta with Yorkshire rhubarb to dark chocolate délice with poached kumquat, fennel pollen and biscotti ice cream. Otherwise, the cheese plate is ‘immaculate.’ The well-annotated wine list includes around 20 selections by the glass or carafe, with bottles from £23. Accommodation is across the road at the Troutbeck Guest House, a boutique B&B by the river.
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
Facebook
Instagram
X