The story
On the village green of Ilmington, beneath the Cotswold Escarpment, stands The Howard Arms – a 400-year-old stone inn built during Shakespeare’s time. The pub takes its name from Lord Howard of Corby, whose family still holds the Lordship of Ilmington Manor. Inside, a log fire burns most of the year, broad polished flagstones meet antique furniture, and the bar buzzes with locals and visitors alike. The atmosphere is warm and easy-going, helped by a staff renowned for friendliness.
Head Chef Adam Pieprzak creates a menu of Modern British cooking that balances classic pub favourites with imaginative starters, mains, and puddings – Sean’s “wicked” puddings are a noted highlight. Ingredients are locally sourced, game appears in season, and bread is baked on site. The Sunday roasts are a particular draw. The carefully chosen selection of ales, beers, and wines complements the cooking. The pub has earned a Michelin Recommended status, a recognition that sits naturally alongside its West Midlands Tourism Pub of the Year 2020 award.
Eight bedrooms offer a mix of antique and modern furnishings, with hand-stitched sprung mattresses, en-suite bathrooms, and attention to comfort. The inn is set away from main roads, so a good night’s sleep comes easily, followed by a hearty three-course breakfast included in the rate. Dogs are welcome in the bar area, and the pub has level access with one downstairs bedroom for guests with mobility needs.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Some pub restaurants flatter to deceive, with fancy menus that don’t deliver. Others offer a short repertoire of dishes that transcend expectations. The Howard Arms is of this second happy breed – and some. A handsome and venerable Cotswold hostelry, it is well-used by locals who gather in the bar to sup pints of local ale. Up a few stairs is the restaurant, which provides decorum as well as conviviality (note the old pictures of country scenes, all fashionably decorated with allium seeds in November). Chef Chris Ellis (formerly at the Killingworth Castle) has produced a brief menu that has space for the classics (burgers, fish and chips) as well as more elaborate dishes. Choose the latter and you’re unlikely to be disappointed. For us, a thick chunk of pork belly set the tone: luscious fat, crisp skin and tender meat, accompanied by mouthwateringly tangy homemade brown sauce, plus crunchy rémoulade and a mound of flavoursome black pudding. To follow, a perfect, plate-filling lemon sole was cooked with split-second accuracy on the bone and matched with an abundance of potted shrimps, samphire and new potatoes in a pool of butter. Meat-based mains more than pass muster too, judging by an equally generous portion of juicy duck breast with Puy lentils and beetroot. To round things off, an exemplary apple and blackberry crumble with custard was zesty, crunchy and creamy in all the right places. The concise wine list provides admirable back-up, service is informative and friendly, and prices are moderate for the Cotswolds. What’s more, Sunday lunch receives special acclaim for ‘melt in the mouth’ meat, a ‘great veggie option’ and (our favourite) ‘unlimited gravy’. How civilised.
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