EARLIER this month I was given the chance to sample the Rectory, a hotel tucked away in a village in Crudwell, just north of Malmesbury in the Cotswolds.
On its website its describes itself as "a contemporary, relaxed Cotswolds country house hotel and restaurant at the heart of Crudwell village", and it also includes The Potting Shed pub, a sister pub just over the road.
It dates from the 18th century and used to be the rectory for All Saints Church.
We were there for one evening and thanks to the weather - heavy rain for the entire duration of our stay - we were unable to sample the gardens or the swimming pool.
But not to worry. After driving almost the entire length of Wiltshire (Salisbury to Crudwell, 50 miles, about an hour and 20 minutes), we checked in, had a look at the room - one small issue would be the bathroom for the smaller bedrooms, which could do with a redesign as its very difficult to keep the floor dry - and went straight for cocktails.
The room pictured above was my favourite room, tucked away beside the lounge area, it was a table for four with a wall lined with books and a storage area for board games.
After an Old Fashioned or two (excellent, very refreshing and not too much ice), we freshened up and came back down to the restaurant.
The atmosphere was lovely and we settled into a nice table in the corner of the conservatory, which during better weather would have had nice views of the garden.
The wine list was extensive and the staff were able to recommend a perfect bottle of red for us, and they knew their stuff - a Umani Ronchi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo went down very nicely.
Meals sampled from the menu included croquettes (ham and cheese and cauliflower cheese), a spider crab and scallop raviolo, turbot, eight-year-old Hereford beef sirloin with fine beans, girolles, pickled walnut, lardo - not forgetting the side orders of potato cakes. It was all genuinely superb, very rich and very filling, each dish packed full of flavour and cooked excellently.
We stuck with the continental breakfast the following morning, as tempting as the full English and a Bloody Mary was.
I want to give a special mention to the staff. On reception, in the bar and in the restaurant, all the staff were incredibly friendly, very helpful, and very knowledgeable, especially during dinner. Top marks.
If you're after a weekend getaway or a longer break in the Cotswolds, you can't go wrong with the Rectory. We will definitely be going back.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article