I’ve been to The Village Pub in Barnsley, Cirencester many times over the past few years but only ever on a Sunday. A few years ago on my birthday I was taken for dinner at Marco Pierre White’s steakhouse restaurant in Birmingham and the next day we had lunch at The Village Pub. Marco was there sat with friends in the beer garden. I couldn’t help but find it mildly amusing that we saw him in the Cotswolds rather than in his restaurant where it may have seemed more likely he would be spotted. Maybe he lives locally?
The Cotswolds is an ideal half way spot to meet our relative who lives in Buckinghamshire, so that’s what we did. I’ve tried their incredible beer burger on a previous visit (photo below from December 2015), but today was all about the Sunday lunch! Our table was booked for 2:30pm and when we arrived the car park was full as it always is, but we managed to find a space to squeeze in to. Our friend was already sat waiting for us in the bar, most of the tables seemed to be full and the waiting staff were just clearing a table for us in the main part of the restaurant. We were given a lovely, spacious table so we sat down and made ourselves comfortable.
The décor in The Village Pub is very traditional, stylish and welcoming. The arm chairs around the open fire, cosy bar area and friendly staff make it feel like a home from home. We looked at the menu and all agreed almost immediately that we were each having the roast beef. I really would have liked a starter as there were at least 3 I had my eye on, but the rest of our party seemed to be more interested in the desserts. The waitress brought a selection of lovely homemade breads for us to share whilst waiting for the main event. The Sunday lunch here is consistently good and today was no exception. The roast beef was beautifully pink and delicious, it was served with 2 huge roast potatoes, a homemade Yorkshire pudding, some greens and some mixed roasted carrots (orange and purple) and parsnips. A rich, silky gravy was then poured over the top bringing everything on the plate together.
This was an enormous plate of food, but all 4 of us worked our way through it enjoying every last bite. As usual, this was a superb Sunday roast. We were all full but decided to order 3 desserts between the 4 of us. We ordered an apple and pecan crumble with cinnamon ice cream, a banoffee bread and butter pudding and I chose the Sticky toffee pudding and vanilla ice cream, which was my favourite from the selection. We didn’t have any teas and coffees, but did stay for a while after dinner whilst we allowed our food to digest. As we were leaving I noticed that Barnsley House across the road who own The Village Pub also sell their own gin names ‘Garden Gin’. I fully intend to give this a try on our next visit later on in the year, or maybe even sooner!
Overall this was yet another exceptional lunch in the delightful Cotswolds and I very much look forward to returning to enjoy many more Sunday lunches at The Village Pub.
Cost: £160 (approx. for 4 people. I didn’t see the bill but this is a rough guide)
2 bottles sparkling water, 2 bottles wine, 4 main courses and 3 desserts
Barnsley, Cirencester, United Kingdom – visited in January 2017
Food hygiene rating – very good 5/5 – date of last inspection 9th March 2017
