By Katie Purton

Situated in an idyllic setting at the heart of the village of Paxford, near Chipping Campden, stands The Churchill Arms. A seventeenth century inn and pub which appears impressively imposing and fits naturally into its surroundings in Cotswold stone, upon entering the pub, the interior is surprisingly modern.

My companion and I were shown to our table and promptly served, whereupon I selected a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to accompany the meal. To start with, I opted for the smoked duck breast, while my companion ordered the roast chestnut soup with truffle oil.

My duck was served on a platter with thin slivers of perfectly pink meat accompanied by the interesting combination of a celeriac and spiced pear puree. My companion’s soup was intensely creamy full of rich chestnut flavour, an unusual but delicious seasonal option.

After some deliberation, my companion decided upon a locally farmed roast leg of venison for his main course while I chose the pork T-bone. In contrast to the delicate starters, our main courses both arrived in extremely generous portions. While there were naturally some fatty parts, there was plenty of tender pork on the bone. The crackling that came with the pork was beautifully crisp while the flavours of apple and sage brought the dish together.

I was told my companion’s venison was very succulent. We were both supplied with huge Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and a side dish of sweetly steamed root vegetables.

Fully satiated but determined not to be beaten, I then ordered the apple and blackberry crumble with vanilla ice cream, which did not disappoint. My companion opted for the chocolate truffles. At £1.50 each, three truffles were ordered, which did not quite satisfy my companion’s sweet tooth.

The food was undeniably delicious, however, while we certainly appreciated the generous portion sizes of the main courses, we did think these were too large in contrast to the size of the starter and dessert. Unless you had not eaten for days you would not need all three courses, which would be a shame as the list of starters in particular comprised of some very interesting options and ours were beautifully prepared.

While enjoying our meals, we took in the interior décor. I could fully appreciate the owner’s reasoning for wanting to create a contemporary feel, which certainly sets The Churchill Arms apart from similar pubs in the Cotswolds.

However, both my companion and I were unsure whether the interior really did justice to the establishment. While I liked the modern canvases with atmospheric photographs of country scenes, I was not so sure of the mix of modern white blinds at the windows with a rustic old candle holder on the window sill, some old country style chairs and modern style benches with bright red plaid cushions and silvery grey walls.

I found the light from the spotlights in the ceiling too bright to aid any special atmosphere and the plug sockets located at seated head height on the walls looked odd.

Nevertheless, my companion and I were both very impressed by the food at The Churchill Arms. Our friendly waiter also informed us that the pub was re-opened in February much to the delight of the village as a whole, and the pub certainly retains the air of a much loved local establishment.

4/5