By Katie Purton

My companion and I approached The Wheatsheaf Inn, Northleach on a frosty January night. The village high street, lined with picturesque olde-worlde terraced houses were dark and silent while an inviting glow was cast into the street through the windows of this traditional coaching inn.

Our first encounter with the establishment was in attempting to manoeuvre our medium sized car into the car park down a tight side road around the back of the gardens, before finally admitting defeat and finding a place to park on the road. I could not help thinking that some lines to delineate parking spaces would have helped curb the 4x4s from taking more than their ample share of the car park.

Upon entering the building, we were welcomed by a roaring fire and a busy bar with numerous patrons milling around the seating and dining areas adjoining the front room. It was immediately clear that this was a popular, friendly and informal institution. We encountered a laidback member of staff at the bar and were lead out the back door, past the kitchen and intriguing looking old cellar, down a path into the stepped gardens, which was an interesting if not altogether convenient route.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the room, which felt more like cottage lodgings in the serenity of the gardens, with our own front door, shuttered windows at the front and back, and very spacious bedroom and generous sized bathroom. There were certain features I particularly liked, including unique bathroom mirrors framed in old wagon wheels, beams and bare stone walls with the shower installation cut around the stone edges in the wall, as well as a roll top bath and old wooden Harrods storage containers acting as bed side tables. The bed itself was huge and very comfortable.

After dumping our bags we headed back into the main part of the building to take our seats in the dining area. From the sight of the leaflet on our table depicting upcoming events at The Wheatsheaf, it was clear that the Inn attracts some famous speakers and hosts various interesting sounding events. We were pleased with the polished liveliness of the place and an atmosphere that you might imagine an authentic old inn to have, without the need to be too haute. The variety of portraits and expressions on the walls around The Wheatsheaf were also a talking point during our meal.

To start off our dinner in style, we each ordered an aperitif. I opted for a gin and sherry drink with lemon juice and sugar named ‘London Calling’, which I found very refreshing. My companion chose the ‘Spiced Apple Bellini’, a vodka and prosecco based drink with spiced apple syrup which had a slight memory of mulled Christmas cider to it. I also enjoyed a glass of Malbec red wine with the meal.

We were impressed by the extensive menu which was full of dishes we promised we would have to come back to try. For starters, I had a deliciously warming and flavoursome celeriac and apple soup. I think celeriac is a strangely underused vegetable, and was very happy with this dish. My companion went for one of the specials, mussels in a tangy tomato based sauce which he greatly enjoyed.

With the choices on offer, it was a hard task to decide on the main course, but eventually I settled on the duck leg with braised red cabbage, fondant potato and spiced plum sauce. My duck was perfectly crispy and pink, and the flavours worked well together. My companion opted for the 8oz peppered flat iron steak, which he was initially drawn to for the choice of a stilton hollandaise sauce that accompanied the steak dishes. On a further cheese loving note, we shared a side dish of purple sprouting broccoli with stilton hollandaise. I understand that my companion’s steak, which was ordered medium rare and came with fries and salad, was tender and very satisfying.

Not to be beaten, we turned our eyes to the dessert menu. There was an interesting selection of Neal’s Yard Cheese, however, to satiate my sweet tooth, I was very pleased with a sticky date pudding, which came with a salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. My companion chose the ‘Marathon’ pudding, which pleasantly turned out to be a soft chocolate sponge with melted chocolate centre.

Almost unusually in our experience, we found the portion sizes for each course to be perfect, not being able to eat another bite but not overly full after enjoying our three dishes.

After dinner, we took ourselves off to lounge contentedly in front of the fire with a gin and tonic and newspaper.

After a good night’s sleep we breakfasted on a selection of cereals, ham, cheese, breads, pastries and fruit. A comprehensive breakfast menu was also provided. We ate our fill to keep us energised for a four mile walk down the beautiful old high street, where we came across the wonderful sight of a gaggle of geese, past the old stone prison into the fields up to the hamlet of Hampnett which afforded some stunning views, and crossed the surrounding countryside in a circle which eventually led back to our car.

We were sorry to leave Northleach and The Wheatsheaf Inn, but will certainly be back soon to attend one of its events.

4/5

Rooms at The Wheatsheaf Inn are from £160 per night.

cotswoldswheatsheaf.com

 

100 Acres

The Wheatsheaf is part of the small but growing The Lucky Onion boutique hotel chain, which includes No.131 in Cheltenham and The Wild Duck in Ewen near Cirencester. 

One of the calling cards of The Lucky Onion is its own range of bath and body products, 100 Acres, which are provided in generous supply in each guest room and also available to buy in reception. 

The name is inspired by the owners’ idea that “if we had 100 Acres of rolling hills to run around naked in, we would plant orchards, herbs, fruits, flowers and medicinal plants, just like the ancient European physic gardens years ago… so that’s why we’ve bottled these amazing scents, so you can lie back and imagine being in your own 100 Acres of heaven”.

As you use the products (shampoo, body wash, body lotion, hand cream etc), you can smell and feel the superb quality. Each one is hand-blended using 100 per cent natural ingredients, with oils and botanicals known for their therapeutic qualities, and it’s no surprise that guests are just as quick to compliment 100 Acres as they are the rooms and food at Lucky Onion hotels.

100acres.co.uk