I’ve become a big fan of the Walking Englishman blog. The way that Mike writes is both entertaining and informative as well as providing some really stellar walks. It is after one of these walks that Phil and I discovered the Old Spot Inn. For this post, I shall focus on the restaurant, but details of the walk we undertook can be found here:
https://www.walkingenglishman.com/cotswolds12.html
The first striking thing about the Old Spot is the free carpark next to it. When we undertook our last walk in Kendal last month, the carpark cost almost ten whole pounds. You can imagine our relief. Dursley council, falling under Stroud district council, is visibly wealthy so I was not entirely surprised at our parking savings.
Having just walked upwards of 12 km, we were rather ravenous. Our first course was the mediterranean sharing board which comprised of halloumi, mozzarella, salami, prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes in olive oil and roasted peppers. Of course some of these products are doubtless store bought but this did not detract from their flavour. The halloumi in particular was unlike any I had tasted before. Any combination of these lent itself to a cornucopia of deliciousness.
This cheesy bacon feast was a simple fare but undeniably delicious. The meat was high quality and not too oily which is a relief. The wedges were exemplary and perfectly cooked. I don’t care for coleslaw, being a person of sensibility, so I cannot provide advices on that sort of thing.
Phil (M’colleague) chose the Steak and Ale pie, made with Old Ric ale. Again, not wanting to develop an impressive gut before the age of 76, I have decided to avoid beer as a concept. The fact that it tastes almost universally ghastly to me is very helpful in my dietary ambitions. But observe the pastry on this pie. It was home made and a real knockout. Notice how it is hand crimped, this was most surprising to me as such attention to detail is rare. The mash and onion gravy were also breathtaking.
My own meal was the trio of Old Spot sausages with mashed potato and rich caramelised onion gravy. My only complaint was that the gravy was not plentiful enough! One would think this were not filling but they would be quite wrong. Combining the home made sausages with the beautiful mash and peas made for an enormously rewarding trio. I was so very pleased with my meal choice.
Overall, this 1776 pub is one of the gems of England and I recommend it to anyone in the area. This is the sort of place that leaves you feeling warm and satisfied, and in this current climate we need all the comfort we can get.