During a recent stay at The Bull Hotel in Fairford, we decided to dine in their restaurant, which comes highly recommended by local people. This is a gorgeous country gastro pub focuses on earthy Mediterranean cuisine, and with Sebastian Snow at the stove we knew we were in good hands.
The décor of the restaurant is rustic and stylish, and respectful to the building’s Grade-II listed heritage. The building itself is a former coaching inn. On the evening we visited, the restaurant was relatively busy and held a great atmosphere. When we arrived we were shown to our table and perused the menu in great anticipation of what was to come.
To start, I chose The Bull Board of charcuterie which was served with a selection of pickles, olives, toast and a garnish of fresh watercress, the cured meats were absolutely delicious and the accompaniments made for a fantastic combination of flavours. My partner chose the salad of charantais melon, heritage tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, avocado and prosciutto, which offered a triumph of flavours and textures.
“Everything about our evening was welcoming and enjoyable.”
For our main courses, I chose the stone baked margarita pizza, which was garnished with fresh basil. This pizza was wonderfully authentic and very flavoursome. It is also worth noting that The Bull offer gluten free pizza bases to allow even those with gluten intolerance to indulge. My partner chose the chargrilled flat iron steak, which came served with béarnaise sauce, stuffed mushroom, roast cherry tomatoes and potato wedges. The steak was wonderfully tender and very flavoursome. As side dishes, we also enjoyed the fresh spinach and French fries.
To accompany our meal, we opted for a bottle of the 2016, Lurton Piedra Negra Malbec Alta Colecciôn, which is a medium-bodied, silky wine with soft tannins. It complemented our dishes and we thoroughly enjoyed sipping it over the course of our meal.
Throughout the evening the service remained prompt and friendly and we were left wanting for nothing. We were very impressed with the restaurant at The Bull and would highly recommend it to those looking for a great meal in an informal dining setting. Everything about our evening was very welcoming and enjoyable and we will look forward to returning to The Bull during future visits to the area.