I am back from an amazing holiday, I look forward to travel the whole year and work towards it each day. The bug bit me very hard since my first overseas trip to Italy and now I cannot resist an invite from my friends to join them discovering places that win my heart across the world.
I am going to write starting at the end since this little hotel will never be forgotten, having been on boats, in big hotels, overnight bus drives and staying in central London where nobody really paid any attention to us I felt right at home at The Royal George situated in Birdlip, the Cotswold region of London.
They are a Hotel with conference facilities for weddings, they hosted two while we were there, a Pub you just want to hang out in, serving real London Ales which I learnt have no gas and are served at room temperature, a restaurant with food served all day and garden seating for the summer days which I was lucky to have.
Their menu has all the classic pub food on it which I was eager to try having put many a dish on our menu's back home and only guessing what it really should taste like. They have special evenings like Thursday's is curry night, quiz night and Friday night is a live band.
First and possibly my favorite was their Chicken Caesar salad, juicy chicken, crunchy croutons and a perfect dressing, I could have eaten the whole bowl. The other dish a ham hock and black pudding hash with mustard cream, mushy peas and a poached egg, this was a nice light starter but I still need to sample black pudding as I could not taste it with the other components of the dish... I will have to return to London to try black pudding again one day.
On curry night we tried the Chicken Korma with onion bahji's and naan bread and of course I had to have fish and mushy peas, a British classic, both really comforting and tasty.
On my sad last night I tried the house speciality, a beef and ale pie which was so moreish and tasty with all the extra gravy and crispy pastry, normally served with mash but I switched for chips, I finished the whole pie myself. To end off we shared an apple pie with custard and clotted cream ice cream which was surprisingly light with the tastiest tangy apple filling, our apples don't taste like a British apple that's for sure. I was not an apple pie fan but I am now.
Staying at the Royal George was a great ending to my holiday, their breakfast was a treat with great service and all the spoils of Eggs Benedict and Scottish smoked salmon. I got to know the staff, some of the guests bonded over the Soccer World Cup even though England went out, as well as helpful advice and friendliness from the General Manager, Michael Jeffries, always ensuring my favorite drink a "beer and black" Fosters beer with blackcurrant cordial is perfectly poured and my friends Guinness beer always topped with the classic clover leaf.
I suggest this hotel if you travelling through the Cotswolds, it is very central and easy to drive through the other towns especially with a happy full stomach from breakfast and a peaceful sleep although not dark for very long.
Pictures and article copyright by Tamsyn Wells
