The ebrington arms

Good food, good beer and good service. What more could you want in a pub. Oh did I mention they make their own beer. I enjoyed the bitter. We went on a Sunday night which is not as busy in September. They are kid friendly too.

I’mma be bold: I think this is my favourite pub I have visited in the UK. If I had to open up the pub awards category to sub-​classifications I’d specify that this is my favourite non-​London pub. But even if we’re going general with big, bold claims… I think The Ebrington Arms wins.
I heard about The Ebrington Arms last fall; someone who I’d met in passing proclaimed it his «favourite place on Earth». Ok sure, I thought, that sounds impressive, but maybe this guy also doesn’t care about local food, or strong coffee or innovative twists the way I do. I mean, EARTH? There’s a lot of good eatin’ out there.
But then I got it.
I went for Sunday roast day, on one of the first rainy it-kinda-feels-like-fall’s-a-coming days. There was a fire going. A lot of stonework. Someone popped up immediately to welcome us, to offer a spot for our umbrellas, to guide us to our table. Sunday means roast options — pulled pork and beef complete with Yorkshire pud as well as the veggie-​friendly nut roast — in addition to an a la carte lunch menu. As a party of two we went in the direction of:
To split: blue cheese soufflé to start. It had a tart-​yet-​sweet fruit purée and a light salad. It was warm, and salty, and light but deeply flavoured. A perfect way to kick off a meal.
The roast we went for was the ol’ pulled pork… my flat can never accommodate roast-​cooking so we decided to go, erm…(pun ahead)…whole hog. The pulled pork came with perfectly caramelized parsnip, cauliflower cheese, and golden roasted potatoes. Condiments? You got ‘em. AMAZING apple sauce and a whipped horseradish cream that I wanted to scrape out of the ramekin directly into my purse. But on to the second main…
…The Ebrington Arms also has a reputation for their fish and chips. Fish of the day was halibut. Sold. AND HOW! It was clean, and fleshy, and substantial but lightly textured. Very well-​fried, with the most delicious pea purée I’ve ever tried. Pro tip: because it was made from actual fresh eye-​wincingly-​bright green peas. The tartar sauce was speckled with seasoning and pickle and was a perfect pairing to the fish. On the side came some dang fine chips. They weren’t the standard British thick-​chip (a welcome change) but were thicker than a frite. They were perfectly cooked, crunchy, salted and hot. And were the first thing to disappear with four hands launching into the side dish.
Was there room for dessert? Not really. But we did it. A fragipane/​mixed berry tart and a chocolate-​almond brownie with some raspberry cream. The desserts were good, but perhaps not as memorable as the first two courses. I adored the choice to use unsweetened whipped cream mixed with muddled raspberries to top the already-​sweet brownie. Smart decisions like these characterise the menu at The Ebrington Arms and really make it stand out as a winner.
The coffee was affordable, and strong, and made from a solid espresso machine that chugged away and expelled some locally sourced brew.
Last but most certainly not least: the staff here is extremely warm, and casual, but… knowledgeable. Our server was extremely hard-​working; knew her stuff, popped by to check in, but didn’t rush. Hats off to that.
The affordability was just the final icing on the cake.
Lesson learned: taking pub advice from strangers ain’t such a bad idea after all.
Unilocal note: truly my only criticism, at all, is that there are very few bathrooms for the space. One single bathroom for gals and dudes, unless you’re wanting to brave the chill and go to the one that involves walking outdoors (I assume this is a more popular option during patio season). That’s it, though. No biggie.
Second Unilocal note: this place books up (Sunday lunch was bumpin’) so… reservations, gang! Use ‘em.
Third Unilocal note: this place also has several rooms for stay-​overs. Long pub-​y meals and field-​stomping through public access paths and Cotswoldian beauty? You’re welcome: I think I just put a wonderful weekend idea in your head! (See you there!)

We’ve always known of a pub in Ebrington but didn’t realise it was such a superior place to eat and when in this area, have always visited the Howards Arms (up and) down the road in Ilmington. However maybe familiarity has bred contempt and a quick look at the Ebrington Arms web site made it top of our list to try out when spending a long weekend in the North Cotswolds.
We first visited for lunch on the Saturday of a bank holiday weekend and found the bar bustling but were able to get a quiet table in the dining room. The garden looked great but it was bit windy so we’ll save that for later in the summer. The bar staff were extremely helpful and very welcoming.
We skipped the starter and went straight into the mains of which there was a great selection. I have the view that there is nothing inferior about a good burger and this one read well with a variety of tastes available from the accompanying sauces and sides. My wife, being a fish fiend went for the lemon sole.
Neither of us were disappointed. The burger was delicious, very tender and tasty and serviced with the most perfect side accompaniment of what seemed to be a ketchup and mustard mix. It’s hard to explain how a burger can be such a taste sensation so go and try one. At £10 it’s a snip.
The more conventional restaurant dish of lemon sole was also very good, a generous portion cooked just so which isn’t easy to do.
We shared the panacotta dessert which again was beyond reproach.
I had a coffee to follow which came as a generous 2 cup cafetiere and was served with a delicious shortbread biscuit. My wife had peppermint tea.
Following such an idyllic lunch we booked for dinner the next evening.
This time we indulged in a starter both of us having the seasonal and local asparagus which was chargrilled and served with a very complimentary hollandaise sauce.
We both went for medium ribeye steaks which were £18 each and came with peppercorn sauce. These weren’t bad but were a little fatty for my tastes though were big enough to provide enough good meat when the bad stuff was put to one side.
This time we shared a black and white chocolate trifle which was a superb combination of chocolate and red fruits much in the same way that a Black Forest Gateaux works so well.
Again we had the same drinks to follow but no shortbread came this time which was curious but considering the weekends indulgence was no bad thing.
So the food is as good as you could expect, the drink is also exceptional with a lengthy wine list and some very well kept award winning beers.
Parking is a bit of an issue with a tiny car park but on street parking is available and the landlord rents some land off a local farmer as an overflow car park a very short walk away.
The premises were currently being extended — a place this good could do with a few more tables as getting in at short notice will be tricky in the summer. We gather this means 50% more tables will be available in the very near future which I am sure will mean more people will be accommodated with no drop in the quality of service.
This place is also very popular with locals, one party were very keen to advise us of how consistently excellent it is.