It is late in the evening and I’m walking on my own through the Cotswolds village of Painswick. I’ve just had a hugely satisfying and technically fabulous meal and I need to tell someone. It is eerily quiet on the streets as I chat on my mobile, and I worry that someone will admonish me – either for talking too loudly or for being a pretentious foodie waffler.
The meal in question started with cured salmon in a courgette flower with crispy pastry and celeriac cream (£10) and moved on to shoulder of beef draped in a single sheet of lasagna and served with cannellini beans and roasted vegetables (£24). The final transport was a tangy sweet explosion of a raspberry soufflé with raspberry ripple ice-cream (£8). See what I mean about foodie waffler?
These treats were from an ample dinner menu (and an extensive, if pricey, wine list) with an adventurous spirit. It’s food that revels in its blend of traditional and unconventional: for lunch I have labneh cheese, Moroccan bric pastry and heritage tomatoes (£9). It is served in what is essentially a savoury ice-cream cone on a pesto sauce, and it is subtle and velvety with a zesty kick.
The kitchen is overseen by Michelin-starred chef Michael Bedford – an indication of the ambition and quality on offer throughout the Painswick Hotel, which extends to many generous-size rooms, with their stacks of books and harmonious mix of country house and industrial-chic decor. Then there is the relaxed atmosphere of the ground-floor lounge, the Hearth, and the wealth of local information, including lovely regional maps tied up with string.
As I leave the games room and venture out on to the terrace there are neat piles of wellington boots and umbrellas ready to pick up for a day in the countryside. Here, the small details are given as much thought as the vital “big” things required on a short break.
The Painswick is a grand sight in a village that is already full of redoubtable property, much of it built on success in the wool trade. The house dates from the late 18th century and has seen service as a vicarage, a family home and, until 2015, the Cotswolds 88 hotel. The little book of all the answers (Google) tells me that it is designed in late-Palladian style.
After a year-long renovation, the hotel reopened as the Painswick in late May and is now part of the Calcot collection, which includes nearby properties Calcot Manor, Barnsley House and The Village Pub, along with the Lord Crewe Arms in Blanchland, Northumberland.
My room, Whitchurch Silk, at the top of the house is a gem. Not only because it is large but because it is the kind you can relax in (note: some of the “comfy” doubles are a little on the cosier side). I don’t feel I have to laze in the communal areas – as welcoming as the Hearth and the colourful bar area may be. While I could sit on the two-seater sofa near the bed and listen to the radio, I opt to read in one of the mid-century-design armchairs, while intermittently looking out at the rolling hills and thinking writerly thoughts … such as what time is dinner? (It’s from 7pm.)
Post-lunch guilt prompts me to make a move, and not in the car to Stroud (15 minutes) or Cheltenham (30 minutes). Instead, I walk around the village and the beautiful grounds of St Mary’s, its parish church, and then in the direction of Painswick Rococo Garden (pub quiz gold: it’s the country’s sole surviving complete rococo garden). I could do more, such as explore some of the Cotswold Way, the 102-mile footpath that’s close to the hotel. But I don’t have the right boots, and I did mention dinner was from 7pm?
The Painswick’s owners see the hotel as “an affordable splash of luxury”. It definitely has bags of style, as well as a warm, inviting air and customer-savvy, affable staff (Ferenc, thank you for the cocktail creations). But, with double rooms starting at £119 and breakfast extra (full English £11, continental £6), the bill, if you throw in an evening meal blitz, will be closer to the luxury than the affordable end of the scale. That said, there is much about the Painswick to shout about – though you might want to consider not doing that on a late-evening stroll around the village.
• Accommodation was provided by The Painswick Hotel and Restaurant (doubles from £119, room only, 01452 813688, thepainswick.co.uk)
Ask a local
Eva Holland, author of The Daughter’s Secret (Orion), out now
• Culture
Stroud fringe festival (26-28 August 2016) is a free music and arts festival that brings the nearby town to life in all its eclectic and “alternative” glory. You’ll find musicians, street performers, food and drink stalls and plenty for kids to do.
• Eat and drink
The surrounding hills are dotted with pubs offering good food and beer. The Woolpack Inn, once frequented by poet and writer Laurie Lee, has gorgeous views of the Slad Valley (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), locally sourced food and beer from Stroud and Uley breweries. Work up an appetite by doing the six-mile circular Laurie Lee Wildlife Way walk through the valley and discover Lee’s poetry as well as the landscape and wildlife that inspired him.
• Do
Explore the local hills and valleys on foot. You can pick up the Cotswold Way National Trail from near Painswick. Rodborough Common’s almost 300 acres of National Trust land is perfect for walking and kite-flying and is the home of the delicious Winstones Ice Cream. Westonbirt Arboretum is within striking distance by car and the autumn colours are unmissable.
• To order a copy of The Daughter’s Secret for £6.55 including UK p&p visit the guardian bookshop or call on 0330 333 6846
