The Trouble House

Former owner Michael Bedford may have moved on from The Trouble House (to open The Chef’s Table, a deli/restaurant in Tetbury), but new head-chef & proprietor Martin Caws looks set to keep this 17th-century inn firmly on the map. Having held previous positions in Michelin-starred kitchens such as Pied à Terre, it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about cooking. His menus suit the relaxed setting without being boring or predictable. You could start with mushroom & horseradish soup, made heartier by the addition of pieces of confit duck, or a perfect crab & mint risotto topped with parmesan. Main courses include rib-eye steak with French fries & bearnaise sauce, & Cornish brill with herb crust & lentil & bacon casserole. For dessert, strawberries suspended in deep red wine jelly are well worth trying. The cooking is confident, the flavours bold & the setting – an uncluttered blend of bare wood, ancient beams & real fires – lovely & rustic.