5 North Street

You don’t need much of an excuse to visit the Cotswolds, but this is certainly one. Chef/proprietor Marcus Ashenford has Michelin pedigree for starters, gaining a star for number 5 back in 2004 with highly skilled modern cooking that melds prime ingredients & French technique to deliver elegant dishes of clean, clear flavour without undue pretension or puff. Menus are appealing fixed-price affairs, & there’s also a seven-course surprise tasting option on the table too. Combinations catch the eye & seasonality is well respected; take duck breast partnered by celeriac purée, sweet & sour leg, lentil & smoked bacon, & a Cassis reduction, & to finish, perhaps a chocolate marquise with raspberry sorbet. Villagey charm comes courtesy of old beams in intimate, bijou surroundings, while brown leather dining chairs & burgundy painted walls bring things up to date, and, the friendly service (wife Kate runs front of house), upholds the unbuttoned yet highly professional style.