The best cosy Cotswold pubs for your next dog-friendly holiday
5 minute read
The Swan, Ascott-under-Wychwood
Exceptional food and wine is the name of the game at The Swan, where local, seasonal ingredients are used to create unusual and delectable dishes for vegans, vegetarians and carnivores. There are roaring fires in two of its cosy dining rooms (all dog-friendly), and a cracking beer garden out the back where pizzas are served direct from the oven in summer.
The White Hart Inn, Ford
Dogs can dine with you anywhere in this lovely little pub in the southern Cotswolds, where the lunchtime toasties are its biggest triumph. There's a leafy garden for warm summer days, or you can dine beneath the creaking beams in the main restaurant where a central wood burner keeps everybody warm.
The Bull Inn, Charlbury
This quirky little pub in tiny Charbury has a fabulous dog-friendly bar area, where it’s all about the ploughman’s at lunchtime or the roasts on a Sunday. The pub is small but lovely – eccentrically decorated with antiques – and there are dog treats on the bar for your pet and bowls of water available on request. The small beer garden in summer is a lovely spot for an afternoon refresher, too.
The Kingham Plough, Kingham
Good food has always been the modus operandi at dog-friendly Plough. This gorgeous Cotswold coaching inn was once owned by a Michelin-star chef, but its current owners have taken it to new heights with exceptional grazing plates championing British ingredients. Dogs are offered treats at the table, while humans can feast on venison, Hereford beef or Cornish mussels.
The King’s Arms, Didmarton
Pot plants, fairy lights and cosy armchairs set by the fire make this dog-friendly Cotswold pub feel more like a living room than a dining room, but dine you must. The food here is rich and varied, with brisket burgers, freshly-caught cod and zesty linguine, and the roast dinners are really special, with all the trimmings including pigs in blankets and Yorkshire puddings. There’s even English wine on the menu, so make it special with a local aperitif.
The Gloucester Old Spot, Cheltenham
A traditional country pub, The Gloucester Old Spot is a brilliant diversion for any dog-friendly holiday near Cheltenham. It’s all about getting ingredients as locally as possible here, and they make an effort to seek out artisans for their booze, too. Beers, ciders and gins come from the surrounding region, while the dessert cheese board comes with Worcester Hop and Welsh Harlech. And, of course, you know the pork is from a Gloucester Old Spot farm nearby.
The Snooty Fox, Tetbury
Pick the table next to the fireplace for a snug evening meal at The Snooty Fox. This 16th-century inn has a diverse menu of international dishes, from pastas to meat-free burgers and Butcombe beer-battered fish with chunky chips. The real treat here, though, is its afternoon teas – served on three-tiered cake towers and packed with crustless sandwiches and freshly-baked cakes and pastries.
The Thames Head Inn, Cirencester
Old wooden beams and hops dripping from the ceiling make this handsome Cotswolds pub a delightful dog-friendly stop off. Even more delightful, though, is the vast grassy beer garden for summer days, covered outdoor seating for when it’s raining, and plenty of dog-friendly areas indoors with open fires for those chilly winter afternoons. Expect British classics, like bubble and squeak, steak and kidney pie, and a few inventive vegetarian dishes like mushroom and cashew stroganoff.