Perfection at The Painswick

Cotswold hotels tend to fall into one of two categories – shabby chic or an ode to Farrow & Ball. The Painswick, near Stroud, veers towards the latter but breaks the mould by throwing arty and quirky into the mix. It further defies Cotswold expectations by being in a village that you simply wouldn’t know of or visit unless you were going to the hotel. So despite being old (it’s an 18th century Grade II listed Palladian building), it was a new discovery to me.

Roughly halfway along the 102-mile Cotswold Way that stretches from Chipping Camden to Bath, pretty Painswick is a hilly little village. The views of the valley are spectacular and every corner you turn affords a more Instagram-worthy photo opportunity than the one before. The cobbled streets are narrow and it’s a brave man indeed who attempts to negotiate the hotel’s small car park at night. However, with tantalising menus devised by Jamie McCallum (a protégé of Gary Rhodes), there’s no reason to leave during the dark hours (or even at all).

There is no reception, just an entrance hall with polaroids of the lovely staff pegged up on the wall and an Emin-esque neon pink sign proclaiming that this is indeed The Painswick. The 17 pretty bedrooms, dotted around the main house and in the garden annexe, are in neutral tones of softs greys and creamy whites with hints of sage green, ochre and dusky pink, prettily patterned tiled bathroom floors and rolltop baths. Homely touches such as homemade choc chip cookies, fresh milk to make tea, books, a retro radio and the all-important laundered Egyptian cotton sheets and waffle check robes mean that you could quite happily bed down and not even leave the room.

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But we were there to make the most of the Taste of Painswick, a superb-value midweek overnight offering that includes a six-course tasting menu and breakfast. Arrive mid-afternoon and you can add on a sumptuous afternoon tea – do so in summer and this can be taken on the terrace or the beautiful front lawn.

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We had drinks in the lounge with its cosy couch and open fireplace. The Rococo Garden cocktail, named after the nearby gardens (a must-visit) is a raspberry and rosemary gin-based sweet treat that works beautifully with the melt-in-the-mouth truffle pudding canapes. With its wooden floors and comfortable teal leather chairs, the restaurant is full of life at dinner and the young staff in jeans and pale blue shirts bustle about smiling and chatting to everyone. The menu focuses on the best of British from local suppliers and changes seasonally. At the tail end of winter, we were treated to pumpkin agnolotti with truffle and parmesan, venison with smoked beetroot and blackberry, dark chocolate and praline delice with toasted barley ice-cream and blood orange. Some local wines feature on an extensive and varied list.

The following morning we walked off a particularly good breakfast of yogurt and compote followed by Eggs Royale by taking on one of the hotel’s suggested walking routes, which took us around the village and through the churchyard. This has the dramatic spectre of 99 yew trees – legend says that the devil would destroy the 100th if it were ever planted.

‘Earth without Art is just Eh’ proclaims an artwork in one of the two lovely lounges. There’s certainly an art to creating the perfect Cotswold escape and The Painswick has perfected it.

The Taste of The Painswick offer is available on Wednesdays and Thursdays until 28th April 2022, at £135pp. For more information or to book, visit: www.thepainswick.co.uk/offer/taste-of-the-painswick/