An English Delight

One day last month, we woke up to a beautiful sunny morning at a friend's house in Bristol, in the West Country of England. 

The weather was so nice that my friend suggested that we take a drive out to one of the villages in the surrounding Cotswold countryside. This area is quite famous for its old stone house villages, picturesque views, and, of course, some wonderful pubs selling excellent English pub grub.

After a couple of short telephone calls to friends who had previously toured this area, we decided to take the 30-minute drive to a wonderful tiny village called Castle Combe. 

Complete with stone cottages, a winding little stream with several small stone bridges, this village has one small road meandering through it and is like something out of an old storybook.

There's no car park in the village (it's too small), so you have to park in a field at the top of the hill by the road leading down to the village. The short 50-yard walk down to the village is a pleasure in itself, a leafy little lane full of trees and wild flowers - beautiful countryside at its very best.

The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and the village's only pub, The White Hart, right in the centre of this beautiful village, was awaiting.

We arrived at Castle Combe at 12:30 - perfect timing for a pint of locally brewed Cider (this region is well known for producing ciders) and a great selection of English pub fayre.

Such sunny days beg for fresh salads, and England offers the delightful Ploughmans Lunch. This dates back several hundred years to when farmers tending the fields had a huge chunk of cheese and bread for their lunchtime break (washed down with a local cider or ale, I am told).

Today's Plougmans are a far cry from the basic ones back then. The one served up at the White Hart was a true masterpiece of combined flavors. The fresh Wiltshire ham was the centerpiece of the meal (strangely, no cheese on this occasion), and the homemade pickled relish complemented everything perfectly.

The decor inside is exactly what one expects of English country pubs, lots of old wood and quirky furniture and alcoves. Absolutely wonderful.

If you're ever fortunate enough to be in this part of the world, google maps will take you to Castle Combe.