Offering the chance to enjoy flavours from across an entire menu, a tasting menu is the perfect way for foodies to indulge at their favourite eateries.
For those celebrating a special occasion; or perhaps diners who just can’t decide, SoGlos has rounded up 14 of the best tasting menus from across the Cotswolds in this hot list.
1. The Slaughter’s Manor House
Home to an eight-course tasting menu, guests to The Slaughter’s Manor House in the village of Lower Slaughter can enjoy snacks to start, before moving onto samples of main courses including shellfish bisque with langoustine, red pepper and apple; hay bake carrot with lavage, buttermilk and smoked eel; fillet of stone bass with curried mussel cream and cauliflower; crispy calves sweetbread with sauce soubise and morel mushroom; and loin of dairy cow cheek with kohlrabi and oyster. For dessert, foodies can enjoy sea buckthorn baked Alaska, and malted milk delice for dessert, followed by coffee and petit fours.
This indulgent tasting menu costs £80, and can be matched with a wine flight for an additional £60.
2. Purslane
Offering five or seven delicious courses every evening throughout the month, Purslane restaurant in Cheltenham is the ideal tasting menu for those who love fish.
Guests should allow three hours to enjoy the menu that includes dishes such as cured Scottish halibut with golden raisins, celery, walnut and granny smiths; barbecue octopus with heritage carrots, Dorset chorizo and pearl barley; hand-dived Oban scallop with Jerusalem artichoke, black truffle, king oysters and yeast emulsion; and ruby red beef rump, beetroot, ox cheek, kale and horseradish.
The menu changes six times per year, and is available for £65 per person for five courses or £78 per person with a matching wine flight for £45 per person.
3. The Greenway Hotel and Spa
Located in Shurdington, near to Cheltenham, The Greenway Hotel and Spa is home to a delightful brasserie which offers a seven-course tasting menu.
The selection includes dishes such as black truffle, green apple and Cornish Gouda; confit Isle of Wight tomato with Laverstoke Park mozzarella, basil and green olive; chicken liver parfait with pickled green fig, preserved fig leaf and toasted brioche; native lobster with Charente’s melon, lemon verbena and black pepper; and garden rhubarb savarin with rhubarb jam, and rhubarb and rose sorbet.
The menu is priced at £75 per person and is available with a non-alcoholic drinks flow for £34 or an alcoholic option for £39.
4. Lumiere
Lumiere, based in Cheltenham, offers a nine-course tasting menu where options include snacks of cep doughnut and bergamot lemon; seaweed cracker with taramasalata and fennel pollen; kedgeree arancini with egg yolk and coriander; and stinking bishop, pear and chervil. Mains range from smoked eel with samphire, caviar and preserved lemon; and diver-caught Orkney scallop with celeriac, ox tongue and cep; through to Creedy carver duck parfait with cocoa, shallot, lime and almond. Desserts include passionfruit and mango éclair, and forced Yorkshire rhubarb.
The nine-course menu is ever-changing, and can be enjoyed with a wine flight for an additional £55 per person.
5. Ellenborough Park
Designed by Ellenborough Park’s executive chef Andrew Birch, the five-star Cotswold hotel offers a six-course tasting menu with a vegetarian alternative menu.
The menu includes dishes such as Norfolk quail with pumpkin, savoury granola, sage beurre noisette; wild brill with smoked bacon, grelot onion, ceps and mustard velouté; and millefeuille of dark chocolate cremeux, with orange and passion fruit ice cream.
The menu changes seasonally, and is available for £70 per person with an additional wine flight available for £50 per person.
6. Memsahib Gin & Tea Bar
Memsahib Gin and Tea Bar in the centre of Cheltenham offers a delicious tasting menu served with five unique gins from around the world, perfectly paired with a course of seasonal delicacies.
The venue offers dishes including fresh crab and potato mousse, carrot and pitta bread; cauliflower steak with cauliflower couscous, walnut and tamarind sauce; tandoor spiced chicken tikka with Spanish chorizo, pepper and paratha; and Bailey’s cheesecake.
Priced at £55 per person, the tasting menu includes gin pairings, and is available at certain times of year with a £15 discount per person when part of a special offer.
7. 5 North Street, Winchcombe
Described as the ‘acme of excellence’ Restaurant 5 North Street in Winchcombe is an independent, modern British restaurant offering a seven-course gourmet menu.
While the menu is ever-changing, some of the restaurant’s signature dishes include roasted ox tongue with celeriac and braised crisp onion; Cornish john dory with sweetcorn and sweet and sour red pepper; and bay lead vanilla panna cotta with rhubarb sorbet.
The gourmet tasting menu is available for £75 per person.
8. Prithvi
Prithvi is one of Cheltenham’s most acclaimed dining establishments, and has recently relocated to No. 38 The Park.
The Indian fine dining restaurant is home to the Tour of Prithvi tasting menu, where dishes include Queen scallops with mackerel ceviche, panch puron cauliflower and kale crisps; baked salmon with asparagus, coriander salsa verde with pickled carrot; and fillet of beef with curried squash, red cabbage and black garlic.
Vegetarian options are also available for the menu, which costs £59 per person.
9. Eckington Manor Restaurant
Eckington Manor is a country house hotel on the Cotswold border, offering a seven-course tasting menu which is available every Friday and Saturday night.
Including courses such as confit chicken terrine with quine puree and jelly and mustard; fillet of hake, celeriac fondant, hazelnut dressing and samphire; and rump cap of beef, heel, and salt bakes carrot with parsley, the menu can be paired with a wine flight for an additional £37 per person.
Eckington Manor’s tasting menu is priced at £75 per person.
10. Wilder at Wild Garlic
Wild Garlic in Nailsworth is home to Wilder – a surprise tasting menu restaurant, offering a mix of flavours prepared by chef Matthew Beardshall.
Offering eight surprise courses with a matching wine flight available, the menu isn’t available to view before booking, but the restaurant promises to include locally foraged finds, fresh sea food from the south coach and locally sourced meat from Gloucestershire butchers.
Guests can inform the team of any dislikes or dietary requirements upon booking to ensure all the surprises are good ones! The eight-course Wilder menu is available for £70 per person with a wine flight available for an additional £35.
11. Lords of the Manor
Lords of the Manor is home to a ‘Signature’ tasting menu, offering seven-courses of delicious fine food from its dining room within a quintessentially Cotswold manor.
Dishes include linguine of Scottish langoustine with coconut, pak choi, and Thai Shellfish Consommé; port marinated duck liver with pecan, apple, and gingerbread purée; and banana soufflé with banana and Dark Chocolate ganache.
The menu can be finished off with a selection of local and British cheeses for a £10 supplement, or tea, coffee and petit fours for an extra £6. The Signature menu is priced at £85 per person or £134 to include matching wines.
12. Café au Chocolat
A tasting menu for those with a sweet tooth, Café au Chocolat in Tewkesbury offers a chocolate indulgence challenge, an ultimate chocolate indulgence challenge and even a supreme indulgence challenge, ideal for those who want to try a range of the venue’s artisanal chocolate treats – or fancy a challenge!
The platter includes cakes, chocolates, truffles, fudge, cream, melted artisan chocolate and a luxurious hot chocolate.
Platters can be shared, but those looking for their 15 minutes of fame will get their name on the café’s wall if they eat the selection by themselves. Indulgence challenge platters cost between £10 and £20.
13. Bhoomi
Bhoomi Kitchen is a south Indian restaurant specialising in Indian barbecue and small plates, based in Cheltenham.
The restaurant offers a banquet menu year-round, which includes two Indian barbecue dishes; six side dishes and a selection from the main menu.
Priced at £25 per person for a minimum of six guests, the menu can also be paired with cocktails or craft beer for an additional charge.
14. The Wild Rabbit
Led by head chef Nathan Eades, The Wild Rabbit is home to a divine seven-course taster menu with dishes including Daylesford market garden salad; artichoke velouté with Scottish scallop and sunflower seeds; Cornish cod with English garden pea, grelot onion, lettuce and smoked bacon; and salted caramel with banana, peanut butter and caramelised filo pastry.
The tasting menu is available for £65 per person with a wine flight available for an additional £70 per person.
