Two days of quiet Cotswolds indulgence: An inspection at Wild Thyme and Honey

Laura’s highlights: 

While we live reasonably nearby, it’s true what they say about never seeing your local area like a tourist does, so we took some time on the way down to drop into Cirencester. We found a park where Millie could have a run and strolled in a pleasantly autumnal chill. 

We were too early to check in, but we’d planned it that way, because it meant we had absolutely no choice but to settle down to a full roast dinner. People can do whatever they like to a roast but for me it all comes down to potato quality! These were clouds in crispy shells – total perfection. This was our first experience of Wild Thyme & Honey’s superb food, but certainly not our last. 

After lunch we explored the hotel a little, thoroughly enjoying having a nose round the communal areas like the covered terrace and the transparent dining domes by the river. It’s all been so nicely done and feels, to state a rather obvious point, very Cotswolds indeed. Once we’d explored, we checked in to find that staff had put a dog bed, dog treats and a dedicated towel in our room for Millie. She was very excited but still just used the main bed anyway, which is about standard.  

We eventually settled under the canopy in the courtyard for a cocktail, which was superb in a warming, floral way (so good I can’t remember the name), then went back to our room where I ran a deep bath and read for a while. There are some places where you feel a hint of guilt for that sort of thing, but Wild Thyme & Honey is very much that vibe and I soaked for an hour or so and read about two pages. 

Lunch had been so fabulous and filling that in the evening all we wanted to do was sit by the fire and have a few small plates (and another cocktail – equally good and also remaining nameless). They served up some superb snacks and the perfect spot to slowly snack and chat. 

The next day we went into the restaurant for breakfast, which was beautifully cooked and impeccably sourced. I managed to resist Millie’s “sausage stare” and finish everything, despite the fact that after lunch the day before and the generous evening snacks, I thought I might not need to eat for a week.  

We walked Millie in the field opposite the hotel, checked out and headed for Burford, to dig a bit deeper into the Cotswolds before headed home. Burford was everything you’d hope for from a Cotswolds village, as well as being quieter than we were assured it often was, thanks to our visit being outside summer. Remarkably, the strolling and antique shop browsing gave us a little bit of an appetite, so we dropped into local institution, Huffkins, for afternoon tea as the conclusion to a weekend of quiet indulgence. 

 

 

Places to stay in the Cotswolds

Browse all our places to stay in the Cotswolds

You might also like