The Cat & Custard Pot

If you’re after local flavour and quietly traditional style, the Cat and Custard Pot will absolutely appeal. Back in 2014 four families in the Shipton Moyne vicinity acquired this characterful pub primarily to preserve it for the community. They’ve been careful to keep the spirit of an old-school hostelry, with a cosy log burner, snoozy armchairs, rugs on wooden floors, and tankards and horse brasses displayed on beams. In the bar and the dining area beyond, this old inn offers good, honest food at down-to-earth prices; pub classics such as homemade pies and fish and chips; seasonal delights like locally sourced slow-cooked ox cheek with celeriac, and vegetarian wellington with wild mushrooms. There’s a back room with a large TV screen for sporting fixtures, especially equestrian events - for the pub is in the heart of picturesque horse country. It offers good walking, too, and it’s close to the cafés and antique shops of Tetbury. There’s an almost tangible sense of cordiality here; the Cat is much loved by local residents and by a growing band of repeat visitors returning to the eight bedrooms. Simply clad in creams and browns and offering sink-into beds and homey comfort, these are set above the bar and in a neighbouring cottage.