The Maytime Inn lies right on the Southern border of the Cotswolds, and like most of the area is set amongst picturesque villages and rolling countryside. A few weeks ago we took Imogen on her first night away from home to stay in this lovely pub with rooms. I’ll tell you more about the rooms and the place itself in a few days but for now lets concentrate on dinner!
The dining room is small but spacious, in an open plan area just off the bar. For me it represents quintessential country pub dining room; warm cosy and very inviting.
After a drink in the bar whilst perusing the small but well formed menu we went through to our table. We don’t take Imogen out much in the evenings as she usually goes to sleep around 7, and we were a little worried about disturbing other diners, but as it happened, she sat and slept peacefully in her carseat next to our table so we needn’t have worried!
To start with we couldn’t resist the lure of the Whole Baked Garlic & Rosemary Camembert with Cured Meats, warmed to boozy perfection this really hit the spot with our bottle of New Zealand Pinot Noir.
For our main courses, I chose the Rump of Lamb and Steamed Pudding with Baby Carrots and Tenderstem while Lee decided on the Pan Fried Fillet of Bream with Asparagus and a Lemon & Tarragon Sauce. Both were great hearty pub dishes and executed really well. Lee’s bream was cooked spot on with a great crispy skin and the sauce had just enough piquancy. The standout of my plate was the steamed suet pudding which was just so moreish!
Desserts wise Lee went for the Rhubarb – Baked Custard with Rhubarb Granita Poached Rhubarb, Shortbread and Rhubarb Gel. The granita was just outstanding as the shortbread melted in the mouth.
I chose the Vanilla Sponge with Vanilla Cream, Strawberry Gel and Earl Grey Ice Cream – like afternoon tea on a plate, and the ice cream was delicious!
Dinner was really great and left us feeling very satisfied indeed as we polished off our bottle of wine and made our way about 20 steps back to our bedroom in the courtyard. So if you’re looking for a homely place to stay with yummy food to boot, or simply passing through and fancy a bite to eat for lunch, this is one worth looking up.
Disclosure: Our food at the Maytime was complimentary for review purposes, drinks were paid for. All opinions are our own.
