Another day, another working lunch and next on Ian’s to do list is The Village Pub in Barnsley, just over 4 miles from our Cirencester office and of course, he has been here before!

Heading into the village of Barnsley Ian (with white knuckles) suggested I slow my driving down as the turning into the car park is a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ entrance, or maybe he just prefers a Sunday driver.

This Cotswolds village is picturesque, with beautiful old limestone buildings and the pub is linked to nearby Barnsley House.  Inside this quaint and inviting inn the staff are cheerful and welcoming and it was an ideal background for a dreary, rainy day sitting in a cosy setting looking out at the bleak weather.

The menu was full of appealing seasonal food, showcasing local produce.  Ian pipped me to the post ordering the butternut squash with gnocchi served with herbs and crème fraiche and I chose the wild mushroom risotto with parsley and parmesan shavings.  My risotto was mouthwatering and Ian delighted over his choice of gnocchi but we were both beaten by the generous servings and agreed that as these were both available as a starter and a main perhaps we should have opted for starter size!

With meetings to head off to Ian and I wrapped up our working lunch in under an hour and headed back to Cirencester wishing we could have stayed longer.  I’m definitely counting down the days to my next visit.