Eat at...

THE POTTING SHED The Street Crudwell, Malmesbury, SN16 9EW 01666 577833 www.thepottingshedpub.com Opening times: 11am to midnight seven days a week; food served Monday to Saturday noon to 2.30pm and 7pm to 9.30pm, Sunday noon to 4pm.

WITH snow on the ground and a chill in the air it was no time to find yourself in a potting shed.

But I was headed for The Potting Shed pub and restaurant at Crudwell, near Malmesbury, which was an excellent place to be; especially if you got a cosy seat by the log fire.

That’s where I ended up on Wednesday lunchtime and I was glad I’d decided not to put off my planned meeting there.

The roads were clear all the way and the food was well worth making the effort for.

I was expecting good things as the pub - formerly called The Plough - was taken over about a year ago by Jonathan Barry and Julian Muggridge, who own the nearby Rectory Hotel as well as a deli in Black Street in Cirencester.

I’d previously stayed in the boutique hotel where standards were high and the decor chic, reflecting Jonathan’s background with the Hotel Du Vin luxury chain and Julian’s as an antique dealer.

The food had been excellent too.

First impression were good; the 18th century building’s carpets had been ripped out to reveal stone floors and the walls sandblasted.

The interior had gardening references, including a host of watering cans, potato sacks made into cushions and wheelbarrows upturned and used as light shades.

Garden fork handles had been turned into hand pumps to dispense pints of Bath Ales Gem and Butcombe Bitter.

And the owners’ passion for locally sourced seasonal produce shone through in the menu, which changes monthly.

The pub has two acres of gardens with an extensive vegetable patch to grow food for the hotel, pub and deli.

“We want to provide classic pub food done better than anywhere else,” said manager Laura Sheffield.

However, when I think of classic pub grub - reheated lasagne, greasy, deep-fried scampi and chips and microwaved chilli spring to mind.

I’d describe what The Potting Shed offers as classy pub food.

Starters included terrine of braised oxtail with pickled onions and homemade apple chutney (£5.50) and artichoke, vanilla and goats cheese tart with hazelnut puree (£5.50).

I went for the parsnip risotto (£5.25 or £10.25 as a main). It was delicious; beautifully presented, topped with a parmesan crisp and with a lemon dressing with roasted almonds.

My dining companion Kim, a lovely PR who despite not having the pub on her client list suggested we ate there as the food was so good, went for the beetroot infused gravlax of salmon on granary toast with orange dressing (£5.25/£10.25) and was just as happy with her choice.

For mains, Kim declared her English calves liver and smoked bacon, with shallot mash and herb beurre blanc (£11.75) to be perfectly cooked and tasty and my poached smoked haddock on parsley mash and spinach with a fishcream sauce (£12.50) was just the thing for a cold, wintery day.

We didn’t think we’d have room for a pudding (all at £5 each) but as Kim is a local, she pulled a few strings and chef Dan Wyatt provided a taster of three of the favourites.

Dark chocolate fudge cake came with warm chocolate sauce and good vanilla ice cream; Baileys panacotta was topped with a mini white chocolate cookie and coffee cream and baked spiced rice pudding with tart plum jam was another perfect winter warmer with a well-balanced mix of sweet and sour taste.

A cheeseboard of mature cheddar, Somerset brie and stilton was also available at £7.

In the summer, the pub will provide tables and picnic blankets for dining in the vegetable garden and in the shade of its apple trees . . . so it looks to be an ideal place to enjoy some great food whatever the weather.