Cowley Manor Experimental - Review - Cheltenham - Cotswolds - The Infatuation

"Cowley Manor Experimental provided the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland. That isn’t just a tidbit to bore the rest of your table with over truffle-showered gougères. This luxe British restaurant and hotel just outside of Cheltenham, with fairy tale-esque grounds, feels like somewhere you could feasibly spot a fluffy white rabbit with a pocket watch while working on a terrace-side sundowner. Jackson Boxer, the chef behind London’s Dove and Brunswick House, oversees the menu at this Cotswolds escape, and while the food isn’t Mad Hatter tea party-levels of fun, it’s rarely disappointing. photo credit: Cowley Manor Experimental This might be a 17th-century manor, but the dining room—all geometric patterns and sexy curved stone—feels more glittery Poirot remake than a stuffy country house hotel. The monied, glamorous diners, the sort who still believe in dressing up for dinner, play their roles perfectly. We like the red booths best for glimpses of the lake and really leaning into the whole ‘A-lister fleeing the paparazzi for the countryside’ thing. photo credit: Cowley Manor Experimental photo credit: Cowley Manor Experimental photo credit: Cowley Manor Experimental Pause Unmute Cowley Manor having ‘Experimental’ in their name is like your friend coming up with their own nickname. Dishes are straightforward—juicy chicken with wild garlic, creamy cacio e pepe-adjacent pasta. It’s not very exciting, but it is tasty. And every meal should end on the terrace, where you can follow squiggly hide-and-seek paths to the kind of majestic water feature that demands a Pride & Prejudice reenactment. Food Rundown Warm Single Gloucester & Winter Truffle Gougēres It’s the perfect bite-sized start to the meal. Our favourite bit is the craquelin on top of the little choux bun: crunchy and little sweet, the shell-like topping complements the rich, nutty cheese well. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Old Spot Pork Croquettes A crispy little log packed full of tender, shredded pork—this is another elite snack. The tumble of spring onion and sweet, sticky soy sauce are nice touches too. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Roast Adlington Chicken, Wild Garlic & Morels In a big gathering, there always seems to be someone who just wants to eat chicken. This is the dish for that person. It’s simple, but everything is perfectly cooked and the morels (the accompaniments change seasonally) add just the right amount of earthy excitement, without scaring the chicken person in your life. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Fresh Tagliolini, Smoked Butter, Black Pepper A good pasta dish, in the way that butter and pasta are always good. It’s not going to blow you away, but it is comforting. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Honey Cake & Yoghurt We respect a place as fancy as this having a cake for dessert, and a substantial, quite heavy slab of it at that. This will sate sweet tooths and those who mistakenly didn’t order snacks." - Sinéad Cranna