Melissa

Review: The Redan Inn, Chilcompton

The Redan Inn (Chilcompton, just 10 miles/16 km south of Bath) has sat on the Fry’s Well/Wells Road junction for… ooh, centuries. Like many of the hostelries around these yer parts, it was once a coaching inn. But in recent history, owners have moved on faster than the stagecoach that shunted mail twixt Bath andContinue reading “Review: The Redan Inn, Chilcompton”

Napulé Ristobar Pizzeria, Bath

The last time we visited 16 Windsor Villas was back in 2021, just after the third national Covid lockdown put the UK into ‘an enhanced national tier 4 situation’ which basically translated as stay at home (again!) unless you’ve got very good reason for leaving the house, as in popping out to pick up aContinue reading “Napulé Ristobar Pizzeria, Bath”

Review: new menu at The Mint Room, Bath

Indian restaurant life in Bath, 2012. The Boojon Tandoori on Charles Street was the place to go for a decent midweek curry, the cavernous Rajpoot (the one with the doorman who used to stand, in full Raj regalia, on Pulteney Bridge) represented special occasion exotica and Bath chefs craving a butter chicken on their nightContinue reading “Review: new menu at The Mint Room, Bath”

Review: Festive Feast at Bandook Kitchen, Milsom Place, Bath

“Happy happies! Go forth and feast…” I’m very open about my love for Bandook Kitchen, the highly-acclaimed Mint Room’s playful little sister at the heart of Bath’s Milsom Place ‘Quarter’. You can read all about how much and why I love BK in this review, published last year: “I love the restaurant’s style, audacity andContinue reading “Review: Festive Feast at Bandook Kitchen, Milsom Place, Bath”

A weekend at Montigo Resorts Somerset at Charlton House – and the Tiigo Bottomless Brunch

We’re sitting on a plush sofa in a historic walled garden surrounded by mature apple trees that cling to the 17th century stonework and squirrels who occasionally take a break from their scurrying, squirrelly business to peep at us from behind the hedgerows on the rolling lawns beyond our little courtyard. The sun is thinkingContinue reading “A weekend at Montigo Resorts Somerset at Charlton House – and the Tiigo Bottomless Brunch”

The Walled Garden Restaurant at Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa

Even when the SatNav tells you that you’ve arrived at the gate, take your time. “The scene is set from the moment you turn into the driveway of the luxury Lucknam Park. A magnificent, mile-long lime- and beech-lined avenue stands like a guard of honour gently guiding guests to the graciously restored Palladian mansion setContinue reading “The Walled Garden Restaurant at Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa”

Ponte Vecchio, Spring Gardens Road, Bath

It’s Thursday evening and Ponte Vecchio – the elegantly flamboyant contemporary trattoria set in a singularly unique, stand-alone location right on Bath’s bubbling weir – is buzzing. I know this even before I’ve set foot in the restaurant because, as I approach the sparkling, fairy-lit cabin (a former storage hut for boats, would you believe),Continue reading “Ponte Vecchio, Spring Gardens Road, Bath”

Green Park Brasserie/Bath Pizza Co: two (menu) worlds collide

Did you know that, if you put fresh spinach on a pizza base where you’d normally find tomato sauce, it brings a uniquely fresh, super-silky aspect to every bite? I had no idea! But the chefs in the kitchen at Bath Pizza Co know everything there is to know elevating pizza from prosaic to prodigious;Continue reading “Green Park Brasserie/Bath Pizza Co: two (menu) worlds collide”

The Richmond/The Pasta Laboratory, Bath

We went in search of a couple of freshly-baked pizzas and a bottle of good wine to celebrate… well, to celebrate it being a Friday’n’all. But The Richmond – the gorgeous little Georgian-era pub-with-rooms tucked away on a leafy residential street in one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in Bath – went way over andContinue reading “The Richmond/The Pasta Laboratory, Bath”

The Upton Inn, Upton Cheyney, nr. Bath/Bristol

Blink as you drive past the sign for the tiny village of Upton Cheyney – roughly halfway-ish between Bath and Bristol, just off the Kelston Road – and you’ll miss the turn-off. But miss it and you’ll seriously miss out, as Upton Cheyney has to be one of the most picture-perfect villages for miles around,Continue reading “The Upton Inn, Upton Cheyney, nr. Bath/Bristol”