Wiltshire

Hankering after pan-fried trout/crispy pork belly/stick toffee pudding, washed down with some fabulous vintage from the perfectly selected wine list? Read on! 



With the timing perfection of an expertly cooked fillet steak, along comes <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.top50gastropubs.com" target="_blank">The&nbsp;Estrella Damm</a> list of the country&#8217;s finest gastropubs, with two Wiltshire gastros in the top 50 and a further two making the top 100. 



So here they are, Wiltshire&#8217;s best gastro pubs. We&#8217;ll race you to the table.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Longs Arms (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.thelongsarms.com/" target="_blank">The Longs Arms</a>, South Wraxhall (No. 24)</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/the-longs-arms-wiltshire.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-24837" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/the-longs-arms-wiltshire.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/the-longs-arms-wiltshire-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/the-longs-arms-wiltshire-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/the-longs-arms-wiltshire-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/the-longs-arms-wiltshire-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Just seven miles from Bath, South Wraxhall is a charming village with this pub at the very heart of it. It serves unpretentious, season food and gets a big tick in our book because they serve burgers and pub fare on Sundays, not just roasts (because sometimes you&#8217;re simply not in the mood for all the trimmings!)



Try this: The venison Scotch egg can&#8217;t be beaten, especially when you&#8217;re in the market for a quick snack rather than a full meal. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Castle Inn (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.exclusive.co.uk/the-castle-inn/" target="_blank">The Castle Inn</a>, Castle Combe (No. 36)</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/best-pub-castle-combe.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-24841" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/best-pub-castle-combe.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/best-pub-castle-combe-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/best-pub-castle-combe-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/best-pub-castle-combe-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/best-pub-castle-combe-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Castle Combe is one of the prettiest villages in England, with Cotswold stone buildings and chocolate box cottages as far as the eye can see, but a cute Insta-pic isn&#8217;t the only reason to come. The village&#8217;s Castle Inn makes it&#8217;s debut on the Best Gastro Pubs 2022 list this year, and for good reason. Inside it rustic, 12th century walls you&#8217;ll find all sorts of fancy fare, all for less than £20 a main.



Try this: Garlic and nettle stuffed porchetta with celeriac and Cotswold cider, £16



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.thepottingshedpub.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Potting Shed (opens in a new tab)">The Potting Shed</a>, Crudwell (No.72)</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2021/04/Potting-shed-resized.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-21116" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2021/04/Potting-shed-resized.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2021/04/Potting-shed-resized-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2021/04/Potting-shed-resized-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2021/04/Potting-shed-resized-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2021/04/Potting-shed-resized-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



A stone’s throw away from the much-loved (and ultra-fancy) <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://therectoryhotel.com/" target="_blank">Rectory Hotel</a>, sits this charming bolthole, a favourite of Prince William and Kate Middleton when they were dating. If it&#8217;s good enough for them… <a href="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/the-potting-shed-pub-crudwell/">The Potting Shed</a> is undeniably lovely all year round, but it really comes into its own as the frost sets in, with thick Cotswold stone walls and flickering log burners keeping you snug under the high, beamed ceilings.



Try: The twice baked double Gloucester soufflé to start



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Bath Arms, Longleat</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://wilts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/bath-arms-wiltshire.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-24846" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/bath-arms-wiltshire.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/bath-arms-wiltshire-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/bath-arms-wiltshire-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/bath-arms-wiltshire-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wilts/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/01/bath-arms-wiltshire-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Located on the edge of the Longleat Estate, this place is now part of the same stable as some of the region&#8217;s best gastropubs – The Talbot Inn in Mells, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://dorsetsomerset.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/lord-poulett-arms/" target="_blank">The Lord Poulett Arms</a> in Hinton St George, The Beckford Arms in Tisbury, etc) – so no surprise to see it on the list. The beautifully restored inn serves up brilliant British classics and has 16 gorgeous rooms –&nbsp;and very handily, they&#8217;re offering a 25% discount on all stays between 1 Feb to 18 March. 



The Baths Arms serves everything from out-of-this-world wines and cocktails, to locally sourced meat and game to south-coast fish, all deliciously fresh and tempting. It&#8217;s the perfect pub to call into after your can has been ravaged at the nearby safari park – you really do deserve that glass of red. 



Try: Pan fried hake, creamed leeks, butternut squash, smoked beetroot puree, salted popcorn £18.50



Fancy nipping over the border? Better make a reservation at one of these beauties&#8230;



BERKS



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://thebeehivewhitewaltham.com" target="_blank">The Beehive</a>, White Waltham



<a href="https://www.lochandtyne.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Loch &amp; Tyne (opens in a new tab)">The Loch &amp; Tyne</a>, Old Windsor



<a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/restaurants/heston-blumenthal-hinds-head-bray-review/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Hind's Head (opens in a new tab)">The Hind&#8217;s Head</a>, Bray 



<a href="https://thebailiwick.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Baliwick Free House (opens in a new tab)">The Baliwick Free House</a>, Wick 



<a href="https://millerofmansfield.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Miller of Mansfield (opens in a new tab)">The Miller of Mansfield</a>, Reading 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">GLOS </h2>



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.thebelllangford.com/" target="_blank">The Bell Inn</a>, Langford



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">OXON</h2>



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nuttreeinn.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Nut Tree</a>, Murcott (No. 58)



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://thekinghamplough.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Kingham Plough</a> (No. 76)



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.magdalenarms.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Magdalen Arms</a>, Iffley (No. 79)



AVON



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://thekensingtonarms.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Kensington Arms</a>, Redland, Bristol (80)

Top 100 gastropubs 2022 revealed

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