September 2017: We love a good Sunday Lunch. In fact, for a really good Sunday Lunch, we’re willing and happy to go quite far (we’re based in the most Northern part of the Cotswolds and The Wild Duck is in the Southern part), so on our #SummerOf17 Staycation in the Cotswolds, when we were invited to enjoy a Sunday afternoon at The Wild Duck in Ewen near Cirencester, we didn’t think twice, we jumped at the chance.

Service with a smile (even for difficult requests)

And, wow, were we happy we did? We were welcomed at The Wild Duck by the friendly staff – we had brought Grandma and the table they had originally reserved for us one with barstools, and while this was arguably the best table in the house, the barstools didn’t suit a nearly 90-year-old, so straight away we messed up the very busy and fully booked restaurant and seating plan. This was no bother, however, and we were quickly and with a smile re-seated at another table. A great start.

A really great buzz

The atmosphere at The Wild Duck is what ‘hits you’ from the moment you set foot in the restaurant. We came at the busiest time possible and we had a warm welcome. The buzz of a full restaurant is just that, a pleasant buzz of happy diners, it’s not loud and it doesn’t feel rushed, it is a wonderful atmosphere. The restaurant is divided into 4-5 sections, all sectioned by walls with doorways and glass-less windows, something that gives you the cosy feeling you have when in a room shared with just 3 or 4 tables of diners, when you’re actually sharing the restaurant with many, many more… and this is what created that intimate atmosphere not often experienced in a full restaurant at the height of the Sunday Lunch service. For atmosphere alone, The Wild Duck is right up my street for a Sunday Lunch and most definitely worth the hour-long drive there and back on a Sunday afternoon.

A beautiful menu

The menu at The Wild Duck is exactly what you want to see on a Sunday afternoon. All the traditional Sunday Lunch options alongside the kind of dishes one has come to expect from a great dining pub in the Cotswolds. We had the traditional Sunday Lunch, one Stoke Farm beef with horseradish and Yorkshire pudding, one Cotswold chicken with a pig in a blanket and bread sauce, and the pan fried calves liver with streaky bacon, sage & onion and creamed potatoes.

And it was fantastic. Beautifully prepared, beautifully presented and very much the perfect Sunday Lunch. Now, I could on, but I invite you instead to just take in this photographic evidence of the kind of culinary delights we enjoyed.

Veggies Welcome

In our party was my daughter, Noelle, who is a vegetarian. We sometimes find it hard to choose for her on restaurant menus and not many eateries have good vegetarian options for children. And while this was also th case for the menu at The Wild Duck, there was no end to what the chefs were offering to create for her, once they were told she was after a good vegetarian option. There was mash, a meat-free main option and delicious vegetables exactly like she requested. Noelle was very happy with her Sunday Lunch.

As if we had room for pudding

Following this Sunday Lunch Feast, we were presented with the pudding menu. And it wasn’t like could really eat anymore, but the thought of honeycombe pannacotta, apple tart tatin and a lemon posset made us forget how full we were and decide to give the puds a good old go. And how happy were we that we didn’t skip them? Very! They were every bit ass delicious as we thought they would be and they were the perfect finish to the perfect Sunday Lunch in the Cotswolds.

The Perfect Cotswold Sunday Lunch

Driving home from Ewen in Cirencester, we were full and happy and absolutely delighted to have spent a couple of hours enjoying great food, great atmosphere, great company and great conversation. And that’s all we ever really want from a relaxing Sunday afternoon with our family.