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top-notch food, just six bedrooms, mooring for six narrow boats and three types of wedding day on offer, for any number of guests from four to about 150. “Our last wedding had a 1940s
theme,” says The Trout’s Helen Pugh, “with a 1942 army tent for the party marquee and disco, lemonade bottles with homemade lemonade and an ice-cream stall for after the ceremony. The bride and groom’s first dance was 1945-inspired, the decorations were all handmade out of old newspapers, and the entire effect was amazing. As far as food is concerned, sometime simple is better. Our best weddings are in the winter, with enormous dishes of sausage and mash, fish pie or pheasant casserole. Popular choices this year are a BBQ, so the guests can help themselves – it takes the formality out.”
✱ Buckland Marsh, Faringdon, Oxfordshire SN7 8RF; 01367 870382;
trout-inn.co.uk
WESLEY HOUSE A 15th-century merchant’s house in Winchcombe, this is an elegant but lively place with two AA Rosettes and a great planning service for events: weddings can be held on-site or in another venue they’ll help you find. Bosses Matthew and Julia will get personally stuck in to help, and have
all the necessary private suppliers on tap: happy customers even thank them for the moral support “when I first arrived at the church with my dad and we both had a ‘moment’!”
✱ High Street, Winchcombe, Gloucs GL54 5LJ; 01242 602366;
wesleyhouse.co.uk
WHATLEY MANOR Set in 12 acres of English country garden, this beautifully restored manor house hotel has two restaurants overseen by two-starred Michelin chef Martin Burge, and a highly attractive spa; weddings of pretty much any size or style can be accommodated, with seven separate areas licensed, a Burge-overseen wedding menu and even an in-house florist. There are wedding packages too, catering for up to 135 guests.
✱ Easton Grey, Wiltshire SN16 0RB; 01666 822888;
whatleymanor.com
THE WHITE HART INN They’ve just refurbished the ‘Garden Room’ – an ideal space for smaller weddings, with its own bar and terrace access – at this charming old pub; an all-inclusive Wedding Celebration offer includes a daytime reception for 40 people (including reception bubbly and wine with the meal) and an evening reception for 80 people for £3,995, including a two-night ‘mini-moon’ at their four-
star sister hotel on Jersey, Chateau La Chaire, including flights. “The more exotic the menu
selections, the more likely there is to be someone in a large group who can’t – or won’t – be prepared to eat it,” suggest the gang here. “So it’s wise to stick to a pre-selected set menu, with maybe just one alternative for vegetarians. We had a cupcake tower in place of a traditional wedding cake just recently; each cupcake was iced with a guest’s initials, which was very well received.”
✱ High Street, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire GL54 5LJ; 01242 602359;
whitehartwinchcombe.co.uk
WYCK HILL HOUSE Near Stow-on-the-Wold (not to mention Broadway, Bourton-on- the-Water, et al) and nestled in 50 acres overlooking the Windrush Valley, this classic-yet-contemporary country house hotel has a great £4,500 wedding offer for 60 guests. You get hire of the Lord Rissington Suite, a three-course wedding breakfast, finger food in the evening, 15 garden double bedrooms with breakfast – and additional guests can be added at £59 for the day, or £11.50 for the evening, excluding rooms. That ticks just about every box.
✱ Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucs GL54 1HY; 01451 831936;
wyckhillhousehotel.co.uk
Season Liberally Six of the region’s best caterers and wedding cake supremos, all as in touch with seasonal, local ingredients as you are
BUTTERCUP BAKING Avening specialists in wedding cakes and favours run byCrumbs columnist Sally David, these guys are used to every possible style and flavour. Prices obviously vary hugely per cake, but think £250-£425 depending on hugeness and complication. ✱ 07446 237123; buttercupbaking,
co.uk
CACAO BEAN Run by the evocatively named Silke Bruening, this café/German pastry shop
specialises in chocolate – truffles, tarts, cookies and more – as well as made-to-order wedding cakes in every style you can possibly think of. “Our approach is ‘nothing we can’t do’,” they say. ✱ Moreton-in-Marsh;
www.cacaobean.co.uk
COTSWOLD COOKS AT PURTON HOUSE Locally-sourced, quirky caterers near Swindon; closely linked to the family farm that provides much of the produce, they can either host smaller
weddings at Purton House itself, or come where you are. They love weddings with odd themes, or in unusual locations: tipis, forest clearings, that sort of thing. ✱ Purton, near Swindon;
www.cotswoldcooks.co.uk
COTSWOLD PIZZA Pizza?Really? But wait! This lot offer a mobile, authentic wood-fired pizza service, made using local ingredients – bespoke pizzas are available – and cooked (up to seven pizzas at a time) in two
48
or three minutes at any outdoor event. Handling up to 150 guests, it’s perfect for your more informal wedding. ✱ Coaley GL11 5EB;
www.cotswoldpizza.co.uk
CROWN CATERING You get to sample full-size portions before you buy with Crown Catering; and though you can go as wild as you want, various set seasonal options at different price points make it easy to chose. ✱ Cirencester GL7 1XD;
www.crown-catering.co.uk
RELISH A team of real foodies, big on locally sourced food and bespoke menu design, based on personal tastes; you can sample what they do at their Cirencester deli kitchen. Amazingly, they can cater for up to 2,500 – yes, really – under one marquee structure, providing furniture and so on too. Impressive stuff. Get a taste of their style of food on page 52 in Country Kitchen. ✱ Cirencester GL7 1QD;
www.relishevent.co.uk
crumbsmag.com
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