The Wild Duck
Ewen, Gloucestershire
01285 770310
It is not surprising that customers are prepared to travel from as far as Bristol and London to eat their Sunday lunch at this constantly busy 16th-century inn, set in a quiet village in the heart of the Cotswolds.
Most of the trade comes from its food offering the pub handles 800 to 1,000 covers a week and includes traditional English fare such as half a Gressingham duck, and more Oriental-style dishes such as wok-fried monkfish and tiger prawns with a coconut and chilli sauce.
However, there is also a regular group of locals who come in purely to savour the real ales, which change weekly and feature beers such as Charles Wells' Bombardier, Courage Director's, the pub's own Duck Pond Bitter, Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter and Theakston's Best Bitter.
Owned by Tina Mussell and her son Dino, the Wild Duck has evolved over the years from a collection of barns, goat sheds and a farm cottage, and now offers 11 en-suite bedrooms, two of which have four-poster beds. Exposed beams, oak panelling and ancestral English portraits adorn the walls of the pub.
As manager Gary Burton says: 'It doesn't matter if you're 18 or 80, you can still come here and have a good time. All the staff here are young and motivated, which helps create the great atmosphere.
Customers can dine al-fresco in the award-winning garden in the summer, and in the winter there is a post horn bar, which has a welcoming open fire. Music is played in the bar area, but not in the restaurant.
