Good food is a big part of the holiday experience, whether it's in a sophisticated restaurant setting, or in a simple pub.

Go back to food & Drink Listing.

Gloucestershire is an agricultural county and its food producers have wonderfully tasty cheeses, wines, fruits, vegetables, juices, biscuits, beers, meat and fish. Farmers' markets are held on the second Saturday morning of each month in Cirencester, and twice a month in Stroud on the first and third Saturday mornings. At the farmers market in Stroud you can also see a demonstration from local chef Robert Rees.

In addition there are Farm Shops, such as the one near Over Bridge, Gloucester, and specialist shops such as The House of Cheese at Tetbury.Three Choirs Vineyard near Newent produces wine on site, you can see cheese being made twice a week at Smarts cheeses in Churcham (Tel: +44 (0) 1452 750225), while apple cider can be drunk at Minchew's near Tewkesbury (Tel: 0797 4034331). Look out for Gloucester Old Spot pork, from Old Spot pigs, which are unique to this area, or visit Bibury Trout Farm (Tel: +44 (0) 1285 740215 / 740212).

Many producers of fine cheeses such as Charles Martell of Newent and Cerney Cheeses display their wares at the highly successful annual British Cheese Awards, held in the Cotswolds every September. This seems to be a popular month for food tasting, because other notable food events during September are the Forest of Dean Food Festival in September (including the Newent Onion Fair) and the Moreton-in-Marsh Agricultural Show. The Frampton Beer Festival is in August. For more information see the Gloucestershire Events section of this site.

There are some excellent restaurants here such as The Old Passage Inn at Arlingham and the Marsh Goose at Moreton-in-Marsh. Cheltenham Tourism have produced a "Life: After: Dark" brochure which lists pubs and clubs, and has an eating guide which can tell you about some of the great places to go, such as The Daffodil, converted with great style from an old cinema. Please look at the Cheltenham web site for more details.

The area is known for historic hotels and a great tip is to visit these for afternoon tea, where you can relax in style with traditional scones, sandwiches and cakes. On the other hand there are some excellent tea rooms in Gloucestershire and nothing beats afternoon tea in a busy market square. Finally, if you're staying in a cottage or on a caravan site or are going walking or cycling don't forget to support village shops by buying a few items from them - most know the area well and you will always be welcome.