The Howard Arms

We stayed from 8-11 August. We booked last minute so had to change rooms after the first night, but the staff promised to move everything to the new room for us, and they did so perfectly. We thought the Garden Room was a lovely room: spacious with sitting area; very attractive; next to the garden; large well-equipped bathroom and on the ground floor -very convenient for anyone who finds stairs a challenge. We had not intended to eat there every night but the food was excellent so we didn’t bother looking for anywhere else. The staff was very friendly, efficient and helpful. Highly recommended.

Our second visit (see my more detailed revue September 2021). Delighted to have a good excuse to return. This time we brought friends, put them in the fabulous Village Room while we had Old Beam. Both rooms are at the front of the pub, looking out on a little village green and pretty cottages across the road. Almost no traffic. The Village Room has a sofa, armchair and a large bathroom with tub and shower over (as per my previous review), also plenty of natural light. Old Beam is a bit darker, has two armchairs instead of a sofa, and a shower, no tub. If I could choose I would prefer the Village Room. Nonetheless Old Beam is full of character and perfectly comfortable, and we were sad to have only two nights. Great value for money. The beautiful beer garden is still there and the food as good as ever. Fabulous breakfasts and gorgeous meals in the evening. Lovely decor, great service. Both the restaurant and bar get busy in the evening. Plenty of parking. Excellent location for visiting NT Hidcote (lovely gardens) and other North Cotswold attractions, and about 20 minutes to Stratford-upon-Avon.

Beautiful village, relaxing to wander around peacefully admiring the honey coloured stone buildings and quiet lanes. Don’t miss the wonderful community shop! The Howard Arms staff are casual but professional and the place is clearly well managed. Well appointed room, good breakfasts and a lovely dining area serving excellent food. The menu is limited as you might expect but the quality is well above average and worth the price. The village is a gift to this pub/restaurant but they rise to the occasion and deliver. I prefer eggs Benedict with a few bits of well cooked bacon rather than an over generous helping of ham for my breakfast but the home made muesli and toast and marmalade were great. I am still enjoying the memory of the Lamb, perfectly cooked as was the fish n chips and the wine was fine. If you stay here, have dinner too if you can! Yep, if you go this way it’s the place to stay :-)

We stayed in Brompton as part of our route through Hadrian´s wall Howards Arms has an excellent quality/price ratio and a very friendly staff. They serve good breakfast We decided having dinner there and it showed to be a very good option, too. Nice food and wines

Quintessential English country pub in the lovely little village of Ilmington, lovely cosy interior, welcoming and friendly staff, we liked out bright & cheery tartan-dressed room aptly named “Village” (views over the village) which was spotlessly clean with a comfortable bed. On checking in we had spotted the two cosy armchairs in front of the fire but alas, these are the hottest tickets in the Cotswolds and you have to be quick off the mark to get pole position (we weren’t). Never mind, it encouraged us out for a walk (sheep to visit!) where we discovered the ‘real’ (locals) pub around the corner with TWO roaring log fires on the go and plenty of space to sit around them - just perfect for an early evening pint and a catch up with the locals if you’re so inclined. Back at The Howard where we had booked a table in the bar, we were shown to the (attached but less “cosy”) dining room instead, but a quick word with the helpful chap behind the bar and Pawel had it sorted immediately. The dinner menu was a bit difficult for us solely due to personal taste & dislikes, but the pub menu perfectly compensates with staples like fish & chips and a burger - additionally Pawel was extremely helpful in organising smaller portions for us. Later in the evening we were able to nab the fireside chairs for a nightcap which quite made my stay. Breakfast was perfectly cooked to order and served by two very entertaining and funny ladies who couldn’t do enough for everyone, offering extra tea/toast/whatever required before being asked and generally being all round efficient. If I had one little disappointment, it is the lack of comfortable ‘pub’ space around the open fire - the area is almost entirely given over to dining with tightly packed-in tables laid-up for dinner; some people did enjoy drinks there, but as non-locals it felt prohibitive to assume, and on this particular evening a group of five or six early guests were already dominating the limited space in any case. Personally I favour“pub with rooms” accommodation for the cosy log-fire / relaxed pub feels, so the Howard a bit compromised for me, but a really nice place to stay all the same.

My wife and I spent two nights here at the end of February - our fifth or sixth visit. We had one of the original rooms in the old part of the pub. It had a good size double bed with a thick quilt, a smart TV, radio, tea and coffee making facilities in the room, bottles of still and sparkling water each day, a wardrobe with plenty of hangars, a large chest of drawers and table and chairs. In the en-suite there was a bath and a shower with two shower heads, bath towels, hand towels and facecloths and plenty of toiletries (soap, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner). Breakfast was excellent, with a choice of three fruit juices, a choice of fruit salads, a choice of four cereals, a choice of a substantial full English breakfast, eggs or fish, pastries, toast and preserves, with tea or coffee. We dined at the pub on both nights. The evening meals can best be described as good value, good pub grub - none of this poncey, overpriced, poor value for money Michelin-star rubbish. Our first night was pie and a pint night - excellent value - with the pub packed with diners (but this deal ends at the end of March!). On our second night we chose off the main menu with a choice of five starters, six or seven mains, and half a dozen desserts. I would highly recommend the Howard Arms for a short stay. The staff are most welcoming, and it is in a convenient location for the famous north Cotswold towns and villages such as Broadway, Chipping Campden, Blockley, Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the -Water. We hope to return.

We are very lucky to have the Howard Arms as our local, it is our favourite place to eat and drink. It is such a special place and we were lucky enough to have our Wedding reception here in May this year. We trusted Pawel and his team 100% and they did not disappoint. The decorations, flowers and personalised menus were arranged for us. The menu was specially chosen for the day and the food was incredible. We stayed over and the rooms were immaculate and luxurious. We honestly cannot fault anything at all. Thank you so much for making our Wedding day so perfect. We visit regularly for food and our favourite is the Sunday roast. We would never go anywhere else as nothing compares to the roast at the Howard Arms!

Lovely food as usual and staff absolutely fabulous. They were exceptionally kind to one of our group today. One of our very favourite pubs. There are some problems caused by the Water board in the village at the moment but easy to get through to the car park thank goodness.

Excellent lunch - we hadn't booked & the pub was busy but we were greeted warmly & found a table without any fuss. Great service from all involved, super quality food - cannot praise enough. Well done !