Today’s working lunch had me heading towards our Cirencester office and a meeting with Ian Sumbler, a man whose knowledge of local pubs and eateries in this area is like having a talking guide book – very handy! But today we ventured into a café/bar on Castle Street which Ian, much to my amazement, has not yet visited.
Porters is a delightful venue with great, slightly quirky, décor. There’s a boat fastened to the ceiling and a stuffed fox behind the bar wearing glasses with a cigarette hanging from his mouth – a good advertisement that it doesn’t pay to smoke! With a choice of sofas and large tables to sit at I can see this place being a real gem to visit with a group of friends.
There’s plenty of food to choose from with a main menu and light bites. We both settled for a ‘light bite’ option, Ian choosing an open flatbread with mushy peas, fishfingers and tartare sauce while I chose flatbread served with guacamole, tomato and avocado. We both added a side of skinny chips after Ian warned me that I would not be able to nick a few from his plate.
We received our meals with a fast turnaround and devoured them just as quickly both being delicious and extremely filling. The staff were really friendly, with background music, a relaxed feeling about the place and the sun beating through the windows I could quite happily of stayed another hour or so… if only I could have sampled the delights advertised on their extensive gin board, whereas I think Ian was eyeing up the local beers.
Walking off lunch in this gorgeous Cotswold market town we took the scenic route back to the office via the Abbey Grounds. These extensive gardens are located behind the church and I never even knew they existed. It was a great stroll in the sunshine, it would have been even better if we had come across an ice cream van!