After an exhausting two and a half hour ride from Kent, we stopped by for lunch at the Sherborne Arms, in the pretty little town of Northleach in the Cotswolds. Northleach is not one of the better known Cotswold tourist spots, like Broadway, Stow or Bourton on the Water, but it has a charming market square, a smattering of attractive ivy-covered pubs, and a 13th Century church to boot.

The Sherborne is bang on the Market Square and, on the day we went, fairly popular, as the bar was heaving with people drinking, eating and, er, more drinking. We sat with our junior agents in the bar area, across from a man with a d.a. and another man who appeared to be asleep with a full pint of lager in front of him.

The manager, a friendly Scouser, found a better table for us in the restaurant area, and took our drinks orders. A few minutes later an equally friendly waitress took our food order and then we waited. Quite a long time. The food was expensive and very poor. Q’s inedible sausages came on top of a slurry of lukewarm mash and gently congealing gravy, the junior agents nuggets and chips were just that, from a packet and with a hint of the microwave about them, my gammon was ok. A peep round the corner into the kitchen saw a poor young chap clearly spending most of his time opening a variety of packets. The woman in the table across from us was teetering on whether to send back her Sunday Roast because, well, because it was cold. Main courses cost around £10, “Light lunches” around £8. £9 for a Ploughmans? You have to be kidding unless it has Le Manoir cheeses and a hunk of Old Spot Ham.

Friendly, but don't bother to eat. M

* Restaurant Spy have been advised of a management and change of chef, since this review was published, as at 9th November 2006. We wish the new owners every success for the future.