559. Grill By James Martin At The Lygon Arms.

There’s something vaguely irritating about dining in a restaurant with a chef’s name appended to it when you know that the chances of the chef being present in the kitchen are disappearingly small. Take Grill By James Martin at the Lygon Arms in Broadway for instance.

Dog and I were in the capital of The Cotswolds, Broadway (in Worcestershire though the Michelin Guide always, and has done for years, includes it in its list of Gloucestershire restaurants which makes me wonder that if Michelin inspectors don’t know where they are eating who can rely on them to know what they are eating?; perhaps dining in Worcestershire when you would prefer to say you are dining in Gloucestershire is too infra dig) and had settled for a two day stay at the said hotel, laeti sumus, and had a very nice room opening on to the courtyard close to the garden where Dog might have been able to romp delightedly were she still not yet to be fully trusted not to jump up at some elderly, zimmer-pushing, visiting American matron, knock them to the floor, fracture their femur and lick them to death as a friendly and apologetic gesture.

Our lovely room was called, I think, a ‘cosy room’, the type of which appeared to be in which many of the dog owners seemed to be accommodated, and the title given to the room was precisely correct. It was cosy and had a nice bathroom with a sensible bath rather than one of those ridiculous roll-topped things which look appealing but are impossible to climb out of or even just a shower which is much what hotels think they can get away with in these modern times and which denies the weary traveller the chance to soak and luxuriate in hot, soapy, soothing water - a good Evelyn Waugh, Angela Thirkell or Woodhouse novel, or perhaps a book about the Civil War or The Anarchy or Dining Out In Birmingham A History by Graham Knight, in hand and the anticipation and expectation of a fine dinner or otherwise ahead of them. There were some simple but highly appealing items to enjoy in the room - on the window sill was a pair of vintage shoe stretchers and a gorgeous large Habitat vase from, I take it, the 1960s which filled me with a lust to own it though honesty, or perhaps fear of being caught, prevented me from carrying out my sudden, transiently kleptomaniacal urge to snaffle the beauteous object. There was also a lovely chest at the end of the bed which I thought might date from the 1930s (a visit the following day to the nearby superb Gordon Russell Furniture Museum suddenly made me feel I had a previously unrecognised expertise on the subject of furniture which of course was nonsense. Russell’s father was the well-off gentleman who opened the Lygon Arms and the nearby Russells of Broadway restaurant was also named in honour of Gordon Russell).

But first, a step into the courtyard to sip two Lygon Slings, aptly flavoured, long and cooling on a warm, blue skied, late summer afternoon. And then with Lucy The Labrador settled in our cosy nest (in the bathroom so she could do no harm especially to that gorgeous Habitat vase), off to Grill to see what enticing pleasures awaited me there.

Firstly there was a complementary amuse bouche in the form of an alleged beignet with onions. I was told to never look a gift horse in the mouth and similarly, I suppose, a gift doughnut if it had an oral orifice, but this was truly an item of extreme horribleness. It had the texture of plasticine and probably the same flavour. Presentiments of an expensive and awful dinner ahead of me set in.

Next, for £18, a somewhat insubstantial crab risotto with Thai spices. I am not a risotto aficionado but for me the rice was cooked as I should have liked it. I also liked the sweetness of the dish though perhaps the sweetness was a little excessive but I thought the heat from the spices was enjoyable and lifted the dish.

My main was a magnificent sole meunière. It was perfectly cooked -the white fluffy flesh was complemented beautifully by sensibly simply cooked new potatoes and delightful brown butter with capers. A very fine classic dish.

The dessert was ‘exotic coconut parfait. I enjoyed it - the parfait had the texture of a parfait and the mango sauce was gorgeous. Unfortunately the flavour of coconut was difficult to discern in the parfait and it was all that little too sweet. The tiny cubes of pineapple failed to bring enough acidity to balance the sweetness it was all very edible and pleasant enough.

21 August 2026

Rating:- 🌛🌛🌛.

Two nights at the Lygon Arms is a great if expensive experience in itself and Broadway itself has enough to entertain any visitor - two fine museums and a visitors its private art shops plus walks across the immediate countryside. I was honoured to be invited to attend the opening of the exhibition at the Stratford Gallery (that’s the Stratford Gallery which is located in Broadway) of the work of exceptional Japanese ceramicist, Yoko Muta, whose creations now command impressive prices. I was very pleased to meet the artist.

Also of great interest was a visit, four years after my first such visit, to the Gordon Russell Furniture Museum about one minute’s walk from the Lygon Arms. This is a fascinating exhibition and a splendid opportunity to see some of the extraordinary pieces of furniture he designed.and is, I believe, one of the very best small museums in the West Midlands region. Coincidently the museum is also showcasing historic pieces from the Winchcombe Pottery which is celebrating its centenary during 2026.

As regards the true theme of this blog - dining out - I was delighted to spot a small related item in the Gordon Russell Museum - an item which belonged to Russell and which must have had a very special meaning for him - a small menu from Christmas 1917 when Russell was serving in the trenches of the First World War in the Battle of Passchendaele. Unfortunately only the cover of the Christmas Day menu was visible so I presently do not know what dishes the troops were served but it’s a glorious little item and I shall try to discover just what was on the menu at Passchendalle on Christmas Day in 1917.

Some of the pieces on display marking the Winchcombe Pottery centenary -

And so, back to the Lygon Arms where Old Nol looks down at the receptionist while they go about their work. Cromwell is said to have spent the night before the Battle of Worcester in the Lygon Arms which makes a change from visiting countless establishments in the region in which Charles II is said to have passed the night before Cromwell defeated him at Worcester.