The Air Balloon, Birdlip (From This Is Wiltshire)

The Air Balloon, Birdlip

2:58pm Thursday 25th February 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

MANY a weary traveller has passed by the Air Balloon, wishing they could spare the time to pull in, indulge in some tasty fare and curl up by the fire, but all too often they have somewhere else to be and drive on past.

All too often that weary traveller has been me, so it was a delight, eventually, to get round to making a special trip to this inviting old stone pub at the top of the hill before the descent into Cheltenham, and indulge to my heart’s content.

Three of us headed there for dinner mid-week and my impressions, having only passed by before, were not let down by the interior - cosy, rambling, comfortable and friendly. Just what you want from an 18th century travellers’ inn.

An extensive menu, with everything from your traditional three-course meal to platters to share or light bites, is complimented by a mouth-watering specials board.

For starters, I opted for a dish from the said board - goat cheese and fig parcels (£3.75), Steph had pork, apricot and cider terrine (£4.45) off the menu, and her mum went for soup of the day (£2.95) which was tomato.

There is no other word to describe them - all three were gorgeous.

The main course, however, brought minor disappointment for Steph, whose first two options weren’t available. She ended up with chilli chicken and chorizo pie (£9.10) off the specials, which was tasty and came with a fantastically impressive crust of delicious pastry, but she could not help yearning for her cod and puy lentil cassoulet, which they no longer serve.

Steph’s mum had a fisherman’s pie (£9.10), piping hot and creamy with plenty of mash and a generous portion to boot.

And I had pan-seared Barbary duck breast with spinach, mash and a sage and honey sauce (£10.95). The duck was cooked perfectly - beautifully pink - and the whole dish was a heartwarming, mouth-watering delight.

All this was washed down with a couple of glasses of vino - and Diet Coke for the driver - and made for a thoroughly satisfying rest stop on the way to the theatre. It’s a shame we had to go to the theatre because it would have been lovely to stay for pudding and while away a few more hours in the beautiful surroundings.

Starters cost under £5, mains vary from £6.65 to £10.95, puds are around the £4 mark and platters and light bites come in at under £10. There are also sandwiches and jacket potatoes for around £4.

Our bill came to £57 for three of us, including drinks, which we thought most reasonable.

So next time you’re whizzing along the A417, give yourself a couple of extra hours for your journey and stop off at the Air Balloon.

You won’t regret it.

The Air Balloon, Crickley Hill, Birdlip. Tel: 01452 862541. Food is served: Monday - Saturday noon to 10pm. Sunday noon to 9.30pm.