Where can I find French food in the Cotswolds?

Ever since my childhood holidays, there has been a country that truly captured my heart thanks to its food, history and landscape. Yet it wasn’t until I moved to Cheltenham that I really fell in love with France. Rewind back to 2006 and I landed a new job as editor of France Magazine, a one-time sister magazine to Cotswold Life, that was also based in the town. Since then, and more recently as a freelance writer, I have had been lucky to visit the country regularly to write about its varied regions for national newspapers and magazines.

France expert, Carolyn Boyd Yet, as everyone knows, France is all about its food and after so many years of writing about all its attractions, I realised that once you know the true stories behind its dishes, products, pastries, cheeses and sweets, then you hold the key to understanding the country’s history, its landscape, its traditions. The idea of bringing together all those stories, along with all my best foodie finds in the country – from top restaurants to charming auberges, from abundant markets to alluring chocolateries – became my book Amuse Bouche: How to Eat Your Way Around France, which was published in June. This collection of vignettes covers more than 200 different French foods and dishes and the book shows how to find, cook, serve and celebrate them.

Friends have joked that the research must have been a tough job (but someone had to do it!) and I have indeed been spoiled by the gourmet experiences on offer in France. Yet, there is solace in coming home: Cheltenham and The Cotswolds also has many superb restaurants, bars and shops in which you can find authentic French food. Here are my favourite places to indulge in la cuisine française without leaving the Cotswolds.

Petit Social Petit Social, Cheltenham

This relatively new bistro manages to capture that certain je ne sais quoi I miss in Parisian bistros when I haven’t been to the City of Light for a while. I love its sophisticated décor – tables are laid with crisp white table linen, and the charming half-length curtain that hangs across the window is such a perfect touch; ideal for giving privacy with your loved one from the street. The menu is sophisticated with dishes that use ingredients I recognise from my travels; Morteau sausage from the prairies of Franche-Comté, choucroute reminiscent of Strasbourg, cherry clafoutis that reminds me of the Corrèze.

50 Suffolk Road, Gl50 2AQ (01242 809277, petitsocial.co.uk)

Domaine 16

Domaine 16, Cheltenham

Cheese lovers need not look further than Domaine 16 for their fix of fromage. Owner Stephanie brings her knowhow from her native Paris and has created some fantastic sharing platters of cheese. It’s thanks to her that I first discovered the super-smelly soumaintrain cheese from Burgundy; also on offer from that region are the deliciously cheesy, choux pastry puffs called gougères. Charcuterie lovers are spoiled too; rillettes is a moreish kind of pâté for which the town of Le Mans is famous, but you can have it there in Cheltenham’s Regent Street with a glass of top-quality wine. The bread is supplied by the one of the country’s best French bakeries, La Boulangerie Artisan, which we’re also lucky to have in Cheltenham.

16 Regent Street, GL50 1HE (01242 300 200, domaine16.co.uk

Petit Coco croque monsieur

Petit Coco, Cheltenham

This tiny little bistro tucked away under a hairdresser’s salon on Bath Street is one of my favourite restaurants in town. Its décor is perfect: Bordeaux-red walls, black and white photos of French icons from Edith Piaf to Johnny Halliday, and flagstone floors; while diners can enjoy a soundtrack of jolly French chanson or gypsy jazz to add to the atmosphere. The menu includes some real classics such as magret de canard with Dauphinoise potatoes as good as you might find in the Dordogne, or tartiflette that would rival that of an Alpine chalet. And I will never not give in to the tap-tap crunch of their crème brûlée. 2 Bath Street, GL50 1YE (01242 257 343, petitcoco.co.uk).

Cowley Manor Bilbury Trout & Red Spinach

Cowley Manor, Cowley

I was delighted when I heard the Experimental Cocktail Group would be taking the helm at Cowley Manor. They’re the proprietors of some of my favourite hotels and bars in Paris, so to have a dose of their style and flair on my doorstep in the Cotswolds is a real treat. Sipping a cocktail such as their Saint Germain des Près (made with elderflower liqueur of the same name) in their stylish bar is the perfect marriage between Parisian and Cotswolds sophistication; a style that is carried through to chef Jackson Boxer’s menu. Bar snacks include a tarte flambée, a dish I fell in love with when I was a student in Alsace.

Cowley Cheltenham, GL53 9NL (01242 870900, cowleymanorexperimental.com)