The Bell is a 300-year-old former coaching inn, a hop and a skip over the county border in Wiltshire.
It was bought and refurbished by Swedish H&M magnate Stefan Persson – who also owns Ramsbury Estates – and stands at the centre of the pleasingly pretty village of Ramsbury.
The estate’s farms, brewery, gin distillery and oil press supply The Bell’s restaurant, bar and café, meaning food miles are kept to a minimum and the produce is as fresh as it gets.
The beer is good. And so is the gin.
In fact the gin selection at The Bell is well worth a lost afternoon nestled in to the leather armchairs by the fire.
The shelves in the nook are stacked with hundreds of back copies of Country Life.
It’s a refined or ‘posh’ country pub, with rooms – making it a perfect weekender, or, in the case of some enthusiastic gin sampling, handy for a very comfortable and convenient night.
Also, Ramsbury is about four miles from Hungerford – and the station.
And public transport, including taxis, are rarer than the ground nesting stone curlews they are trying to attract round here.
‘Round here’ is the 19,000 acres of Ramsbury Estate, from which most of the produce for the menu is sourced.
This is one of the many things that makes The Bell stand out.
But let’s start with the young and engaging staff.
These folk have no idea how good they are. They certainly provide a warm welcome and seem to have found the sweet spot of professionalism mixed with friendliness.
I remain impressed that the waiting staff even changed the napkins midway through the meal, but with none of the stuffiness of a fancy restaurant.
It turns out, in conversation with The Bell’s general manager and head chef, that he’s been training his young team up to value attention to detail and take pride in their work.
He’s doing a good job there. Our waitress even asked if we would mind her testing her wine knowledge by offering to pair the food with some different wines for us.
She did a great job at it.
The decor is tasteful, not too country (no evidence of any fox hunting pictures anywhere), but country enough for the hungry shooting set, a random selection of horsey types, the Schofftel gilet and wellies brigade, a few well dressed London types and a good bar full of locals.
Prints of fish and game reinforce the country feel but it has that Scandi minimalist feel – perhaps the big boss had a say! The whole place is spotlessly clean.
Not too many red trousers in sight, so on the right side of country charm for me but certainly classy and elegant enough to dial up the dress code if needed.
So. It emerges, there is also a separate wine menu for those wishing to ‘dial it up’ – with an £800 Chateau Lafite Rothschild topping the flashing the cash list – making the £170 Chateau Meyney, Grand Vin de Bordeaux look like a bargain.
“It’s always a little nerve wracking serving those ones up,” admits head chef and general manager James Graham.
“The dread of them being corked is always there! That’s a horror story!”
The general wine list is a little more accessible, and also rather interesting with some unusual choices mixed in with the more approachable ones. The Lyrarakis Assyruko from Crete stood out.
James is a man on a mission.
He took over three years ago and has some really admirable ambitions for the place by 2030.
He wants his team to grow and learn.
He also brings a hefty CV – having worked at and with some of the best in the business – including the Michelin starred Le Manoir Aux Quat’saisons.
“Its going really well and we are trading well in a difficult environment,” he explains.
“It was always about building a team here. We have good people.
“It was always being a pub in the community.
“We still have the darts team, and for the food to be a constant process of evolution and reimagining British food by taking influences from other places.
“We have always been a magpie cuisine.”
James wants the food to be creative and collaborative.
“People bring their ideas and we see if we can make them happen.
“We are still massively untapped in terms of what we are capable of.
“We have young people who haven’t worked at the top end and they need time to develop those skills.
“People are not dressing up to go out now but they want food that is going to excite them and for good value.
“We need to stamp some personality on the food we serve, and that comes from the team and their ideas. One person can’t have all the ideas.”
The menu changes every three or four days and it is driven by seasonality.
“Someone might offer me something and it goes on the menu,” adds James.
“What people can expect here is amazing local food with incredible provenance.
“I understand the process of producing food so if I am paying top dollar for it then I want it produced to the standard I am happy with.
“If we are doing poached eggs, they have to be done properly.
“Whatever we do we have a standard.”
The menu is interesting and exciting. There is nothing shop bought here.
They even plan to have squirrel (they are trapped in the spring) on the menu, guaranteeing my return.
Squirrels and pigeons are managed on the estate as much as deer are culled.
I had a pigeon taco – a bit like a fancier version of a chicken zinger – and way more delicious. The corn taco was melt in the mouth, and the crispy, spicy coated pigeon was superb. And different.
That was just a taster, although the portions – we also had humous and crisp breads – were big enough for a starter.
Starters in the form of asparagus and crispy egg arrived, along with ceviche of Cornish scallops.
The asparagus was perfectly cooked, fresh and with the most ridiculously fresh basil and caper dressing.
But the scallops were out of this world stunning.
Notes of citrus and chilli tingling the taste buds and a combination of textures just made us smile.
The Bell gives a nod to fine dining and then pulls it back with its reasonable pub prices and more humble offerings of battered fish and chips – still beautifully cooked and presented.
The starters were knocking up to £12, but the mains seemed to average out around the £20 mark.
I went for the in season, local game.
Again, perfect with a rich and glossy red wine jus with swede puree.
Knowing the food’s provenance is all the thing now with dining out.
This venison had been culled from the estate, and then butchered by the young team at The Bell under Jame’s watchful eye.
The Bell deserves to do well, and with its luxurious but simply and tastefully decorated rooms upstairs, which come with an elegantly presented breakfast, and one of the best bacon sarnies I’ve had in a long time.
It is a compelling date night as much as it is a welcome oasis after a bracing country walk with a group of friends – and a trip to the distillery of course.
The Bell, The Square, Ramsbury, Wiltshire SN8 2PE, England.
01672 520230
thebellramsbury.com
