Being a bit of a fan of the Gloucester Old Spot we decided to take the plunge and try the murder mystery evening they arranged on 20th March.

The GOS is a great pub - a fab building with lots of interesting nooks and crannies, friendly staff and a good selection of beers and wines. Whenever I’ve been the food has been excellent - the roast pork is to die for and rather than the usual parade of pub puds they have some interesting desserts as well as good old favourites such as spotted dick.

The murder mystery, appropriately called ‘Swine of Passion’, was provided by Smoke & Mirrors, and they were fantastic! The acting was really good and the actors stayed with us all evening, in the parts they were playing, so we could ask them anything to try to solve the mystery. The plot line really worked and was very involving (I must admit I was gripped and gutted I didn’t work out who did it!) as well as being very, very funny. An excellent evening’s entertainment and really good value - we’d definitely go again and get a few friends to join us. Hope there will be another one sometime soon????

The first time we visited the Gloucester Old Spot the experience was great. Excellent food, with finely tuned flavours, pleasant surroundings and good, friendly service. We almost didn't want to come again, so not to ruin what was a perfect pub dining experience! Unfortunately we did…

The second time, we did indeed still have excellent food and pleasant surroundings, but the service can at best described as a bit of a let down, at worst: downright rude. We visited on a Tuesday afternoon for my auntie's birthday. The guy who served us and took our order appeared to be running the bar at the same time, so even though there were very few people in the entire pub (it seemed to be only us in the dining room for the majority of the meal), we still found ourselves waiting for a long time to have our plates collected, and three times had to go up to the bar to ask for additional service. When we did finally get to order desserts and coffee, the waiter came across as very impatient and almost hostile towards any kind of indecisiveness. I understand that you may be understaffed and that perhaps some of the relatives are not so spritely and quick off the mark with their ordering, but I don't expect the waiter to huff and puff when something about the order needs to be queried or changed. It's just plain rude. I then went to the toilet after dessert and overheard what seemed to be the same waiter complaining about our table at the bar. I cannot be sure that he was referring to us (although we were the only table there), but to complain loudly about any customers like that is extremely unprofessional. Fortunately the girl who collected our dessert plates and helped bring out my auntie's birthday cake for us was far more friendly and professional and reminded us of why we liked the place the first time. She came across as a lot more warm, friendly and genuine, and her good service should be noted.

Quite a disappointing experience, but I still cannot give The Gloucester Old Spot a terrible score, because the food is faultless. Top quality ingredients, inventive dishes and plentiful sides... the best country pub food I have experienced in a long time. The chef is clearly very talented. Just a shame some of the waiting staff aren't quite as passionate about their service.

This is an old country with lots of character. But then the surprise is to find everything home
cooked, even the puddings All the food is of high quality and above the standard of many of the more expensive restaurants in Cheltenham! There is a spacious restaurant as well as a
bright and cheerful bar area. We received a warm reception from a caring staff.
Threre is a large car park at the rear.
Very close to junction 10 of the M5 and and only a few minutes by car from Cheltenham

Well worth a visit..

Absolutely amazing Sunday lunch the Minsterworth roast beef was cooked to perfection as were the roast potatoes and vegetables the Yorkshire pudding was delicious and fluffy and complimented by a pint of gem from the bath ales brewery .the staff were attentive and friendly and found us a table ,I do however think it's best to book as it can get busy ...highly recommended both as a pub and a dining venue

Had a cod and chips lunch here quite recently, and really enjoyed the food other than the samphire (the greenery served under the cod) had such a salty dressing I found it quite unpleasant. We preferred the bar area to eat as the dining room is slightly over the top for my taste (very baronial), for lunchtime anyway but an evening meal would be different. Personally I prefer the bar atmosphere and looking out at some daylight! Certainly one of the best pubs in the area with very relaxed staff. Dogs welcome too.