The Howard Arms

I booked this place for myself and three friends. Very friendly and efficient staff - Katie served us lunch and Simona served us dinner. The service from both was brilliant and the food ( and beer ) delicious. The bar and restaurant were warm and cosy and a lovely log fire ! The rooms were very comfortable with good facilities. I would highly recommend.

On this, our third stay at the wonderful Howard Arms, being older and less mobile we were in the Garden Room which has two windows looking over the large, pretty garden. We were very comfortable in this clean, spacious and luxurious room. The large bathroom has a tub and a separate shower and there is plenty of surface space for washbags, etc. I did have a minor niggle with the hangers in the wardrobe. These were the sort that have the anti-theft security rings attached to them which you get in most hotels these days. Usually the hangers can easily be lifted out of their rings to ease the process of hanging up your clothes. However, most of these were tightly wedged into the rings and so I found it difficult to hang my clothes up. The first evening we chose the Sunday Roast and plumped for pork loin. This consisted of two slices of pork, a splendid Yorkshire Pudding, and gravy, accompanied by a huge heap of veg, and I mean HUGE - roast potatoes, greens including broccoli, various root veg such as carrots and celeriac, and a generous portion of cauli cheese. Adam Richman and Casey Webb would have felt at home here but we were completely over-faced. That said, however, we were a bit disappointed to get only two small slices of pork loin per person, which seemed a bit mean compared to the overwhelming amount of vegetables provided. We’d have preferred at least three slices of pork and a "normal" amount of vegetables. But it was all nicely cooked. Our meal on the second evening was superb. We were delighted to see Creedy Carver duck on the menu and this turned out to be a generous portion, beautifully cooked and presented, and absolutely delicious. We couldn't fault it. I highly recommend this lovely, comfortable old pub in the beautiful village of Ilmington. All the staff were polite and friendly and we would certainly stay there again when next in the area. In fact, we were very sorry to leave.

Our third stay at the Howard Arms was basically fine, but a number of minor misfortunes deprived this lovely place of a fifth star on this occasion. First, although we had booked a table well in advance for both evenings, when we first turned up we appeared to be unexpected and caused some consternation. A table was found for us, however. Second, although our room was spacious, clean and well appointed (the ground floor Garden Room, ideal for those who, like us, avoid stairs where possible), the ceiling was imperilled by the presence in the room above us of two over-weight hippos, who maintained a brisk and businesslike pace around their enclosure until late into the evening, joyfully resuming their perambulations at 0630 next morning. Third, I discovered a tea bag in my prune compote at breakfast (obviously part of the delicious infusion rather than imaginative refuse disposal, but in principle ideally removed before serving). Fourth, service at breakfast was monopolised by a group of eight, entailing a thirty-minute wait for our bacon and eggs (the price one pays when everything is freshly prepared to order; but certainly worth waiting for). Some of this was within the hotel's control; some not. Will we go back? Certainly, given the opportunity.

We stayed from 8-11 August. We booked last minute so had to change rooms after the first night, but the staff promised to move everything to the new room for us, and they did so perfectly. We thought the Garden Room was a lovely room: spacious with sitting area; very attractive; next to the garden; large well-equipped bathroom and on the ground floor -very convenient for anyone who finds stairs a challenge. We had not intended to eat there every night but the food was excellent so we didn’t bother looking for anywhere else. The staff was very friendly, efficient and helpful. Highly recommended.

Our second visit (see my more detailed revue September 2021). Delighted to have a good excuse to return. This time we brought friends, put them in the fabulous Village Room while we had Old Beam. Both rooms are at the front of the pub, looking out on a little village green and pretty cottages across the road. Almost no traffic. The Village Room has a sofa, armchair and a large bathroom with tub and shower over (as per my previous review), also plenty of natural light. Old Beam is a bit darker, has two armchairs instead of a sofa, and a shower, no tub. If I could choose I would prefer the Village Room. Nonetheless Old Beam is full of character and perfectly comfortable, and we were sad to have only two nights. Great value for money. The beautiful beer garden is still there and the food as good as ever. Fabulous breakfasts and gorgeous meals in the evening. Lovely decor, great service. Both the restaurant and bar get busy in the evening. Plenty of parking. Excellent location for visiting NT Hidcote (lovely gardens) and other North Cotswold attractions, and about 20 minutes to Stratford-upon-Avon.

Beautiful village, relaxing to wander around peacefully admiring the honey coloured stone buildings and quiet lanes. Don’t miss the wonderful community shop! The Howard Arms staff are casual but professional and the place is clearly well managed. Well appointed room, good breakfasts and a lovely dining area serving excellent food. The menu is limited as you might expect but the quality is well above average and worth the price. The village is a gift to this pub/restaurant but they rise to the occasion and deliver. I prefer eggs Benedict with a few bits of well cooked bacon rather than an over generous helping of ham for my breakfast but the home made muesli and toast and marmalade were great. I am still enjoying the memory of the Lamb, perfectly cooked as was the fish n chips and the wine was fine. If you stay here, have dinner too if you can! Yep, if you go this way it’s the place to stay :-)

We stayed in Brompton as part of our route through Hadrian´s wall Howards Arms has an excellent quality/price ratio and a very friendly staff. They serve good breakfast We decided having dinner there and it showed to be a very good option, too. Nice food and wines

Quintessential English country pub in the lovely little village of Ilmington, lovely cosy interior, welcoming and friendly staff, we liked out bright & cheery tartan-dressed room aptly named “Village” (views over the village) which was spotlessly clean with a comfortable bed. On checking in we had spotted the two cosy armchairs in front of the fire but alas, these are the hottest tickets in the Cotswolds and you have to be quick off the mark to get pole position (we weren’t). Never mind, it encouraged us out for a walk (sheep to visit!) where we discovered the ‘real’ (locals) pub around the corner with TWO roaring log fires on the go and plenty of space to sit around them - just perfect for an early evening pint and a catch up with the locals if you’re so inclined. Back at The Howard where we had booked a table in the bar, we were shown to the (attached but less “cosy”) dining room instead, but a quick word with the helpful chap behind the bar and Pawel had it sorted immediately. The dinner menu was a bit difficult for us solely due to personal taste & dislikes, but the pub menu perfectly compensates with staples like fish & chips and a burger - additionally Pawel was extremely helpful in organising smaller portions for us. Later in the evening we were able to nab the fireside chairs for a nightcap which quite made my stay. Breakfast was perfectly cooked to order and served by two very entertaining and funny ladies who couldn’t do enough for everyone, offering extra tea/toast/whatever required before being asked and generally being all round efficient. If I had one little disappointment, it is the lack of comfortable ‘pub’ space around the open fire - the area is almost entirely given over to dining with tightly packed-in tables laid-up for dinner; some people did enjoy drinks there, but as non-locals it felt prohibitive to assume, and on this particular evening a group of five or six early guests were already dominating the limited space in any case. Personally I favour“pub with rooms” accommodation for the cosy log-fire / relaxed pub feels, so the Howard a bit compromised for me, but a really nice place to stay all the same.