The Hostelrie at Goodrich — Restaurant in England

A friend and I were on an "unscripted" visit to England and Wales and were searching for a low key accommodation with character in a rural area for a few days' rest before meeting friends in London. My friend came upon the Hostelrie at Goodrich. It seemed to fit our needs and had availability for a 3 stay, so we proceeded to Goodrich.

The building has been renovated with care and all facilities were in excellent condition. The mood was "casual country" in both the public areas and the rooms. Our twin room (the Goodrich) was larger than others we had stayed in, well decorated, and had a lovely view of the garden next door. The bathroom was large and modern. The beds were comfortable, and I was excited to find a spare electrical socket next to the bed for my CPAP machine. (I had to rearrange the furniture at 2 places we stayed to put the bed in proximity to a socket!) There was an ample supply or tea and coffee, and biscuits were supplied. (This courtesy sees to be fast disappearing in British inns.) There was no closet, but there was a large wardrobe and sufficient room to open up 2 suitcases. We were completely satisfied with the room's amenities and decor.

A full breakfast was included and enjoyed by both of us. I settled for toast and eggs which were perfectly cooked. There were very nice touches, like what appeared to be homemade (or, at least, "non-commercial") jams on the cold food bar. When I remained in the room one morning, the staff graciously provided my friend with packaged yogurt to take back for me.

We ate dinner in the bar all 3 evenings. As vegetarians, we were pleased to see several selections on the menu. We had a veggie pasta the first night, a curry the second night, and polenta and vegetables the 3rd night. Each of these dishes was deliciously seasoned and beautifully presented. Even our desserts (fudge cake and sticky toffee pudding) were well above average. In addition to a weak national cider, the bar served a dry local one which was amazing.

Everyone on the staff seemed to multitask and quickly handled any question asked of them. Everyone was professionally friendly and my impression was that they really enjoyed their jobs here. We only had one small issue (with an exterior door left open by the cleaning staff) and it was corrected immediately. I was happy to see 2 "resident" dogs "on staff", and laughed at the sign saying dogs and dirty boots were welcome in the bar.

Though there are no sidewalks in the village, there is little traffic and walking about is easy. There are a few trails nearby. There is also an ancient and unheralded castle ruin nearby with quite a rich history. There is also a large town (Ross on Wye) if something not available in Goodrich is needed.

All in all, our stay here was exactly what we were seeking in order to relax and refresh prior to a hectic week in London. I am hopeful that my travels will take me back to this little piece of...

Recently rescued by a philanthropic local entrepreneur and businessman, the ‘Hostelrie’ in Goodrich (Herefordshire) has been given a new lease of life, whilst the well needed refurbishment continues at a gentle pace.

If you’re a fan of proper local pubs, this is one of the good ones—no creaking doors or sideways glances here. You’re more likely to find yourself mid-conversation with a fellow guest before you’ve even finished your first drink.

The Wye Valley (session) Bitter—now rebranded as ‘Pyoneer’ flows freely, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch the charming sight of four-pint jugs being refilled at regular intervals, a clockwork Friday night tradition (ask the landlady)

I arrived at 6pm on a Friday, and already the room was beginning to buzz.

Just after a Bank Holiday weekend, the wood burner was lit, candles glowed softly on the tables, and the whole place wrapped itself around you like a familiar old jumper. Even solo drinkers looked completely at ease, tucked into corners, exchanging words with strangers, or simply soaking in the warm atmosphere.

Early arrivals might even stumble into an impromptu pub quiz. There’s no pressure to form teams or keep score—just shout out what comes to mind, see if you were right, and enjoy the laughs along the way. No points, no prizes—just pure, easy fun.

It got me thinking about a word we don’t often hear enough these days: fellowship, a word introduced to me by a late friend - Chris Marshall.

I was struggling to explain what I wanted to say, so I did what anyone might do—I Googled it. And this is what popped up:

That quiet, powerful sense of connection. The unspoken camaraderie that bubbles up when a place is just right. Where strangers feel like neighbours, and troubles shrink in the presence of good company.

I thought, yes, that will do……

So to finish:

At The Hostelrie, fellowship isn’t something they serve—it’s something that simply exists. Like a good pint, it’s best enjoyed slowly, and in the company of others doing the same.

Sorry there are ‘action photographs’, too busy...

I think the chef rules the roost at this place and either needs disciplining or sacking. My husband and i went here on Friday and there were about ||4 items to choose from- a steak ,a fish, mushroom risotto, and a burger. We chose steak and chips. The steak was ok, but seems the chef just couldn't be bothered to cook, so he opened a bag of rocket lettuce and put it in a pot and poured salt on it. He emptied the juice of a olive oil jar, salt and mixed it with cider vinegar and a teaspoon of shallots and out all of this in an egg cup and this was to go with the steak. He opened a bag of frozen chips and cooked them and poured salt over them and served in a mug size container and finally part fried mushrooms in a ton of salt. When I enquired why so much salt? The waier said the chef likes to use alot of seasoning- i said what would happen if you had customers with medicalissues, they couldnt eat this. The waiter said nothing- iwhen i said the chips were really salty , he tried to say they were fresh potatoes cooked by chef, I disagreed, i said i cook chips from potatos in a chip pan and these are frozen chips. Kaufmann or not. I could see the waier was lying and covering for chef. Oh I ordered for £4.50 a bowl of pickles. The chef diced raw beetroot an soaked them in vinegar and were unedible and rock hard, I ordered olives which were mushy and old- hence i knew were the juice came from to go in the steak sauce- the waiter said it was a chimichurri sauce. I said thats not a sauce its a vinegar dressing. I also ordered bread which came and was rock hard and guess what - salt thrown over it and a knob if butter with a half a teaspoon of crushed rock salt sat on top on the top of the butter£89.50 was spent at this place but never again. The owners need to sort out their chef pronto. I could hear the mutterings from the rest of the pub customers who looked disgruntled, so it wasn't just us. The waiter didn't show me the bottle of wine I ordered either so god knows whether I was conned into drinking the house wine...