The Old Fleece — Restaurant in Stroud

My partner and I had our Valentine's Day meal at this restaurant, it is our go-to for special occasions, and for good reason. From the atmosphere to the staff to the food, everything about The Old Fleece is right up my alley.

Firstly, there is a French woman who works there, she is almost always there when we visit and she is exceptional. Considering how often we are blessed to be served by her, she is so consistently positive, warm and welcoming, I am just sorry that I do not know her name to properly give her the credit she is due. She is a good 30% of the reason why we enjoy our visits to The Old Fleece, give her all the promotions please! It truly would be a lesser experience without her.

Onto the food, we eat at both The Old Fleece and it's sister establishment, The Old Lodge, but I much prefer The Old Fleece because it's more casual on basically every level. I've never once seen chicken on the menu at The Old Lodge. The Old Fleece, however, will serve top notch chicken dishes like chicken cordon bleu with mushroom sauce and potato dauphinoise (yes, I remember this meal from 18 months ago) or last summer they served an incredible cajun chicken salad with bacon, pesto dressing and guacamole. The prices are about average for Stroud, maybe slightly higher but frankly it's worth it. Their special cocktails are always delicious too, if a bit pricey (usually around £8-£9) but I suppose everywhere charges loads for cocktails nowadays.

The only thing I can ever slate The Old Fleece for is that during summer the place has loads of flies buzzing around inside. We've been visiting for 2 years and it does seem to be a problem they get every summer. Last summer, I ordered a cocktail and there was a fruit fly in it. I sent it back, they made me a new one and it also had a fruit fly in it. I then asked for just a lemonade as at that point I didn't trust whatever ingredients they were using in the cocktail, but the lemonade also had a fly in it. In summer I have now learned to always cover my drink as there are reliably several large flies circling most tables and they will dive bomb your drink. If they could fix the fly issue (especially when it seems like last summer, fruit flies had gotten into a bottle that they were using to make cocktails) then The Old Fleece would truly get 100% rating from me. I'm really squeamish about flies in food/drink too so if I am able to keep going back, that should show how great the food and service is! Apologies for the length of this review, despite flygate, The Old Fleece is my favourite restaurant in Stroud and I had...

4.45 Friday afternoon and in need of a bite to eat, thankfully the Old Fleece serves it's fare all day and with a full menu to choose from to boot. So we popped in on the off chance that they might be able to accommodate the two of us, we were warmly welcomed and our request for a table was sorted in a matter of minutes even though it being Valentines weekend and they were fully booked that night. We choose the sharing Vegan mezze platter which we followed with the Sweet potato and wild mushroom mushroom Wellington, also Vegan (although it worth mentioning that I am not a Vegan), however the wellington was one of the nicest meals I have had in a very long time. We had the Cormoran Rioja 2020 (so impressed with this wine I have since found out that it is available from St Austell Wines), which was well balanced with a lovely lingering warmth, the Mezze included Hummus, Baba ghanoush, sundried tomato pesto, warm Baguette and beetroot Falafels, which were especially divine. The Wellington was served with a vibrant and silky smooth red cabbage puree, saute potato wedges, wonderfully ala dente tender stem Broccoli and root veg crisps, the whole dish was not only superbly presented but tasted the same, we finished off with a Port and cinnamon poached Pear and a Orange and cardamom Panna cotta, add in attentive staff and what was just meant to be a quick snack turned into a very very enjoyable early evening dinner, with bill for the two of us coming in at under £100, it was a meal that I will long remember and the Old Fleece is somewhere I shall be returning to when...

I booked the loft with my family for a night and enjoyed a few delicious meals. Already planning my next visit. Food: delicious vegan, vegetarian and carnivore friendly options. Really high quality of food, appealing presentation and perfect portions. You get what you pay for. Wonderful selection of drinks both alcoholic and not. Offer soy milk. Staff: friendly and helpful if rather laid back, but they offer great service and make you comfortable. Very attentive and service is efficient. Pub atmosphere: So warm and cozy. Beautiful rustic decor with a real fireplace and a nice bar. Wood furniture with plush and tasteful cushions, throws, you name it. Comfortable sofas and solid chairs and tables. Plenty of seating but gets pretty crowded during mealtimes. PET FRIENDLY!! The loft: Incredible 2 bedrooms, bathroom and living area/kitchen spread over 2 floors. One double bedroom, the other is beyond enormous. Gorgeous rustic vibe with exposed brick and wooden beams. Living room equipped with a smart tv and comfortable sofas. Kitchen fully equipped with 4 induction hobs, 2 ovens, microwave, kettle, induction pots and pans, cutlery, crockery and mugs. Beautiful breakfast bar bisected by a tree. Bathroom is modern and luxurious with both a rain shower and detachable shower head and a bathtub. Loved the lighting on the mirror. Both bedrooms consisted of a double bed, desk and chair, bedside tables with lamps and the large one had a chest of drawers. I did find the mattresses and pillows very soft. Really loved the windows and...