If you are planning on travelling to, through or near the Cotswolds, have a special occasion coming up or just love food then the Gloucester Studio will be well worth a visit for you. Home of The Pyromaniac Chef, Kathryn Minchew, an ex-Masterchef contestant offers a unique tailored service.
The Gloucester Studio is described as a rustic retreat, with reindeer skin covered benches around a crackling fire. Kathryn offers a bespoke dining service in one of the UK’s smallest restaurant which offers a range of dining experiences for up to eight people per sitting. The Gloucester Studio is a fine dining experience with The Pyromaniac Chef on-hand. An element of the meal is cooked before guests, before being served on wooden plates, and given drinks from handmade cups. 
Kathryn ensures the guests’ dietary requirements are met, and goes out of her way to ensure that everyone has a memorable experience – whatever their needs. This includes making her own bread and butter; ensuring that products are sourced locally and the menu adapted to ensure the freshest in-season produce. Although it is important to remember that Kathryn also believes that it is important to make full use of animals used for food – so visitors need to remember that they are sitting on animal skin for example.
What is on Offer at The Gloucester Studio
This intimate experience has a range of dining options but with all prices to include food and drink for up to 8 diners. This ranges from luxury Sunday lunches to meals cooked entirely over the fire. Menus are just a starting point but start from £495 for a quick super (3 course-meal where everything down to the butter is freshly made); £750 a fire cooked meal (up to 3 courses cooked in front of guests and in Kathryn’s outdoor fire kitchen – the wood smoke enhancing the local ingredients); £950 for a luxury meal (based around a fire cooked meal but diners enjoy a cocktail course or sparkling wine tasting with their meal): and finally from £1,200 there is also the option of an Alchemist’s Workshop (a pure hands-on experience as guests crack open salt parcels and mix the syrup for the marshmallows, which are served at the end of the meal: All options require a £250 deposit.
Thoughts on The Gloucester Studio
I was invited a long for a complimentary lunch at The Gloucester Studio and it was indeed a very unique and special experience. I think that a lot of effort and thought have gone into the whole experience – including the little touches around the restaurant. Parking around the area is a little difficult but most guests take advantage of the drink being included in the price and take a taxi. It is also worth remembering that it is a small restaurant around a fire, therefore diners can expect to get smoky. The only other thing to consider (especially if drinking vast amounts of wine) is that there is no toilet in the restaurant, and therefore you have to go into Kathryn’s house to use the facilities (and it can be quite cold moving away from the cosy fire). I really enjoyed my time at The Gloucester Studio and the food was of a very high standard. In fact I do not even like pineapples but ate my desert and was very pleasantly surprised at how good they tasted!
Kathryn is now in the process of setting up Bite into the Cotswolds – which aims at connecting food producers/suppliers and restaurants/chefs in the area to the media. If you are local media or a Cotswolds business then please do visit the Bite into the Cotswolds Facebook Page to find out more.
You can see Kathryn Minchew on Hidden Restaurants with Michel Roux Jr. on Channel 4 – 8pm Wednesday March 22nd 2017.
Gloucester Studio, 183 Linden Road, Gloucester, GL1 5DU
Oh my goodness what an experience, this sounds amazing! Bite into the Cotswolds sounds like a great initiative too.
Nat.x