I knew I was going to fall in love with Gloucester Services before I even got there! That's because it's run by the same company that run the wonderful Tebay Services - 208 miles north on the M6 in Cumbria.
Before it opened, I did briefly wonder if the new services would be a clone of the Cumbrian services. However they're much smarter than that - and have managed to find 130 amazing local food producers. They also plan to give an estimated £10,000,000 over the next 20 years into Gloucester Gateway Trust, helping local communities to survive.
So here you'll find better fruit and veg than many greengrocers:
Wonderful artisan pies like these chick gammon, leek and thyme crust pies made by Lovett Pies:
and delicious pork pies from Legges of Bromyard.
You can buy bread, but not just any bread, it's bread from Hobbs House Bakery and Bertinet Bakery
There's artisan jams and preserves from The Artisan Kitchen.
The milk is special too, as it's organic Great Taste Award winning milk from Jess's ladies:
There's a proper traditional butchers counter:
selling well hung meat.
If you're on a budget, try their tasty Moroccan lamb pinwheels:
Cheese lovers are also well catered for:
with a wide range of excellent cheeses, including Johnathan Crumps Single and Double Gloucester cheeses. When I called they still had Vacherin Mont d'or -but you'll have to wait 223 days before you'll see this again - because (unlike supermarket asparagus) this product is not available all year round.
There's more fine pies and quiches at the back of the shop including the Foggy (Forest Oggy, where oggy is another term for pasty) and wild boar sausage rolls from Cinderhill Farm:
Vegetarians are not forgotten either. There's items like Homity Pie or Glamorgan Crumble, Indian Summer Pie, Stilton and Spinach Potato Cake, Mushroom Bourguignon Pie and Wild Mushroom and Nut Roast from The Parsnipship:
There's Great Taste Award winning charcuterie from Capreolus Fine Foods:
and if you like smoked food then you'll love the selection of items from the Severn & Wye Smokery:
There is a tiny amount of food that's sneaked its way down south from Cumbria, like Solway salami:
To wash it all down there's some great drinks to choose from. There are some great beers from local breweries, and a particularly fine selection of ciders and perry:
I hope you don't spot that they sell Tom Oliver's perry - as I don't want them to run out before I get chance to go back and top up my supplies!
It's not all food and drink, there's a selection of clothes that are both nice and different:
and, if your boss has told you to be sure to "get up at 8 o'clock" they can (almost) help you ;-):
If you want something to eat, there's an attractive café:
where the sandwiches are infinitely better than anything I've seen at a motorway services before:
As for the cakes:
it's like going to see your favourite aunty, who's a brilliant cook and hasn't seen you for a while!
Where else have you seen flowers on the tables in motorway services?
If it's nice you can sit outside:
and there's a nice area for children:
If you're on the way to stay with friends, don't present them with a dodgy bunch of flowers from the nearest garage! Buy a lovely bunch here:
They've also got some very nice jam posies.
I'm delighted to tell you that they're also opening a southbound Gloucester Services on Tuesday, May 19
Gloucester Services
M5 Northbound
(between junctions 12 and 11a)
Brookthorpe
Gloucester
Gloucestershire
GL4 0DN
Tel: 01452 813254
Web: www.gloucesterservices.com
Email: info@gloucesterservices.com
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