The Cotswolds are full of postcard villages designed to be admired briefly and moved through quickly. Slad is different. It feels lived in, quieter, and anchored by a pub that people return to because the food holds up, not because the setting photographs well.

The Woolpack has been part of village life since the 1640s and is often associated with Laurie Lee, who grew up in Slad and later wrote Cider with Rosie. That history matters less than what is happening now. This is a pub built around ingredients, and the cooking starts with vegetables.

Much of the produce comes from the pub’s own organic kitchen garden just down the street. The vegetables arrive hours after being picked, and it shows. They are not decorative sides or afterthoughts. They shape the menu and often anchor the plate. This alone sets The Woolpack apart from most pubs in the region, where vegetables tend to play a supporting role at best.