The Woodspeen restaurant review - Newbury, UK

The bucolic Berkshire countryside provides an idyllic setting for Woodspeen, a restaurant, bar and cookery school designed by London architects Softroom. Located on the site of the former Five Bells pub, the designers stripped down the interior and imparted a new identity on the space: polished concrete floors and a central floral feature instill an airy and contemporary aesthetic, while a homely feel is retained via liberal use of tactile fabrics such as sheepskin, leather and wool. In the kitchen, Michelin-starred chef John Campbell’s brigade sends out beautiful plates of British cooking that gracefully straddle the classical and modern, enjoying the enviable bounty of a half-acre kitchen garden. The sleek adjoining cookery school offers lessons on everything from butchery to bread-making and an intimate kitchen table that seats 10 affords guests the opportunity to cook along with the chef and fellow diners.