Post by newishtotetbury on Jan 22, 2009 9:50:15 GMT
Several years ago my wife and I were trying to find somewhere to live, between Bristol and Gloucester, to suit both our jobs. We were also hoping for somewhere rural as we had been living in Bristol and found it a little claustrophobic.
We had searched the usual places: Stroud, Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Charfield, Wickwar, Wotton Under Edge etc etc. We had few requirements: a pub, a local shop, easy access to somewhere with more shops. That was it...but it proved extraordinarily difficult to find.
Then one sunny afternoon in late Autumn we drove through Tetbury after a long, tiring, fruitless day! We stopped for a much needed coffee at a nice looking "Brasserie" - The Blue Zucchini. Sat outside on one of their pavement tables we looked about us...and bought our house in the town the following day!
So you see, I have a deep soft spot for the Blue Zucchini. It's a restaurant that I am desperate to see succeed as it is, in part, the reason my wife and I live in such glorious surroundings. That is the only reason I can think of for continuously going there for drinks or food, and continuously coming away disappointed!
Under the old management, the restaurant went into something of a decline, being under staffed and serving uninspiring and over priced food. It was possible to go for dinner on a Saturday evening and be the only customers. A sad shadow of what it once was.
So it was with some excitement that we learnt of a change of ownership. A reversal of the decline? Surely. A fresh beginning? Certainly. We have now been 4 or 5 times since the new owners took over and, I am sad to say, it has never wavered in its' ability to disappoint.
The first time we went, soon after reopening, we had food. I had a burger and my wife had cod and chips. The burger was fine, not too much to go wrong, if perhaps a little wilted in its' salad ingredients. The cod though, for the best part of £10, was terrible. It was square, small and clearly not fresh in anyway shape or form. It resembled nothing so much as a Findus frozen cod steak...as bought from Somerfield round the corner. Of course I'm not in a position to say that's what it was but it certainly was not of the ilk of the freshly battered cod fillet one might have at, say, the Ormond or the Priory.
We went back for food some months later, this time with my brother and his wife. The lady owner of the Zucchini was very attentive and polite...to my brother and I. But ignored my wife and sister-in-law, for reasons I do not know. Perhaps a misplaced idea of chivalry, the man ordering for his woman? I'm not sure. All I can say is that my brother and I had our wine refilled and asked if we wanted any more drinks. My wife and sister-in-law did not. This appeared to be a snub (unconscious or otherwise) and robbed us of any enthusiasm we may have had for eating there. So we didn't and went to the Ormond instead!
Since then we have been back with the intention of food only once...on a summers afternoon. We were hoping to sit out in the rear gardens, a lovely oasis of cool and calm in the midst of the town. But it is no more. Apparently it has been reclaimed as a play area for the owner's children! That is their decision of course, but our decision was to go to The Priory instead...and sit outside in the sun.
Other than that, we have been for drinks a few times. The pavement tables remain one of the best spots in Tetbury to have a coffee or glass of wine and watch the world go by. The reindeer skins they have provided as lap blankets are much more Eco-friendly than the previous patio heaters, and are a very nice idea. We have not, however, been able to bring ourselves to order food. The last time I looked at the menu there was a pasta dish for £12, which is way too much money to risk on a meal from somewhere that is so consistently disappointing.
This is not a rant, I would hate to be misunderstood. I love the Blue Zucchini, I am desperate for it to survive and thrive. It should, and could, be an incredibly cool venue in the heart of a historical town. The interior is great, reminiscent of all that is to be admired about the contemporary styling found some very trendy bars and bistros within our modern Cities. It adds something different to Tetbury, something needed and, potentially, exciting. It is, after all, the catalyst that brought my wife and I to Tetbury. We regularly spend money in the local economy, eating out often twice a week. It is sad, therefore, that the Blue Zucchini receives none of this custom. It just hasn't delivered the quality that it once possessed, in spades, for some considerable time. I want, and fervently hope, that it can be turned around and again turned into something great!
Hopefully this post will invite comments from others that have recently eaten there, with a more positive experience than I? That would be good...
We had searched the usual places: Stroud, Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Charfield, Wickwar, Wotton Under Edge etc etc. We had few requirements: a pub, a local shop, easy access to somewhere with more shops. That was it...but it proved extraordinarily difficult to find.
Then one sunny afternoon in late Autumn we drove through Tetbury after a long, tiring, fruitless day! We stopped for a much needed coffee at a nice looking "Brasserie" - The Blue Zucchini. Sat outside on one of their pavement tables we looked about us...and bought our house in the town the following day!
So you see, I have a deep soft spot for the Blue Zucchini. It's a restaurant that I am desperate to see succeed as it is, in part, the reason my wife and I live in such glorious surroundings. That is the only reason I can think of for continuously going there for drinks or food, and continuously coming away disappointed!
Under the old management, the restaurant went into something of a decline, being under staffed and serving uninspiring and over priced food. It was possible to go for dinner on a Saturday evening and be the only customers. A sad shadow of what it once was.
So it was with some excitement that we learnt of a change of ownership. A reversal of the decline? Surely. A fresh beginning? Certainly. We have now been 4 or 5 times since the new owners took over and, I am sad to say, it has never wavered in its' ability to disappoint.
The first time we went, soon after reopening, we had food. I had a burger and my wife had cod and chips. The burger was fine, not too much to go wrong, if perhaps a little wilted in its' salad ingredients. The cod though, for the best part of £10, was terrible. It was square, small and clearly not fresh in anyway shape or form. It resembled nothing so much as a Findus frozen cod steak...as bought from Somerfield round the corner. Of course I'm not in a position to say that's what it was but it certainly was not of the ilk of the freshly battered cod fillet one might have at, say, the Ormond or the Priory.
We went back for food some months later, this time with my brother and his wife. The lady owner of the Zucchini was very attentive and polite...to my brother and I. But ignored my wife and sister-in-law, for reasons I do not know. Perhaps a misplaced idea of chivalry, the man ordering for his woman? I'm not sure. All I can say is that my brother and I had our wine refilled and asked if we wanted any more drinks. My wife and sister-in-law did not. This appeared to be a snub (unconscious or otherwise) and robbed us of any enthusiasm we may have had for eating there. So we didn't and went to the Ormond instead!
Since then we have been back with the intention of food only once...on a summers afternoon. We were hoping to sit out in the rear gardens, a lovely oasis of cool and calm in the midst of the town. But it is no more. Apparently it has been reclaimed as a play area for the owner's children! That is their decision of course, but our decision was to go to The Priory instead...and sit outside in the sun.
Other than that, we have been for drinks a few times. The pavement tables remain one of the best spots in Tetbury to have a coffee or glass of wine and watch the world go by. The reindeer skins they have provided as lap blankets are much more Eco-friendly than the previous patio heaters, and are a very nice idea. We have not, however, been able to bring ourselves to order food. The last time I looked at the menu there was a pasta dish for £12, which is way too much money to risk on a meal from somewhere that is so consistently disappointing.
This is not a rant, I would hate to be misunderstood. I love the Blue Zucchini, I am desperate for it to survive and thrive. It should, and could, be an incredibly cool venue in the heart of a historical town. The interior is great, reminiscent of all that is to be admired about the contemporary styling found some very trendy bars and bistros within our modern Cities. It adds something different to Tetbury, something needed and, potentially, exciting. It is, after all, the catalyst that brought my wife and I to Tetbury. We regularly spend money in the local economy, eating out often twice a week. It is sad, therefore, that the Blue Zucchini receives none of this custom. It just hasn't delivered the quality that it once possessed, in spades, for some considerable time. I want, and fervently hope, that it can be turned around and again turned into something great!
Hopefully this post will invite comments from others that have recently eaten there, with a more positive experience than I? That would be good...
