M4 Junction 8/9  Holyport   Belgian Arms    01628 34468    ££   Back to M4

4 mins.  Take the A308(M) towards Maidenhead to the end.  At the roundabout take the last exit, the A330.  After crossing over the motorway you arrive at the Holyport village green.  Take the first left and follow the road around to the left.  When you see the pond on your right The Belgian Arms is tucked in behind it.  Parking is the far side of the pub.

Attractive small bar and restaurant with views over village pond.  A couple of tasty vegetarian meals.

Food served daily noon – 2pm and 6.30pm to 9.30pm apart from Sunday evening.

A gorgeous village with two pubs either side of the green and small village pond, which makes a great place for getting off the road.  The Belgian Arms is a small bar and restaurant in an attractive building covered in greenery, with a conservatory for family dining and a garden overlooking the village pond.

We had crispy vegetable parcels with a spicy sauce and a baked potato and the Belgian (vegetable!) pizza.   The parcels and sauce were delicious with a light crisp coating and the sauce was spiced just right.  The pizza was a tasty American style thick crust pizza.  Unfortunately the baked potato was rather waxy.  Not a huge vegetarian choice, but on the whole the food was good and the staff friendly and helpful.

 

M4 Junction 13  Chievely  Ye Olde Red Lion  01635 248379  ££  Back to M4

1 min. Take the A34 towards Oxford, and take an immediate left, which is signposted for Chievely.  At a t-junction take a left, again signposted Chieveley, and the pub is on the left just as you enter the village, look at for the sign, as the pub itself is rather hidden on a bend.

In an extremely attractive village close to the junction, Ye Olde Red Lion is a friendly local pub with a real fire on cold days.  A small vegetarian and healthy selection, and a children's menu.

Food served all day.

Ye Olde Red Lion has a local clientele and is decorated with an odd assortment of knick knacks and a couple of mismatched sofas!.  The real fire was very welcome on the cold, rainy day we visited.  The menu offers a couple of vegetarian options and nothing really for vegans, but the food was good, as was the warming pot of strong, hot tea!  Jackets, sandwiches, baguettes with chips, cheese salad and a veggie lasagne with garlic bread were on offer.  The brie and mushroom baguette was very tasty with the bread perfectly fresh and crusty and the cheese nicely melted, all served with good (though too few!) chips.  There is a daily menu which on our visit featured the lasagne and a children's menu offered a cheese and tomato pizza.

 

M4 Junction 14    Great Shefford   The Swan    01488 648271  £££   Back to M4

8 mins.  Take the A338 North towards Wantage and drive into the village of Great Shefford.  At a T-junction turn left, then the pub is on the right just before the road bends to the right.  There is parking in front of the pub.

A nice pub with quality restaurant.  A good vegetarian and healthy choice with vegan options.

Food served 12 - 2.30pm and 6 - 9.30pm (Mon-Fri) and 12 - 9.30 (Sat & Sun)

The food at The Swan is very good, served with attention to detail.  The menu we were handed on the way in didn't appear to offer many vegetarian choices, but the daily specials board had more selection and when we asked for veggie options another was offered!  This included a Wild Rice Roast which was different and very tasty and there were other good options with a quiche, excellent jacket potatoes, salads, sandwiches and omelettes.  Staff were friendly and helpful.

 

M4 Junction 14    Hungerford   Tally Ho     01488 682312  £   Back to M4

2/3 mins.  Take the A338 S and the pub is on the left hand side just past a bend and a cross roads.  There is some parking.

Traditional country pub, feels well off the road.  A choice for vegetarians, although rather basic.

A small country pub with a ‘Mein Host’ feel!  Very cosy inside and seating outside next to the car park.  The menu is traditional with vegetarian choice limited to cheese baguettes, baked potatoes and chips.  The food is fresh and speedily served however.

 We had a baked potato with beans, which came with a small side salad and a sandwich and chips.  Basic veggie selection, but it was all good!  The atmosphere was very relaxing and the pub feels right out in the countryside.

 

M4 Junction 15    Badbury   The Plough Inn    01793 740342  ££   Back to M4

1 min.  Take the A346 south towards Marlborough.  The pub is on the right hand side shortly after the roundabout with a high driveway and plenty of parking.

Nice pub with restaurant section, log fire and beer garden.  Excellent vegetarian and healthy choices.

Main meals served 12 to 2pm and 7 to 9pm.  Sunday 12 to 8pm  Snack menu also from 4pm.

Closer to the motorway than most service stations, its the food in the Plough Inn which really makes it  worth stopping off for - carefully prepared, well presented and delicious.  Take your pick from sandwiches made from organic bread, a choice of pastas, salads, jackets and veggie sausages and mash.

The pub itself is well decorated, clean and looked after, there is a separate restaurant section, or eat in the bar.  The log fire was a very welcome addition on the snowy evening we visited!

 

M4 Junction 16  Wootton Bassett  Sally Pussey's Inn  01793 852430  ££  Back to M4

2 mins.  Take the A3102 towards Wootton Bassett and the pub is on the right hand side. It is well signposted and has plenty of parking.

Bright restaurant popular with families.  Good vegetarian options, but limited for vegans and healthy eaters.

Open all day from 8am to 11pm.  Breakfast served 8 - 11am

While this highly popular restaurant isn't laden with atmosphere, the service is fast, it has excellent opening hours and the portions of food are huge!  There were three veggie mains which all contained cheese, as well as ploughmans, baguettes and jackets.  We tried the Lasagne and the Leek, spinach and cheese crispbakes which both came with a choice of chips or jacket and vegetables or salad.  The lasagne was better than the crispbakes which were a bit fast-foody, although in both cases there was plenty of filling and the sauces were a rich cheesy flavour.  It was practically impossible to finish the plate full of food!

 

M4 Junction 17   Kington Langley   The Hit or Miss    01249 758830  ££   Back to M4

5 mins.  At the junction roundabout take the A350, then the second left hand turn to Kington Langley.  Follow the winding road through the village and take a small road on the left just in front of a church.  Follow this road until you see the pub in front of you.  Car park.

A real village pub, with an inventive menu.  Good selection of vegetarian, vegan and healthy options.

Food served 12 – 2.30 and 7 – 10.30. 

A real English village pub – we were there along with the local cricket team on a Sunday evening – but with a young international staff.  The food is home made and great thought was put into the menu.  From the specials board we had a Carrot and Peanut Bake and a Goat Cheese and Spinach Filo Parcels.  The portions were huge, with good accompanying salads and vegetables and a bread basket (we had unnecessarily ordered a very large side order of delicious potato wedges!).  Great fresh and hearty food.

 

M4 Junction 18  Old Sodbury  The Cross Hands  01454 313000  ££  Back to M4

3 mins. Take the A46 towards Stroud.  At the first traffic lights, go through the lights and turn immediately into the car park.

A cosy pub with home cooked food and The Beaufort Restaurant offering more upmarket fare.  Choice of options for vegetarians, vegans and healthy eaters.

Food served 12 - 2.30pm and 6 - 9.30pm

We ate in the bar, although the restaurant offered two vegetarian main meals.  The bar was friendly and the restaurant menu could have been ordered there, even though it is much more expensive.  There were three pasta choices for vegetarians on the bar menu, which doesn't show much imagination, but two of them were suitable for vegans if served without the garlic bread.  There were also three salad (1 vegan) and two sandwich options.  The pasta was delicious, fresh and tasty, and despite having the regular rather than the large portion, very filling.  The Cross Hands also serves afternoon tea and cake and if you fancy stopping over, there are 21 rooms, some of which have four poster beds!

 

M4 Junction 18  Tormarton   The Compass Inn    01454 218242  ££   Back to M4

5 mins.  Take the A46N towards Tormarton / Old Sodbury.  Take the first right to Tormarton and just before you come into the village The Compass is on the right.

Bar and restaurant on outskirts of tiny country village.  Several vegetarian and healthy choices.

A bar, restaurant and hotel on the outskirts of a tiny village, surrounded by fields.  The restaurant includes an ivy-covered conservatory.

We had a vegetable stroganoff served with a coloured rice, and spinach and ricotta pasta parcels in a mushroom sauce.  They were tasty, although in both cases the sauce was a little heavy.  The veggie food seemed rather old-fashioned, but it was certainly filling and there was a good vegetarian selection.

 

M4 Junction 18  Dyrham   Dyrham Park   01179 372 501  £  Back to M4

10 mins.  Take the A46 towards Bath and the park is on the right.  This is a National Trust Property and well signposted off the road.

Entry fee.  The cheaper option of ticket to grounds and garden allows access to restaurant and shop.  Good vegetarian and healthy options.

A great option if you're looking for a longer stop or a day out.   The property has extensive grounds, which are good both for walking and picnics, keep an eye out for the deer. The small self service restaurant serves vegetarian soup, a hot vegetarian option, salad and sandwiches.  The food and service are both great, better than you can often expect from the kind of cafes found in stately homes and museums.  Portions are fairly small, but good value as they are not too expensive and of good quality.

 

M4 Junction 23a  Magor  The Wheatsheaf Inn  01633 880608   ££  Back to M4

5 mins.  At the junction follow the signs for Magor.  At the B4245, again follow the sign for Magor.  You will shortly enter Magor, so look out for signs to turn right, marked Magor Square.  There are two turnings and both are ok, as the pub faces onto the square, but the car park is on Chestnut Close, the 2nd turning.

Pub with a good choice of vegetarian dishes and a friendly atmosphere.  The Wheatsheaf also does B&B.

Food served all day 12.00 to 9.30pm except Sundays (lunch only).

We enjoyed our meal here, the food was tasty and good value, and the staff very friendly and helpful.  We had the veggie lasagne with garlic bread and salad, which was made with a delicious cheese sauce and a good selection of vegetables, and the mixed bean tikka masala with rice and chips, which was certainly different, and while I would have preferred a few more vegetables and fewer beans, the masala sauce was nicely spiced without being too hot.  The other veggie option on the specials board was a mushroom and red pepper strogonoff.

 

M4 Junction 24  Usk  The Nags Head Inn   01291 672820   ££   Back to M4

10 mins.  Take the A449 north towards Monmouth. After 8 miles turn left onto the  A472 to Usk. As you drive into the town turn left into Twyn Square and on the right is the Nags Head.  Parking is in the square.

Pub with a well known and sophisticated menu.  Excellent vegetarian and healthy choices.  There is also a coffee shop open in the summer.

Food served 10am - 2pm and 5.30pm - 10.30pm

Usk is a very attractive small town with a surprising selection of good places to eat.  The Nags Head is an olde worlde pub with a warm friendly atmosphere and a reputation for good food.  The vegetarian menu has a good inventive selection - the Llandenny Bake for instance is a delicious terrine with layers of carrot and orange, cauliflower cheese, fresh pea and came with an apricot sauce.  Its a bit of a drive off the road, but well worth the trip.

M4 Junction 24  Nr Usk  The Rat Trap  01291 673288   £££   Back to M4

10 mins.  Take the A449 north towards Monmouth. After 8 miles turn left onto the  A472 to Usk. Almost immediately turn right signposted to hotel and restaurant.  After half a mile the restaurant is on the right, with the car park past the building.

Atmospheric and friendly restaurant and hotel with good vegetarian options, excellent for healthy eaters, but not a lot for vegans.

Food served lunch and evenings.

A good quality restaurant with oak beams and a real fire, serving 3 vegetarian starters and 2 vegetarian mains.  The stuffed pepper was well cooked and filled with a tasty risotto and the spanish onion with mushroom pate was unusual and and again well done, both came with vegetables.  The meals were attractively served and some thought had clearly gone into the vegetarian selection.  Excellent if you're looking for a longer stop and to relax over good food.

 

M4 Junction 28  Bassaleg  Junction 28  01633 891 891   £££   Back to M4

4 mins.  Take the A467 towards Risca.  At the next roundabout take the 2nd exit onto the A468.  At the next, Caerphilly Road roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Caerphilly Road.  Turn left into Station Approach and Junction 28 is ahead.

A smart restaurant with a good vegetarian and healthy choice.  Booking recommended

A changing daily menu with plenty of local food offers a good choice for vegetarians, although vegans may not do so well and should call ahead.  Recommended by The Independent.

 

M4 Junction 32  Morganstown  The Tŷnant Inn   01222 842 313   ££   Back to M4

3 mins.  Take the A470 NW, then take a left at the first roundabout and another left at the second to Morganstown.  The Inn is on the right hand side with plenty of parking.

Pub with sophisticated menu.  Good vegetarian and healthy choices.

Pub with a clean “olde world” interior and pleasant outside seating.  Friendly with a childrens play area.  A sophisticated menu with two vegetarian choices plus a vegetarian meal on the daily specials board.  Portions are large and the food tasty.

The food was excellent, we chose a mushroom pie and a mediterranean vegetable bake.  These were both tasty dishes with perfectly cooked vegetables and arrived piping hot.  The side salads were fresh.  My only complaint - the bake could have contained more vegetables and a little less cheese!

 

M4 Junction 33  St Nicholas  The Traherne Arms  029 2059 7707 £££ Back to M4

5 mins.  Take the A4232 South to the big roundabout at Culverhouse Cross.  Take the right turn onto the A48 towards Cowbridge.  The road bends and inclines steeply, so keep an eye out on the left for the Traherne Arms, it is well above the road.  The entrance to the car park is just past the restaurant itself and again winds steeply upwards.  There is disabled parking outside the front door, others go further up.

Open for lunch 12pm - 2pm and dinner Mon - Thur 7pm - 9.30pm, Fri - Sat 7pm - 10pm, Sun 7.30pm - 9.30pm

A top class restaurant with a very good vegetarian selection and outrageously good desserts!

The Traherne Arms is a fabulous restaurant complete with fascinating history.  There were three vegetarian main course dishes when we visited, we tried the Ramekin and the Vegetarian Parcels.  The food was well selected and thoughtfully combined, with a wonderful range of textures and flavours.  The Ramekin made of aubergine, tomato and feta cheese served with an olive tapenade just won the day.  Portions were large, but I'm glad to say we had room for desserts as they were definitely some of the best I've ever tasted - wonderful!

 

M4 Junction 36  Aberkenfig   The New Garden Chinese Restaurant  01656 724361 £££  Back to M4

5 mins.  At the junction follow the signs for Maesteg, then after a few minutes, follow signs for Aberkenfig, taking the A4063.  As you turn left into Pandy Road, the restaurant is shortly on the right hand side.  Take the left turn opposite the restaurant for a free car park on the left.

Open for lunch 12pm - 2pm and dinner Mon - Sat 5.30pm - 11.00pm, Sun 5.30pm - 10.30pm

A hugely popular Chinese Restaurant with a good vegetarian selection including two vegetarian set meals.

The New Garden is a large restaurant, but has plenty of atmosphere as it is always popular, and has an excellent reputation.  The menu has many of the regular Chinese favourites and the set meals are good value.  For something a bit different, try the vegetable lettuce rolls, which are unusual and so good that they're worth going back for!  The service was quick and friendly.