This Cheltenham restaurant is a perfect spot for a bite to eat on a sunny day

Finding somewhere to eat when it is scorching hot outside can be a difficult task, most restaurants, and British buildings in general, become heat traps the instant the mercury creeps into the mid-20Cs. Even if you do manage to find somewhere with good ventilation, plenty of our hearty pub meals are intended to keep you warm, not help you cool off.

I begin with this moan only to highlight how fantastic one particular restaurant in Cheltenham is in this June heatwave. With a refined Mediterranean style perfect for beating back heat exhaustion, Gallimore’s Kitchen in Montpellier is a great spot to retreat to for cooling cocktails and light summery bites.

Set back from the main Montpellier thoroughfare on the cool and partially shaded ground level of The Courtyard, Gallimore’s is a definite hidden gem in the town. The restaurant, which is headed up by experienced Cheltenham chef Lee Gallimore, has a menu that reflects that Cheltonian mix of taste – that the same table that might want to order oysters and champagne, may also follow up with an order of dirty fries and cocktails.

READ MORE: New York style pizza parlour opens soon on Cheltenham High Street

If one thing pairs with a cloudless sunny day for me, it is fresh seafood and the menu at Gallimore’s is overflowing with oysters, prawns, mussels, and crab, as well as a fruit de mer (shellfish) sharing platter for a more al fresco and relaxed dining experience – which is pitch perfect when the idea of a hearty sit down meal is enough to bring on heatstroke.

When I came here with my partner for a spot of lunch and a cold drink on one of our hottest days so far this year, I found in the quiet courtyard on Montpellier Street an umbrella-shaded outdoor dining area, with small tables having a bite to eat, or sharing a cold beverage in the sun together, in this slightly secluded but lovely location. We were both excited by this, after walking past many sub-par restaurants filled with sweaty diners.

Always easy to please, when I read the menu and saw its confident mix of light bites to eat like smoked salmon, caper and black pepper bruschetta, or exciting non-meat options like its whipped vegan feta with shiro miso puree, I knew we were in for a treat. In all honesty, after spending all afternoon in the sun, we might have been a bit delirious and dehydrated.

At least, that would explain why we immediately ordered a pair of oysters to kick-off our lunch, with two rum punch cocktails. I must say this is not usually how I roll, but they were well-priced and nothing sounded more pleasant on a scorching sunny day than something so light but decadent.

Served on crushed ice with sherry-pickled shallots and Tabasco, the rock oysters were incredible, fresh, and of course a great way to start a romantic meal. Also, they were £3.95 each, which was more than worth it to eat good oysters this far inland.

Now, I do not want to ruin anyone’s favourite spot here if Gallimore’s is a secret gem for you, but this place also serves incredible cocktails, judging by the rum punch which was headily coconut-y but maximum refreshing and served in these tropical tiki-style mugs. Everything about it exudes how everything in Gallimore’s Kitchen has been thought through stylistically and taste-wise.

And all of that was just to start. I decided to have a light tart of the day, which was a well-made homebaked courgette quiche alongside some fries while my partner had a seafood linguine and, while my tart was good, my partner has not stopped talking about how good her linguine was since. All in all, it was no more expensive than any other restaurant, with main courses at around £14 and starters at £7.

It was light, it was decadent, it was perfect on a hot summer’s day. It was exactly why Gallimore’s is probably the best restaurant to go to in Cheltenham when the sun is shining.

READ NEXT: