Where the food does all the talking (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Where the food does all the talking

No.5 North Street is a great place to be on a chilly night.

With its ancient beams and cosy dcor, it's easy to forget the wind whistling through the streets of Winchcombe outside and pretend you're in an old coaching inn.

Although lacking an open fire, the atmosphere is certainly warm and inviting, as are the Ashenfords, who are attentive and unobtrusive hosts. Winchcombe is the heart of the Cotswolds in spirit, if not geographically.

With its leaning buildings and nearby Sudeley Castle, there is a historic aura about the place, and it is worth visiting for the little shops and tea rooms alone.

But No.5 is certainly a little gem. Things look promising as soon as the appetizers arrive on the table; tiny, sizzling Welsh rarebits with rhubarb chutney. But then the bread proves to be a talking point as well, with both sesame white and wholemeal with apricots baked into a double loaf, giving you the opportunity to break off what you want.

Even the crumbs aren't a problem, for as soon as you find yourselves worrying about the mess, along comes Kate Ashenford with her antique tablecloth brush.

And this is the beauty of No.5. Everything, from the sweeping of the crumbs down to the pouring of the water, is done with minimum fuss and down-to-earth inconspicuousness. You hardly notice the waitress refreshing your water or pouring your wine, and things just 'appear' on the table.

This is certainly a welcome change to sitting awkwardly while a waiter tries to pour your wine without dripping on the tablecloth.

We opt for Sauteed Langoustine and Chicken Wings with Gingered Carrot and Leek and Shellfish Bisque, and Lasagne of Braised Neck of Lamb with Tomato, Olive and Mustard Dressing for starters. I find out later that the langoustine and chicken wings are something of a No.5 party piece, and quite right too.

The ginger is ingeniously subtle and the shellfish bisque not in the slightest bit mayonnaisey. The lasagne is soft, and although some might be put off by something as meaty as this for a starter, it is cleverly delicate, and not like a scaled-down main course as you might expect.

For main course we go for Roasted Cod with Pumpkin and Parmesan Puree, Baby Spinach and Smoked Salmon and Caper Cream, and Old Spot Belly Pork with Mushy Peas, Caramelised Swede and Brown Sauce.

The guinea pig I took along commented that the pork was suitably crunchy round the edge, and that the mushy peas were an unlikely but 'perfect' complement. In short, he 'could have eaten ten portions of it'. Praise indeed. As for the cod, it was certainly no waste of this precious fish. Perfect flakes and creamy pumpkin mash did not buckle under the intense flavours of the smoked salmon and capers, and the dish was well balanced and velvety.

As I have said before, dessert menus are often a bit of a trapeze act for the chef at a restaurant like No.5. This certainly appeared to be the case, so I opted for the special 'Presentation of Seasonal Fruit'. This manifest itself as a Peach Brulee (which, for somebody who usually avoids brulee like the plague, was pretty disappointing), Peach Sorbet, Apple Mousse and Jelly and Mini Apple Crumble.

The peach sorbet was probably the best of the four, but my biggest surprise of the night was the brulee, which certainly taught me not to be so prejudiced against blow-torched custard. I can only describe it as divine.

For someone so young, Marcus Ashenford has certainly achieved a remarkable amount, and I don't just mean the brulee. Gaining his first Michelin star at the age of 25, he has retained it (some say more difficult than gaining it in the first place) for 3 years.

No.5 also has 3 AA Rosettes, and a reputation that means its 7 tables are very often taken. I like the simplicity of the place, with no pretensions or quirkiness, and this lets the food speak for itself. "We pride ourselves on consistency," says Marcus as we leave, "We treat every customer as a Michelin inspector." If only other restaurants followed such a philosophy.