This is how we brew it

Having lived in the shadow of its Antipodean counterpart, British coffee-shop culture is finally thriving. Ben Lerwill visits the Cotswolds, where it all began

- Courtney Hockley, Mark Williamson

DRIFT a short way east of the Cotswolds to the cobbles and spires of Oxford and you'll find the site of England's first coffee house, which opened in the early 1650s. It's reported to have been a meeting place for enlightened thinkers, although it's a safe bet that it wasn't serving flat whites and oatmilk cortados, sourcing almond croissants from the local sourdough bakery or providing Kilner jars of dog treats.

Our expectations of what a good café should entail and, for that matter, a good coffee-have shifted within the space of a generation. The ongoing march of high street café chains has been an unavoidable part of this, but more influential has been the growth of stylish independent cafés with a more finessed, artisan approach to coffeemaking, as well as a commitment to quality produce and authentic customer service.

This is as true in the Cotswolds as it is anywhere. The region's soft valleys and stoneclad villages have traditionally been synonymous with tea and scones, but, these days, you can barely turn a corner without encountering a steaming espresso machine. New, high-quality cafés-including these five recent openings are springing up all the time.

"The UK was 10 years behind Australia in the coffee world'

Run by Australian husband-and-wife team Rob and Kats Broadbent, Lynwood & Co now has eight cafés in and around the Cotswolds. Its first, in the riverside town of Lechlade, has been serving customers since 2015, whereas its most recent opening --which poured its first latte in early 2024is in pretty Moreton-in-Marsh.