Made by Bob

Cirencester, last weekend, took us to the Vanessa Arbuthnot's, retail heaven, to purchase more fabric for blinds. We also discovered a gorgeous tile shop called Cotswold Tiles which sells the most beautiful tiles I've seen, quite possibly ever. They are made by the Winchester Tile Company down in Exeter. Hand-made and hand-glazed.


In our house, we have one place that has remained untiled. It is the area behind behind the range. We refurbished the kitchen six years ago, but left the question of a splash-back open. Committing to tiles is not like choosing a paint colour, or even a wall paper. It has to be an unwavering choice. These will be the tiles that will remain in place until we shuffle off our mortal coil. So no pressure then, to get it right. Hence the delay. Like all these things, the longer you leave it, the less it seems like an omission.


We are now waiting for more samples but I am totally in love with these tiles. The charming chap at Cotswold tiles, Kevin, told us that if we fancied a coffee we could also see the tiles in situ in a place close by, called Made by Bob. We were ready for a light lunch and set off to do some tile-sleuthing.



Well, we were in for a treat. What a delightful informal restaurant, with its own deli. The tiles looked great. The decor sharp and appealing. The food beautifully presented. Beetroot and goats cheese salad for her and tomato and something soup for him. The deli contained bottles of wine with the Made by Bob label. A trick was missed there. Surely they should have read Passed by Bob? But then it really wasn't that sort of joint. This was classy and friendly. Our new best friend, Kevin told us that Bob Parkinson, previously a chef from Bibendum in London, was the local mover and shaker.  Kevin also told us that his real name wan't Bob at all.
Not a lot of people know this.  Which strangely makes us love the name even more.
So if you fancy a lunch on the tiles (no nights, as it closes at 5pm) in Cirencester, ask Bob. Or Kevin.