The Cheese Rollers Bar & Restaurant
Let’s be honest—most of the time, when someone says “let’s go watch cheese roll,” you think of a documentary about dairy farming, right? Wrong. You think of a bunch of adrenal...
Let’s be honest—most of the time, when someone says “let’s go watch cheese roll,” you think of a documentary about dairy farming, right? Wrong. You think of a bunch of adrenaline-junkies hurtling down a hill after a 9-pound wheel of Double Gloucester. And that, my friend, is exactly the vibe at The Cheese Rollers Bar & Restaurant in downtown Gloucestershire. It’s the only place where you can eat a cheese platter while watching a replay of someone tumbling head-over-heels for a cheddar. I’m not kidding.
Picture this: You walk in, and the first thing you see is a giant mural of a grinning wheel of cheese wearing a crash helmet. The lighting is warm, the music is a mix of folk-pop and—for some reason—Yakety Sax on loop. The décor? Rustic wooden tables, actual rolling pins on the walls, and a giant TV screen showing the annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling race. It’s a love letter to the sport, the appetite, and the sheer absurdity of it all. And the food? Oh, the food.
Chef Emma “The Stilton Whisperer” Grimes has crafted a menu that is cheese-forward but never heavy-handed. You absolutely must start with the Rollin’ Starter: a warm brie baked in nutty, brown-butter with a drizzle of local honey and a side of sourdough soldiers for dipping. I had it, and I nearly cried. Not from the lactose—from the joy. For mains, the Double Gloucester Burger is a showstopper: a juicy beef patty slathered in a sharp, melted Double Gloucester sauce, topped with crispy onions and a soft, buttery brioche bun. It’s the kind of burger you text your friends about. “I swear, it’s like the cheese is hugging the meat.”
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But wait—there’s a catch. Every table gets a little chalkboard sign that reads: “Roll Your Own Dessert.” You choose a wedge of local Stilton or a slice of tangy Blue, then—and this is the good part—you actually roll it down a tiny, wooden ramp on your plate into a puddle of port wine or fig jam. It’s childish, it’s ridiculous, and it’s the best way to end a meal. I accidentally rolled mine onto the floor. The waitress gave me a free one and a wink. They get it.
Drinks? They have a Cheese Wheel Chardonnay that pairs beautifully, but I recommend the “Roll-Over Stout”—a dark, creamy beer that tastes like chocolate and custard. Or, for the brave, the “Coopers’ Hill Cocktail” (gin, elderflower, a dash of chili, and a tiny cheese cube floating like a buoy). It’s weird. It works.
THE CHEESE ROLLERS BAR & RESTAURANT, Shurdington - Updated 2024
Yes, the service is a little slow on busy nights—but here’s the secret: they play a live feed of funny cheese-falling compilations during the wait. So you’re giggling, sipping stout, and staring at a guy in a wetsuit chasing a cheese wheel into a bush. Life is good.
The Cheese Rollers isn’t just a restaurant; it’s a reminder that joy doesn’t have to be dignified. It’s okay to laugh at a grown adult somersaulting down a hill for a dairy product. It’s okay to chase your own happiness—even if you fall a little. So grab your friends, roll in (pun intended), and order the dessert ramp. Because in the end, the best things in life are soft, stinky, and worth chasing. Cheers to the roll.
