Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Stapleford
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Stapleford restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 12 restaurants in Stapleford and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Stapleford restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Stapleford Restaurants
1. Hambleton Hall
British, Modern restaurant in Hambleton
“You can gaze at Rutland Water” and “sitting on the terrace before and after your meal is an experience in itself” at Tim & Steffa Hart’s “very traditional country-house hotel” (once owned by the Hoare banking dynasty, and long predating the 1970s reservoir that nowadays surrounds it). A scenic drive and the crunch of gravel as you pull up herald an “old-fashioned gastronomic delight” in the pretty dining room of this luxurious mansion, where service is “always impeccable”. Chef Aaron Patterson has been at the stoves for 34 years now and is the longest holder in the UK of a Michelin star. His classic cuisine “never fails to deliver top- quality food”: “even old favourites like roast beef have an added dimension”. “It is just so reliable and such a relaxing place”, if with a slight formality to the proceedings. It remains one of the top-25 most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll outside London and inspired no words of criticism this year.
2. The Olive Branch
British, Modern restaurant in Clipsham
Main St - LE15
Co-owner Ben Jones together with two friends rescued this property off the A1 25 years ago to create a then-cutting-edge gastropub, and it’s an “old and reliable friend” to long-term fans, with the “atmosphere is of a bubbling country pub that attracts regular clients from a wide area” (and is still one of the top-100 most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll). Probably it’s fair to say it’s “not quite as good as it was in its heyday, but it’s still a very good bistro-esque pub” serving “an interesting and varied menu of seasonal delights”. “Have a pint at the bar or in the summer outside in the garden, and then sit down to an excellent, comfortable meal. The well-appointed rooms in a house opposite are ideal for those that like to sleep where they have eaten”.
3. The Fox and Hounds Hotel
British, Traditional restaurant in Exton
19 The Green - LE15
2021 Review: This “very smart and much-renovated old coaching inn” sits on the village green of one of the settlements bordering Rutland Water, and serves “high quality” fare in a cosy traditional setting.
4. The Lake Isle
British, Modern restaurant in Uppingham
16 High Street East - LE15
This “small and friendly restaurant (with rooms)” occupies a small 17th-century building just a stone’s throw from the cute marketplace of this scenic Rutland town, and has been a feature of the area for decades. It serves a “fine seasonal menu” – “original without striving for effect” – and “the service is efficient, professional and pleasant”, adding to the joys of the “lively” atmosphere and “very reasonable” price tag. Those who have been coming for decades (“we held our wedding here in 1994 and visited last night to celebrate our Pearl anniversary!”) report that it’s “excellent still”, and after a visit “a walk around Rutland Water 15 minutes’ drive away is enjoyable”.
5. John's House
British, Modern restaurant in Mountsorrel
139-141 Loughborough Road - LE12
North of Leicester, in part of the East Midlands not over-burdened with top eateries, John Duffin’s family-owned venue is a particularly high achiever. Now in its tenth year, it’s part of the family farm (Stonehurst Farm) where he grew up and which helps supply the kitchen (and there are also cottages available for overnight stays). Choose in the evening from a five-course or seven-course tasting menu for £100 and £120 per person respectively: “excellent accessible cuisine at a realistic price” that’s “always a delight”.
6. Hitchen's Barn
British, Modern restaurant in Oakham
12 Burley Road - LE15
“Bravo Hitchens!” – this “consistently excellent” barn conversion is “a template for the perfect neighbourhood restaurant, owned and run by a talented chef and his charming wife” (Neil & Louise Hitchen, who met working at local powerhouse Hambleton Hall more than 20 years ago). “The interior is bistro-esque and relaxing”; and the “beautiful seasonal food” delivers “real value for money”: “flavour combinations are carefully created, with each dish superbly planned and cooked to maximise taste. Fish has to come from afar (Cornish turbot on the bone) but nearly all else is sourced from local suppliers”. Top Menu Tip – “game in season is a standout”.
7. The Wheatsheaf
British, Modern restaurant in Greetham
Stretton Rd - LE15
“A go-to destination in Rutland” – “always deservedly very busy and utterly recommended for its delicious and different dishes (especially fish and seafood)”, this “part pub but mostly restaurant” has won widespread recognition over the past 16 years under ex-Bibendum chef Carol and her waiter husband Scott Craddock. Top Menu Tip – “escargots in garlic butter as a homage to the past!”.
8. Finch’s Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Hambleton
Oakham Rd - LE15
“Always a favourite”, this 17th-century country inn is a “lovely old” place – “at least in the bar and older parts” (there being a “less lovely modern bit on the back built to take advantage of the location with fine views over Rutland Water”). The “food is pretty much standard gastropub fare”, but makes for handy refuelling before a walk round the reservoir.
9. Langar Hall
British, Modern restaurant in Langar
Church Ln - NG13
This “superb old-style country-house hotel” is “the best place in the area by a country mile”, and still at the top of its game under Lila Arora, whose late grandmother Imogen Skirving converted it from her family home. Exec chef Gary Booth oversees a “very good” menu with a focus on seasonal local produce from the nearby Belvoir estate – and “the private dining room is fantastic”.
10. The Hammer & Pincers
British, Modern restaurant in Loughborough
5 East Rd - LE12
“Exquisite cooking” using “quality ingredients” are the watchwords at this “thoroughly professional outfit” – a converted village forge from former Savoy chef Danny Jimminson and his wife Sandra. (This year’s biggest complaint? “We left feeling uncomfortably full. We think it‘s our age. The cooking is exquisite but for younger folks with bigger appetites!”)
11. Harry’s Place
French restaurant in Great Gonerby
17 High Street - NG31
“Exceptional” cuisine is still the norm in feedback on Harry & Caroline Hallam’s quirky, 10-seat venture, which has survived for over 30 years in the front room of their Georgian house, with Caroline front of house and Harry in the kitchen. That said, reports are not as plentiful as once they were, and the times when it had a Michelin Star (until about 2010) now seem a distant memory. Perhaps, despite its ongoing quality, people are just more used to the idea of pop-ups and supper clubs than once they were?
12. Jericho
restaurant in Whatton
Orchard Farm, 45 Barkestone Lane - NG13
In a converted barn on a farm near Plungar, 30 minutes’ drive from Nottingham, self-taught chef Rich and his wife Grace serve a 20-course tasting menu. In her November 2024 review, Charlotte Ivers of the Sunday Times was enthralled by the ‘magic’ of the kitchen.
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