Fakenham, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Eating is simply a delight” at this “lovely old pub with quirky little dining rooms” and a menu that “focuses on top-quality local ingredients”. Chef Jeremy Parke and his wife Rachael, formerly of Relish in Newton Flotman and Number 29 in Burnham Market, took over after our annual diners’ poll in summer 2023 from Ben & Sarah Handley, who left after 10 years at the helm; we are leaving the ratings untouched, with Rachael saying the approach would remain largely the same, with the addition of small plates to the food menu and cocktails to the bar.

The attractive dining room of this ivy-clad independent hotel on the Holkham Estate, not far from the beach, has a focus on locally sourced food that mirrors the estate’s ambitions in the sustainability stakes. In keeping with the tenor of reports over the years, the food continues to be “a little hit-and-miss, but it’s a terrific setting and the service is usually reliable” at least.

“You think it’s a strange building in a car park! Then you go in and have just the best food…” – Self-taught chef Dan Lawrence and partner Natalie’s purpose-built five-year-old is well “worth seeking out for some of the best food in this part of north Norfolk” (or even beyond, if you trust the AA’s 2022 ‘Restaurant of the Year’ accolade). It has a “small plates ethos” with “dishes designed for sharing” and “results are outstanding”.

2021 Review: “Relaxed, friendly” and a “brilliant pub”, just along the coast from Blakeney, which was taken over by old school friends in 2011, and swiftly given a retro, nautical refurb’; the “delicious menu” takes in local north Norfolk catch and game.

Overlooking the green, this village pub-with-rooms was acquired by East Anglia’s Chestnut Group in 2022. Some reports this year suggest that “things have started to slip” under the new regime, and that what “used to be a favourite” is “no longer quite as special as it once was”, but “at its best, the food is excellent” still (and, despite the critiques, its locally sourced pub classics have so far retained their Bib Gourmand).

A “great-value” menu featuring plenty of fresh fish, along with local meat and game, has attracted a loyal following for this “very friendly” family-run North Norfolk venue over more than 20 years. Co-chef/founder Angela Long has ensured that standards remain high since the loss of her husband, Richard, two years ago.

“Holt in Norfolk is a jewel of a market town, and Meadowsweet is a little jewel of a restaurant with rooms” that’s won acclaim as “a superb addition to the county” since its 2021 launch by Greg Anderson and Rebecca Williams. “Service is personal and spot on” and “the house and dining room feel warm and friendly without trying to be bleeding edge”. When it comes to the “ambitious” ten-course menu for £130 per person – “every dish is thoughtful and delicious” with “chefs all working out of a tiny space and involved in introducing the courses”. “Prices seem to have risen sharply since they got their Michelin star, but we think it’s worth it!” – “worth the journey… bravo!”

2021 Review: Fans are “happy to report the continued success and popularity of owner Desmond’s venture on the north Norfolk coast” – lionised in a BBC TV series, and combining “really good freshly cooked” farm food with “lots of outside space to run around in”.

“A fabulous seaside pub and restaurant serving local produce, including smoked goods from their own smokehouse” – this “high-quality” and much commented-on north Norfolk venue fits the bill at all times of the year, whether “enjoying the warmth of the open fires in December” or “dining on the open deck in the summer, looking out over the salt marshes”. Top Tip – “Brancaster mussels are excellent”.

2021 Review: “An excellent breakfast” is the top tip at Hannah Springham and Andrew Jones’s good-looking, Georgian restaurant with rooms: sibling to Norwich’s Farmyard. For other occasions, feedback on its straightforward, brasserie-style fare (fish pie, côte de boeuf, burger) is still too limited for a rating.

This “gorgeous pub/restaurant in a bucolic setting right next to a ford” was built as a watermill in the eighteenth century, became a pub in the nineteenth, and was taken over and spruced up in 2021 by Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton (sisters of well-known caterer Oliver). “More gastro than traditional pub”, it’s a “great destination” that’s “unique in Norfolk” – “especially in the summer when you can sit in the sensational garden” and dine on “great seasonal cooking and very good pies”.

Norfolk chef Lewis King and wife Aga have “struck a winning balance” at this small ex-coffee shop, whose honours include the GFG’s accolade for Best Local Restaurant in Britain – and where “the atmosphere and décor is nothing outstanding in the best possible way – a simple yet tasteful interior that feels very calm, cosy and welcoming”. In the kitchen, Lewis turns out “extremely high-quality and creative food” (much locally sourced) from short and long set menus, while “passionate yet knowledgeable” Aga ensures a “fantastic” welcome and wines.