Eating out: Romantic places
Let’s
Talk! suggests some romantic eateries in Norfolk and Suffolk
Give us your favourites! This is just our selection of romantic pubs but if we’ve missed your favourite tell us about it by posting a message on our forums - our readers will appreciate your views
too! Message
board
The Honingham Buck, Norwich, Norfolk
Location: East of Norwich on the A47
The pub: retains many of its period features with original
internal beams. Warm cosy atmosphere. Local cask ales.
Food: Local produce wherever possible. Menu changes regularly;
for specials see blackboards in the restaurant. Sample menu at: www.yeoldebuck.co.uk
Booking: Call 01603 880393
The Walpole Arms, Itteringham, Norfolk
Location: Itteringham, off the B1354 north west of Aylsham
The pub: Traditional village pub with oak-beamed 18th century
bar
Food: Freshly bought and prepared produce; local where
possible, such as mussels from Morston. View a sample menu online at www.thewalpolearms.co.uk
Booking: Call 01263 587258
The Rose and Crown, Snettisham, Norfolk
Location: Snettisham, just off the A149, 10 miles north
of King’s Lynn
The pub: A 14th century inn built to house the craftsmen
building the parish church. Eat in any of the three bars or three dining
rooms
Food: Traditional pub favourites plus some more exotic
dishes. See the menu at www.roseandcrownsnettisham.co.uk
Booking: Call 01485 541382
The Chequers Inn, Thompson, Norfolk
Location: Thompson, off the A1075, just south of Watton
The pub: A 16th century thatched inn retaining some original
features. Believed to have got its name from the old method of counting
money on a chequered cloth.
Food: Home cooked food in the bar or dinners, grills, set
menu in the restaurant. More details available online at www.thompsonchequers.co.uk
Booking: Call 01953 483360
The Hare Arms, Downham Market, Norfolk
Location: Just off the A10, two miles north of Downham Market
The pub: Large L-shaped bar decorated with lots of memorabilia.
B ar food served every day from 12pm to 2pm and from 6.30pm to 10pm.
Food: Silver service in the restaurant with a la Carte
and Table d’Hote menu offering four courses. Restaurant open Monday
to Saturdays, with orders taken from 7pm to 9pm. Menus and more information
at www.theharearms.co.uk
Booking: Call 01366 382229
The Great House, Lavenham, Suffolk
Location: Lavenham, south of Bury St. Edmunds. The restaurant
is in the Market Square.
The restaurant: Voted one of the ten most romantic restaurants
in the country. The restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Food: Acclaimed French cuisine.
Booking: Call 01787 247431
The Thorn, Mistley, Suffolk
Location: Overlooking the River Stour in the village of
Mistley, east of the A137 between Ipswich and Colchester.
The restaurant: Built in 1723 on the site of a pub where
Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins.
Food: This award-winning boutique hotel uses only the best
seasonal and local ingredients, with an emphasis on fish.
Booking: Call 01206 392821
The Crown & Castle, Orford, Suffolk
Location: Orford - on the Suffolk heritage coast, northeast of
Woodbridge.
The restaurant: Owned by award winning food writer Ruth
Watson, and presenter of Channel Four’s Hotel Inspector, the Crown
and Castle dates back to the 16th century and was originally thought to
have been within the walls of Orford Castle.
Food: The hotel website says much time and energy is spent
sourcing local produce and the menus offer interesting but not stupidly
elaborate food. Not surprisingly the hotel is in all the major guides and
the food is excellent.
Booking: Call 01394 450205
The Buxhall Crown
Location: Buxhall is signposted off the B115 west of Stowmarket.
If you are not good at route finding print off a map from the website -it’s
well worth the effort.
The restaurant:Dating back to the 17th century the Crown
is all you’d expect of a traditional Suffolk inn turned gastro pub
Food: Using locally sourced ingredients and the very finest
meats the Crown prides itself on producing home made foods including bread,
ice-cream, biscuits and chocolate.
Booking: Call 01449 736521
The White Hart, Nayland
Location: Nayland, Suffolk - from the A12 south of Ipswich,
take the B1068 to Stoke-by-Nayland and then the B1087 to Nayland.
The restaurant: Part of the Michel Roux empire, the White
Hart was a former coaching inn that’s been turned into a highly respected
restaurant..
Food: Stunning cuisine and reasonably priced.
Booking: Call 01206 263382