The story
In the heart of Oakham, Neil and Louise Hitchen run a restaurant that has quietly become one of Rutland’s most rewarding dining destinations. Housed in a converted barn with low beams, auction-furniture finds and a relaxed, bistro-like feel, the place balances rustic charm with real culinary finesse.
Neil Hitchen, who met Louise while both worked at nearby Hambleton Hall, spent two decades in luxury hotels around the world before transforming a village pub into a Michelin-recognised operation. In 2019 they opened Hitchen’s Barn, and the acclaim has been steady. The restaurant holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2020-2026, two AA Rosettes, and a place in The Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Local Restaurants for 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2024, critic William Sitwell awarded it five stars in the Daily Telegraph.
The cooking is Modern British and resolutely seasonal. Menus change daily, drawing on a network of regional suppliers: meat from Swinfen Butchers, game from Keythorpe, vegetables from B Faulkener & Sons, and bread from Hambleton Bakery. A twice-baked soufflé of Lincolnshire Poacher and Red Leicester cheeses has become something of a signature, described by regulars as near-legendary. Fish comes from the West Country – turbot on the bone, fillet of sea bass with clams and crayfish – while meat dishes might feature chargrilled ribeye with hand-cut chips or braised local venison. Desserts such as a flawlessly balanced blackberry cheesecake with apple sorbet or a banana panna cotta (named Michelin Inspector’s Dish of the Month in March 2025) round things off neatly.
Louise runs the front-of-house with warmth and efficiency, supported by a team that clearly cares. The result, as the Good Food Guide puts it, is “a homely yet indulgent oasis in Rutland” where the cooking is “perfectly pitched, acutely seasonal, beautifully presented and downright delicious.”
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
good quality, good value cooking
Neil and Louise Hitchen have got a good thing going at their Barn not far from Oakham Castle, deftly balancing a homely pub ambience with some serious restaurant finesse. Regional suppliers are naturally front and centre on Neil's daily changing menus, and if snacks such as pickled quail's eggs or roast chorizo with Dijon mustard and honey are anything to go by, the formula exerts broad appeal. Easing into the main menu, there are good things galore. A smoked salmon Scotch egg is neatly offset with samphire and warm tartare sauce, while the famous twice-baked two-cheese soufflé of Lincolnshire Poacher and Red Leicester has deservedly acquired the status of a signature dish. Fish main courses are both generous and big on flavour (creamily sauced fillet of sea bass with clams, crayfish and new potatoes, for example), while meats offer pedigree prime cuts such as chargrilled ribeye with hand-cut chips or flavoursome pork fillet in prune and Armagnac sauce with savoy cabbage and mash. A flawlessly balanced blackberry cheesecake paired with outstanding apple sorbet rang all the autumn bells at a November visit, or there might be an apricot Bakewell tart with honey-poached apricots and roasted almond ice cream. A thoughtfully chosen selection of wines by the glass completes the picture.
2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
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