The story
In the Leicestershire village of Wymeswold, Hammer & Pincers has quietly built a reputation as one of the county’s most accomplished dining destinations. This 3 AA Rosette restaurant, now also Michelin Recommended, balances the warmth of a traditional country pub with the precision of fine dining. The kitchen’s focus is firmly on seasonal, locally-sourced Modern British cooking, with menus that change weekly to reflect the best of the British larder.
The team at Hammer & Pincers has a particular passion for game, drawing on Leicestershire’s strong shooting traditions. Autumn menus feature local Mallard duck, pigeon and partridge, paired with classic autumnal partners like chestnut, quince, walnut and pear. The weekly-changing lunch and dinner menus showcase this same respect for ingredients, from hand-dived scallops with Roe XO to Stephen’s Hebridean hogget served as a shepherd’s pie. A permanent fixture is Beef Wellington Tuesdays, a five-course set menu built around a classic beef fillet en croute with wild mushroom duxelles and Pedro Ximenez XO jus.
Above the restaurant, two boutique bedrooms offer an extension of the experience. The Blossom Suite features its own lounge area and a private roof terrace, while the Forest Room is a generously sized double. Both rooms come with luxury pashmina mattresses, Egyptian cotton sheets, en-suite power showers and Elemis toiletries. Preferential rates are offered for direct bookings, and breakfast is available each morning.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Danny and Sandra Jimminson have created something highly distinctive in their village pub/restaurant near Loughborough. They now have a pair of boutique guest rooms above the venue, while the smart dining area boasts dark walls, exposed brickwork, low rafters and bare tables for a comfortable balance of old and new. Various menus of polished modern cooking (including grazing/tasting options) indicate an ambitious kitchen attuned to the combinatorial arts: blowtorched mackerel is partnered with crab and oyster mayonnaise and watercress coulis, or there could be an apricot and brioche tartlet to go with chicken liver parfait and herb salad. Main courses are busily constructed but balanced compositions, perhaps accompanying steamed turbot with prawn mousseline, asparagus, fennel and Anya potato in prawn nage, or filling brik rolls with butternut squash, alongside tahini labneh, pomegranate molasses, burnt aubergine and a purée of red pepper and walnut. The cheesecake made with Sharpham Cremet, served with grape compôte and nut brittle, will take a lot of resisting – assuming the chocolate plate with muscovado ice cream hasn't already claimed you for its own. Wine pairings suit those who are grazing, while the list kicks off at £22.
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