The story
On the sprawling Gunton Estate just outside North Walsham, The Gunton Arms operates as a genuine country pub with serious food credentials. A winner of the Michelin Bib Gourmand for good quality, good value cooking, it serves high-calibre seasonal British and seafood dishes in a setting that feels more like a private home than a dining room.
The atmosphere is defined by its roaring open fires and a remarkable collection of modern and traditional artworks chosen by owner Ivor Braka. The space is grand yet comfortable, with original features and art that gives the pub a distinctive, unhurried character.
The kitchen focuses on exactly what North Norfolk does best. Sourcing locally and seasonally, the menu leans heavily on the region’s exceptional shellfish and seafood, alongside estate-reared game and prime British meats. It’s a straightforward, farm-to-table approach, where the quality of the raw ingredient is not hidden.
The Michelin Bib Gourmand recognises the consistent skill and value here – cooking that is generous and assured, without pretense. It is the kind of place where a whole roasted lobster or a perfectly grilled steak is as welcome as a pint of local ale by the fire.
The Gunton Arms also offers rooms on the estate for those wanting to stay, and is the sister pub to The Suffield Arms, a Mediterranean tapas restaurant nearby.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
good quality, good value cooking
On the fringes of a 1,000-acre deer park just four miles from the Norfolk coast, this idiosyncratic pub/restaurant with rooms is quite a prospect. The grey-stone exterior may seem rather stark but inside all is comforting, thanks to soft, warm furnishings, lots of varnished woodwork, leather, blazing fires and the owners' collection of contemporary British art from the likes of Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and Lucien Freud. A recently acquired walled garden and chicken coop bolster the kitchen's larder, while big-boned British dishes are the order of the day. Much attention focuses on the mighty Elk Room fire, where cuts of meat are dramatically cooked to order as you watch from your table – expect anything from Blythburgh pork chops, ribs of beef and herby Gunton venison sausages to flavoursome sirloin steak served with goose-fat roasties, sauces and rowan jelly. Rich, carefully seasoned pies are also something of a trademark (perhaps chicken, bacon and leek) and there’s fish from the coast too (sea trout with seashore vegetables and King’s Lynn shrimps, for example). For afters, a delicate Amedei chocolate mousse was the standout for one visitor, but there’s also comfort to be had from the vanilla cheesecake with rhubarb or the Bramley apple and almond tart. Sunday brings roast Aberdeen Angus sirloin as well as roasted chickens, which are carved by skilled staff and served with veg from the walled garden, garlicky bread sauce and a spectacular gravy that elevates the whole feast to another level. Everyone praises the cheerful, prompt and ‘incredibly friendly’ service too. Norfolk ales are on tap in the bar and the short wine list offers a decent spread at fair prices.
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