Beautifully situated across the village lane from the green and river, it has been known for its fine food for decades and triumphed in the recent Norfolk magazine Food and Drink Awards.
We arrived on a particularly dark and stormy evening, but the welcome was warm as we were led through a series of cosy interconnected bars and dining areas to a window table. The river was high and so were our expectations as we looked through the menu.
Soup of the day was celeriac, one of my favourite vegetables, so that was a contender, but then there was truffled mushroom arancini and oh, pheasant dumpling with game broth and pickled mushroom.
That was definitely not something I would cook for myself, so that was my starter sorted. The dumpling arrived, beautifully crisped on top and soft beneath, floating on a rich broth, enhanced by plump and sweet mushrooms. Utterly delicious.
My husband chose chicken liver with pancetta lardons and caramelised onion on a good hunk of sourdough to start, followed by skrei cod loin with crushed new potatoes, samphire and caper beurre blanc. This was a hefty square of lean and delicate fish and plenty of samphire rather than the decorative strands I have seen elsewhere. Everything is generous. The portions, the number of components to each meal, the choice.
My main course was lentil, mushroom and spinach strudel; the filling rolled into a swirl of buttery pastry and sliced Swiss-roll style. The flavours and textures were rich and hearty.
It was served with an abundance of vegetables – all perfectly cooked. The cauliflower was slightly al-dente beneath its smothering of cheese sauce, the roast carrot was quite possibly honey-glazed and again, with just a hint of crunch, the finely sliced ribbons of sweet red cabbage were piled high, the sauteed kale was crisped, the roast potatoes crispy outside and fluffy within and the Yorkshire pudding so huge that I shared it.
With so many vegetables it would have been forgivable if something had arrived not quite perfect – but it really was all excellent.
I paired my meal with Cornish cider while my husband went for moon gazer beer, all the way from Hindringham. Like a lot of pubs and restaurants, The King’s Head prides itself on sourcing ingredients locally. But the Bawburgh inn takes the concept and goes several steps further, or nearer, with a menu running alongside its Tuesday to Saturday offering, entirely made up of food from suppliers within 48.5 miles of the pub.
This being Norfolk this is hardly limiting, more an invitation to be imaginative. A sample 48.5 menu includes a starter of crispy pork belly, roasted pear, pickled fennel and pork puff and a main dish of coley fillet, curried lentil sauce, Jerusalem artichoke, leek and coriander oil.
Back to our meal, in a historic inn which dates back more than 400 years and has been run by the Wimmer family for more than 40 years, with luxury B&B rooms and self-catering apartments added more recently.
After such splendid starters and main courses I was eager to put the puddings to the test too and plumped (quite probably literally) for cherry and pistachio Eton mess with cherry sorbet.
It did not disappoint. Again, there was nothing small or simpering about the portion size. This pudding was holding its own against the other options which included steamed toffee, apple and pecan sponge and jam roly poly.
This is hearty pub fare with a lot of extras and refinements, from the imaginative menus and sophisticated ingredients to the pleasingly pared-back decor of the historic building (wooden floorboards, cosy fireplaces, clusters of comfy seats) and staff who are cheerful, attentive and helpful from first phone call to book to final goodbyes.
kingsheadbawburgh.co.uk
Our review visits are unannounced and we pay for our meals.
