The Duck Inn
Stanhoe, Norfolk
*Ben and Sarah Handley have announced that they will be stepping down and leaving the pub in September 2023.*
Almost a decade ago, Ben and Sarah Handley took on this roadside pub with a simple ambition: to tell Norfolk’s food story through the accomplished, fuss-free cooking of local ingredients. Nothing’s changed, thankfully, at the ever-hospitable Duck Inn. Arthur Howell, legendary local butcher – still provides the meat for a Sunday lunch that’s renowned well beyond East Anglia’s edges, as well as midweek dishes such as beef short rib (perhaps with chimichurri aioli or sweetcorn/coriander relish and gochujang mayo). A majestic pork chop from nearby Swannington satisfies with its spears of crackling, celeriac purée and a crisp pig's head and black pudding torchon that’s thick with flavour. Cromer offers up its magnificent sweet crabs, served late in the season as a bisque with a crab beignet, rémoulade and fennel, or as a midsummer baked thermidor with waxy potatoes and a lemon and seaweed butter. Vividly fresh mussels and oysters swing down from Brancaster, likewise peerless Staithe Smokehouse salmon which needs nothing more than a potato salad and the brightening pop of trout roe and horseradish. On a menu that leans towards fish and meat, care is still given to a beetroot tartare with fresh Rosary Ash goat's cheese and a little sherry vinegar, or a simple bowl of spaghetti with squash, spinach, pine nuts and basil pesto. The Duck’s Scotch eggs with their flowing golden yolk hold near-mythic status in these parts: they are a must-order. To finish? The sweetness of a satin-smooth lemon posset is offset deliciously with lime curd and soured cream, or go for a cranachan and that glorious combination of toasted oats, whisky, honey, cream and raspberries. A straightforward wine list opens in France at £22.50, but stay in Norfolk for a delightful Cobble Hill sparkling rosé, made from grapes grown just up the road at Burnham Market.
Dining Information:
Private dining room, Separate bar, Wheelchair access, Parking, Family friendly, Dog friendly
Burnham Road, Stanhoe, Norfolk PE31 8QD
01485 518330
