Norfolk is a cliché-writer’s dream. Can anyone ever write about it without mentioning big skies, endless horizons, vast beaches, and timeless villages? As happens with clichés, they’re rooted in truth. See for yourself on an unhurried trip along the coast road between Hunstanton in the west towards Cromer in the east. Frame it with food, and take your time; those skies, horizons, beaches and villages are worth it.
Revolution isn’t the first word that springs to mind when considering North Norfolk. Wild, windswept beaches? Yes. Vast skies over wide expanses of salt marshes, populated only by seabirds? That too. But revolution amid the little coastal villages with their pebbled cottages and ancient churches? Hardly.
As we start to research the next edition of The Good Food Guide, an inspector looks back on dining out in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Norfolk, and North Yorkshire. 'During the past nearly two years, lockdowns permitting, I’ve continued scouting around for interesting new or little-known restaurants and visiting those already listed ......
Now is the time to think ahead to Boxing Day. While the majority of Good Food Guide restaurants are on a well-earned Christmas break, a handful will be open on 26th December, ready to whisk you away from glazed hams, turkey-based buffets and family politics. Take it easy in some of North Norfolk’s best pubs, stuff yourself with seafood after a bracing dip in Dorset, or get your glad rags on for lunch at The Ritz.
We asked our readers to nominate their favourite neighbourhood restaurants, places that give a warm welcome and share a passion for local produce, plus a commitment to the community, here are our winners
