The Gunton Arms

I was recently fortunate enough to participate in the IAG exchange program at Birketts, LLP in Cambridge. In an effort to experience local culinary delights, we had dinner at what we thought was no more than a quiet country pub. We discovered that the Gunton Arms is much more than meets the eye.

The Gunton Arms is a pub in an historic park in North Norfolk. We arrived at dusk, where we were met with deer in the headlights – literally, a herd of very large deer was calmly standing only a few metres from the pebble-stoned building. Upon entry into the pub we were met with a (very welcome!) blazing fire surrounded by armchairs, a small bar which opened up to a restaurant. It’s a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, reminiscent of your stereotypical English country pub. It wasn’t until we were seated that we noticed to fabulous art collection decorating the walls – works by renowned artists including Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst (in the ladies bathroom hung some very memorable artworks, to say the least!) This juxtaposition between traditional and modern was truly striking.

We were seated at a large wooden table in the Elk Room – so named after the skull of a giant elk hanging above an immense open fire. The food was – in a word – sensational (although certainly a meat-eaters’ paradise). Everything we tried was excellent, and my Blythburgh pork chops, cooked over the large roaring open fire in the Elk Room was beautifully cooked to perfection.

The Gunton Arms evokes imagery of village pub from a time now passed, but with a delightful modern twist. I would highly recommend a visit next time you happen to be in Nolfolk and in need of a pub feed – in style.