The King's Head, Bawburgh

Just outside of Norwich and with a lovely rural location in the delightful riverside village of Bawburgh, The Kings Head is a long-running family business that has always served great food but added a set of boutique rooms a few years ago, and now makes one of the best places to stay if you want to access Norwich but enjoy the joys of the Norfolk countryside at the same time. 

Each named after someone associated with the pub over the years, the rooms vary quite a bit in size, from large doubles to cosy doubles, and a couple of suites to 2 very well-appointed apartments that can sleep 4–6 people in 2–3 separate bedrooms. Every guest room has good wifi, a flatscreen Freeview TV and desk and en-suite bath or shower rooms, while the larger doubles and suites have king-size or super-king-size beds.

The King's Head was shortlisted for an East of England 'Pub of the Year' award recently and you may need to book to make sure you don't miss out on the food, which is 2-AA-rosette standard and very good indeed. They serve lots of delicious pub classics – steaks, fish and chips, burgers – as well as a '48.5 mile menu' that focuses only on produce and ingredients from nearby; think local mussels or other fish and seafood dishes from North Norfolk, local pork and beef and always a variety of excellent vegetable-based dishes. Breakfasts, too, are excellent!