Melton Mowbray Restaurant Guide

This “fascinating old pub in a quiet village in rural Leicestershire” is now in its fifth year under “top-notch chef Dom Clarke (ex-Moor Hall) doing his own thing in a small kitchen, which produces unusual combinations of high-quality ingredients, mostly locally grown and supplied”. The “menu is very limited” (3 starters and 3 mains), but that’s “easy to overlook when the dishes are expertly constructed and presented, and rarely disappoint”. “Add to this friendly service and a great atmosphere”.

Now a restaurant with rooms, thanks to two bedrooms added during the covid-enforced closure, this former village forge has offered “consistently good, high-quality” cuisine for more than 20 years under the ownership of former Savoy chef Danny Jimminson and his wife Sandra. It’s a “relaxed, really enjoyable” venue, with a range of menus from two to seven courses.

“There’s a great atmosphere in this country town restaurant, run by husband and wife team Neil & Louise Hitchen” – “Neil turns out superb dishes from the barn-conversion kitchen while Louise is in charge of front of house. Many of the ingredients are sourced locally in Rutland and the well-briefed team can answer any questions instantly”. Set in a “venerable old building in the heart of lovely Oakham”, with “mismatched furniture and crockery adding to the charm”, it’s “a mainstay of the town” and about “as good as a proper neighbourhood restaurant can get”. “Better still, a huge effort has been made to construct dishes which achieve this whilst being affordable, so a dinner for two with some very good, interesting, wines is still possible for south of £100. No small achievement these days” – and it means “you leave smiling and probably happier than when you arrived. Even nearby Hambleton Hall (where the Hitchens met working in the 90s) can’t better that!” Top Menu Tip – “scotch eggs are a speciality and well worth trying”.

This famous country-house “continues to be a great location for special occasions” – more than 40 years after the late Imogen Skirving converted it from her family home. Long-serving exec chef Gary Booth pursued the seasonal and local route – including game from the nearby Belvoir estate – long before it became a bandwagon and continues to win solidly good ratings for his cuisine. The venue still has the personality of a family-run estate, with Imogen’s granddaughter Lila Arora nowadays at the helm.

This “classy neighbourhood pub/restaurant” is a “perennial favourite for quality food, welcome, service and all-round atmosphere – long may it flourish”, chorus the many admirers of chef Carol & husband Scott Craddock’s Grade II-listed stone pub, where “you dine on the freshest of fish and seafood, their own herbs, wild garlic and good-quality locally raised meat”. Top Tip – “full marks for the home-baked breads and fancy butters (wild or black garlic are favourites)”.

“A lovely old pub in the bar and more ancient parts (the newer additions are slightly less appealing – tip: avoid the dining room and stay in the original section if you can!)” – this characterful inn with its great Rutland Water setting put in a “less checkered” performance this year. That said, standards can still be “more ordinary than in the past – pleasant enough” and “readers are advised to be cautious in their expectations!”. “Beautiful walks for after a meal though!”

“Incredible Indian street food” has been enjoyed at this Gujarati vegetarian fixture on Leicester’s ‘Golden Mile’ since 1976, when it was opened by the late Bhagwanjibhai and Manglaben Lakhani. Now run by their son Dharmesh, it has been refurbished taking inspiration from the classic Bollywood film ‘Bobby’, the source of its name.

This “excellent South Indian” near Leicester Tigers’ Welford Road stadium is “the real deal”, and “never disappoints” with its “superb food served by a wonderful team”. Top Menu Tips – “the fish curry is a delight, as is the masala dosa”.

2021 Review: Cyrus Todiwala OBE, the acclaimed Bombay-born TV-chef behind London’s Café Spice Namaste, has chosen a Grade II listed building in the city-centre for his first restaurant outside London; and will feature five separate areas over two floors, including a bar, casual dining and fine dining room. For the town with the biggest Diwali festival outside India, Leicester has always curiously lacked a go-to Indian dining destination – maybe this is it?

“Outstanding!” – Harry & Caroline Hallam accommodate a maximum of 10 guests at a time in the “so cosy” front room of their Georgian house: a “long-running and great restaurant”. It has been in operation for over 30 years (long before the term ‘pop-up’ was invented) and most folks have nowadays forgotten that for many years they held a Michelin star (until about 2010). Caroline is front of house, Harry in the kitchen and the menu depends on what Harry has decided to buy that day (you must book ahead). The experience is somewhat dependent on the quantity and personality of fellow diners but – even if the level and tenor of feedback has perhaps become slightly more muted in recent years – no reports this year suggested that the experience remains anything but very good or excellent.