Kettering Restaurant Guide

In the hands of Stephen & Tracey Fitzpatrick (also of the Joiners Arms at Bruntingthorpe), this village boozer with four rooms dates back to the 16th century and has preserved its traditional bar, which is rounded out by a modern restaurant leading out to the tranquil patio. The food is of the hearty, carnivorous kind, with Friday fish ‘n’ chip nights, once-monthly steak nights, and Auberge Mondays, where a three-course meal racks in at a bargain £22.50 per person.

This “great local restaurant” from Chris & Abby Ascough has built a solid reputation over 19 years for its “beautifully cooked and presented food” at “exceptionally good value” – including a £20 set lunch and a six-course tasting menu for £48 per person with matching wines for £20 per person.

This “pleasant old thatched building – hardly a pub, mostly a restaurant”, reopened in autumn 2023 after a refurb and under new ownership – “and the standards have not dropped”. “It’s a nice place (handy for the A1) and the food is pretty good, as is the service”, so it remains “a go-to local restaurant” for many in the area.

This “beautiful old country pub” – thatched and beamed, with a “lovely cosy atmosphere, open fire and low lighting” – serves “top-quality food” from chef Emilie Bull, backed up with an “impressive wine list” overseen by proprietor Tim Hubbard, here for 22 years with his wife Kate. “Kate and Tim know what they’re doing and they do it very well indeed” – “they’re always so friendly and happy to see you again”.

Celebrating its 10th year, this “very lively option with good cooking on Oundle Wharf” is “now a stalwart of the local dining scene”, with an “interesting menu that showcases local produce” – and “the beers are not too bad either, being brewed next door” at the Nene Valley brewery.