Buckinghamshire Arms, Norfolk, pub review

Blickling Hall in Norfolk was mentioned in the Domesday Book: one of its owners, Sir John Fastolf, was the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Falstaff. The Boleyn family owned the estate in the 16th century, and Anne spent much of her childhood at the hall.

Sadly, she never had the opportunity to sup a small beer or two at the Buckinghamshire Arms. The inn was built in the 17th century to refresh and house workers on the estate – its rather confusing modern name comes from a title conferred in the 18th century on the Hobarts, who then held the estate.

After perusing some of Blickling’s 5,000 acres (and marvelling at the huge yew hedges that line the approach drive), I found myself ineluctably drawn into the comfortable atmosphere of “The Bucks”, as the cognoscenti know it.

A small but homely bar awaited me, furnished with five real ales: regulars Woodfordes Wherry (3.8%), which is bitter and malty with a grapefruit aftertaste, and Adnams Southwold Bitter (3.7%), tasting of malt and Fuggles hops, are accompanied by a seasonally shifting panoply of guest beers.

The bar extends out of the main room into the next one, which has a wooden floor and tables, and a deeply rural ambience, with pictures of deer on the walls and a huge wood-burning stove in the fireplace. The lunch menu offers a number of temptations: not wanting to overpower my Adnams I opted for the posh fish and chips: a very palpable hit. The evening menu looks interesting, with mains ranging from a classic steak and kidney pudding to a more recherché “Cajun Marinated Swannington Flat Iron Steak with Caesar Salad and Fries”.

There are four rooms, and three of them have four-poster beds. A double room costs about £100 a night including breakfast. Staying over for a night or two would give the opportunity to do justice to Blickling Hall and its magnificent grounds, which can be accessed right from the pub door.

Blickling, Norfolk NR11 6NF

01263 732133; bucksarms.co.uk