The Red Lion & White Horse - Kenninghall

It has been nearly five months since I last made the journey to Norfolk, in order to see dad, and quite a lot has happened since then. For a start my wife Eileen was hospitalised for five weeks at the beginning of the year, following a bout of pneumonia. Then there's the news that my sister and her husband have departed for pastures new in the East Midlands, leaving dad with no family members close by.

So for several weeks I have been struggling with mixed loyalties; wanting to go and visit dad, but mindful that my wife was still convalescing. Finally, at the end of last weekend, I felt able to make the journey up to Norfolk, safe in the knowledge that Eileen would be okay left on her own.

I have written before about finding a place to stay overnight on my trips to see dad,  so whilst looking for somewhere to lay my head, I came across the Red Lion at Kenninghall; a large village roughly halfway between Bury St Edmunds and Norwich.

The Red Lion is a CAMRA National Inventory pub, which has been on my list of pubs to visit for some time, so when the pub came up on Bookings.com at a very good price, I jumped at the chance of an overnight stay.

I drove up early on Sunday afternoon, surprised that the traffic, particularly on the M25, was so heavy. Once past Stansted I made good time, and with the aid of my sat-nav, arrived in Kenninghall shortly before 5pm. I  made a brief stop at the well-stocked village store, and post office, before parking up at the Red Lion, which lies in the shadow of the imposing St Mary's church.

I was shown to a cosy little room at the front of the building, with a door opening straight out onto the street. I was aware that the Red Lion wouldn't be serving food on Sunday evening, so had carried out some prior research to see what the alternatives were. Kenninghall is large enough to support two pubs, and right in the centre of the village, opposite the post office, is the White Horse.

I'd noticed the pub on my drive through, and although indications from the website were that it was more of a gastro-pub, it still fitted the bill. I took a slow wander down to the centre of the village, shortly before 6pm, pausing en route to take some photos and also for a look at the church. After studying the menu options, displayed outside the White Horse, I opened the door and stepped inside.

The White Horse is a 16th century coaching inn which has undergone a substantial renovation and the pub, whilst retaining its character and charm, now has a colourful and contemporary feel to it. There is a long counter, running the entire length of the rear of the spacious single bar. The bar itself is divided into two unequal parts by a large central fireplace and chimney.

Being early evening, the pub wasn't very busy, and as I approached the bar I noticed there were two beers from Woodforde's making up the cask line-up; Norfolk Nog, plus the ubiquitous Wherry. I opted for the former and it was pulled up by the pleasant and friendly girl behind the bar. Dark, sweet and luscious against a background of roasted malt, is how I'd describe the Nog, and I scored it a worthy 3.5 NBSS. Priced at £3.60 a pint, it was worth every penny as well.

I grabbed a couple of menus and sat myself down at one of the tables, resisting the barmaid's suggestion that I try one of the comfy, low sofas. Low, comfortable sofas and me are not a good combination, as once comfortably ensconced I find it very difficult to get back up again.

Once seated I perused the menus as well as a couple of local CAMRA branch magazines which were gracing the bar. "Norfolk Nips", which now covers the whole of the county, needs little in the way of introduction, whilst the other magazine, a publication called "Last Orders", is a joint venture between the Suffolk and  North Essex branches of CAMRA.

Food-wise, I opted for the "Battered catch of the day". This just happened to be cod (I wonder how often that happens?), and it arrived on a plate with some deep fried potato slices, which were described as "hand cut"  chips. I enjoyed my meal along with the Norfolk Nog, treating myself to a further half before leaving.

So why didn't I stay longer? Well if you're running an attractive old pub, offering good food and excellent beer, why on earth would you think it a good idea to have what can best be described as "lounge music", blasting out of  the speakers?  (By this I mean slightly off tone, jazz-oriented muzak of  the sort used to annoy people placed on hold when phoning a call-centre).

I was tempted to say something, safe in the knowledge I am unlikely to be returning to the White Horse,  but I thought better of it. Instead, as reporters on a certain, now defunct Sunday paper used to say, I made my excuses and left!

I wandered back up to the Red Lion, through the steadily gathering dusk, stopping off at my room to make a phone call home. I also bashed out part of this article on my lap-top, before popping back  next door for a couple of end of evening beers. There was no-one in the bar and the barmaid was thinking of shutting up for the night. It was only just after 9pm, but apparently Sunday evening was normally a quiet time.

Not wishing to deprive a thirsty man of his beer, the friendly barmaid pulled me a pint, It was Rockabilly from Shortts Farm Brewery, who are based just outside the Suffolk town of Eye . It deserved its 4.0 NBSS score, being refreshingly bitter, with citrus flavours from the use of North American hops.

As I got stuck into my beer the conversation turned to food. The barmaid had shown me to my room when I first arrived and knowing that the Red Lion's kitchen was closed on Sunday evenings, we'd already spoken about somewhere else to eat in Kenninghall.

I described my impressions of the White Horse, and added that I thought it more of an eating place than anything else. She said it had had a succession of owners in recent years; each one keen to stamp their own personality on the pub. According to Whatpub, the current owners are a family-owned "hospitality company", called. Foodsie 100Ltd.  

The conversation then turned to other matters, and I learned that Kenninghall was both a thriving village and a very pleasant place to live. I had sort of gathered that from what I'd observed from my walk down to the White Horse and also from the parish magazine I'd thumbed through earlier. I also learned quite a bit about the Red Lion, particularly that it was known for the quality of its beer and that it was much more of a locals' pub than its more contemporary counterpart.

As mentioned earlier the pub is on CAMRA's heritage pub list and has been beautifully restored after being closed for approximately seven years. It re-opened in February 1997, following extensive refurbishment. The building dates from the early 16th Century, and as well as a traditional public bar, has a pine panelled snug, which is one of only two of its kind in East Anglia.

At the other end of the pub is a 50 seater restaurant. laid out in the style of old stables. I enjoyed a satisfying full English breakfast there the following morning. In addition to the good, wholesome home-cooked food, the Red Lion has four guest rooms, and hosts regular live music sessions and other community events.

I was getting close to finishing my pint when another customer entered the bar. It turned out he was another guest. Seeing how quiet the pub was, the newcomer enquired if they were still serving. I could see the barmaid's face drop slightly, as she saw her desire for an early night vanish, but seeing as the new arrival was quite chatty, I too ordered another pint.

Motorbike racing was what had brought the other guest to Kenninghall. His son had spent the weekend racing at the nearby Snetterton Circuit, just down the road, and dad had travelled up from Somerset to act as support. Like me, he'd come across the Red Lion on Bookings.com.

Whilst tucking  into my breakfast the following morning, I heard the landlady telling the cleaner that since registering recently with the booking site, she'd had plenty of reservations, so it was obviously paying off for the pub.

I would also recommend the Red Lion as a good place to base yourself in this less frequented south-east corner of  Norfolk. If like me, you are a lover of unspoilt "heritage pubs", then you can't really go wrong by booking yourself a short stay there.