Wow, I get to go to some of the nicest places in pursuit of a lovely lunch, and this was no exception; in fact – thinking back – I don't remember being in such elegant surroundings in my wanderings over the last four years. I say elegant; add to that smart and fresh and light and spacious but not overpowering or intimidating and you get the picture. Art deco items of furniture added a delightful touch to the place.

There is good parking in New Buckenham, on the streets, but the pub has its own generous car park, so no problems there. We were greeted warmly and offered a choice of rooms to eat in: one was the large main dining room prettily laid out for a busy time later in the day. We chose the snug, a separate small room with about four or five tables, and a view over the village green.

The drinks that we had ordered at the bar came quickly, and we settled down to study the menu: there was also a specials board in the bar to look at with a few more tempting dishes listed. Being on a diet (when am I not?) I decided against the pie of the day (Chicken and sausage), and rather bravely (I thought) plumped for a spicy prawn salad. Would there be enough food? Should I order something to go with it? Portion size is always an unknown factor but I need not have worried. The salad was extremely plentiful with a light dressing, and the serving of spiced prawns was generous. What a combination of flavours; sweet, hot, piquant and sharp! Lovely.

My friend (who has never uttered the word ‘diet’ in her life) chose chicken supreme with potato cake flavoured with fennel and garlic, all dressed with a light but tasty mustard and peppercorn sauce. This too was beautifully flavoured. There was also a lovely large piece of broccoli that was cooked to perfection, just at that elusive point between raw and overdone.

The pudding menu offered a choice of ice creams; a dark chocolate pot with rum and raisin ice cream; a cheesecake, and a plum tart. I chose the vanilla and mascarpone cheesecake with toffee sauce, and my friend opted for the plum and almond tart with Chantilly cream. We both paused halfway through to wax lyrical about the flavours; the careful combination of the slightly salty toffee caramel sauce with the vanilla cheesecake, and my friend’s almond sponge sprinkled with pieces of toasted almond, above the succulent sweet plums nestling in the Chantilly cream. And as regular readers will know, I love a big serving of pudding, and neither of these would disappoint. Mine was a generous section, and was unusually deep with a strawberry on top. My friend’s portion was big enough to allow me a spoonful, purely in the interests of research, and lovely it was.

We ordered coffee which was freshly made and nice and strong: this came with a chocolate filled biscuit.

All the service was prompt and unintrusive, the waitress was cheerful and attentive. I was very impressed with everything I saw; access for the disabled is good, and staff would be on hand to offer assistance.

Bottom line,
Drinks (one soft, one wine) £ 6.50
Prawn Salad £ 6.95
Chicken supreme £11.95
Deserts £11.00
Coffees £ 3.60
Total £40.00 

Inn on the Green, Chapel Street, New Buckenham, Norfolk, NR16 2BB;
01953 860 172 

Opening hours
Monday - Closed
Tuesday - Friday
Bar 12:00am - 3:00pm & 6:00pm - 11:00pm
Food 12:00am - 2:15pm & 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Saturday
Bar 12:00am - 3:00pm & 6:00pm - 11:00pm
Food 12:00am - 2:15pm & 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Sunday
Bar 12:00am - 3:00pm & 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Food 9:30am - 2:15pm & 6:30pm - 8:30pm

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