Review: Sunday roast at The Three Horseshoes pub in Warham

However, if one of your party (me) is a vegetarian, finding a Sunday roast that isn’t ‘something from the weekday menu eaten in front of someone having a proper dinner’ isn’t as easy as you’d imagine.

I want roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings, gravy and vegetables, and a meat-alternative that doesn’t involve a lump of soya carved into an approximation of a turkey: thank all that is holy, therefore, for The Warham Three Horseshoes.

The pub is in one of Norfolk’s most lovely corners: rolling hills and Iron Age forts, hedgerows waiting to burst into life and hares racing across stubbly fields, beautiful villages and river valleys, it’s picture perfect.

But while the roads may be quiet and winding, the car park in front of Warham’s church is full, giving you a clue that although the village looks sleepy, the pub there is anything but.

It pays to book your table at The Three Horseshoes on Sundays because the word is most definitely out: this joint is jumping – both in terms of the pub itself, and the meat on to the plates of eager diners.

This is a pub that really is the beating heart of its village and it’s clear straight away that licensee Fiona Farrow and husband Michael, who is head chef, are people who are passionate about pubs, people, food, wine and beer.

In addition to the multitude of charms the Three Horseshoes offers, it is much-loved for its food offer, which includes a robust selection of great pub food served throughout the week, including a famous homemade pie menu, classics, sandwiches and splendid puddings.

READ MORE: This coastal hotel is a masterclass in hospitality

Chef Michael’s pies (£15 each, served with a choice of potatoes and vegetables) are the stuff of local legend, and all menus have a firm focus on fresh, local and seasonal produce – meat is from Wells-based Arthur Howell, cheese from Catherine Temple two miles away – the provenance shines through.

A warm welcome in all senses of the phrase awaited us as we shivered our way into the bar and to our table, right next to a roaring open fire and into the capable hands of the friendly, mega-efficient staff (service here is wonderfully swift!).

My husband and I wouldn’t generally have a starter before Sunday lunch, but for the purpose of review, and because we are nothing if not thorough (and greedy) we chose to share a starter from a lively selection.

Our choice included cheese from the aforementioned Mrs Temple: crispy deep-fried Copys Cloud served with chilli jam, the soft, buttery brie-style cheese heated to create molten joy.

Bread-crumbed to create a crisp jacket for the melting cheese, the chilli jam added a little kick to the cheese: I began to regret my decision to share quite swiftly.

With drinks ordered - somewhat annoyingly for any of you real ale fans, both of us settled on soft drinks (£1.90/£1.80) because the ale and wine selection is great: apologies.

Richard chose topside of beef (£14.50) and I chose nut roast (£13.50) both of which came with plentiful roast potatoes, a Yorkshire pudding, homemade gravy and a selection of vegetables. Other choices included supreme of chicken, shoulder of pork (both £13.50), leg of lamb (£14.50) or a trio of meats for £16.50. The restaurateur in our party thought this to be a fabulous bargain.

READ MORE: 

(There’s also a non-roast menu, which is also on during the week: The Three Horseshoes is covering every option with aplomb, here).

Piping hot plates of mains with potatoes, plentiful gravy (mine was DELICIOUS and being vegetarian, it’s never a given) and mountainous Yorkshires arrived with a separate dish of vegetables for us to share: trust me, you will not go hungry at the Horseshoes.

The beef – medium rare - was, Richard tells me, not only great in texture and flavour, but also in quantity, and he said how unusual it was to be served such a superior cut of meat for a Sunday dinner and how beautifully it had been cooked.

Potatoes were crispy and fluffy inside and the vegetables (cabbage, peas, broad beans and carrots) were soft and buttery and I do love a broad bean at any time of the year, but particularly in the depths of winter when we need a reminder of summer.

The Yorkshire pudding was large and light and I appreciated its contribution to the Sunday roast: lots of restaurants have started a worrying trend of lumping vegetarians in with vegans (and, indeed, with all allergen diners) which means Yorkshires might be off the menu for meat avoiders. Not here, thankfully.

For both of us, the gravy took our dinner to the next level: such a gorgeous depth of flavour (was there red wine in mine? It tasted like it, and if there wasn’t, then there is magic going on in the kitchen and I would like to become the sorcerer’s apprentice).

After a brief break and solely to aid you, dear reader, in the pursuit of a three-course Sunday dinner – I am all heart – we chose from the dessert menu on the very last day of the winter menu.

I chose from the specials board: chocolate fudge cake, my husband chose sloe gin jelly with Dann’s ice cream (both £6), and although if truth be told neither of us needed to gild the lily of the meal we’d just had, I’m glad we did.

What a lovely pub The Three Horseshoes is, what a wonderful way to while away some cosy hours on a Sunday afternoon – and I’ve not even touched upon some of the other highlights: a doggy treat menu at the bar, children’s menus, an amazing garden seating area for warmer days, smaller portions for those with smaller appetites, a sign that promises that badly-behaved children will be made into pies...

Even better, The Three Horseshoes has bedrooms which, I imagine, would be perfect post-roast, when you could roll out of the dining room and into bed for a nap: maybe next time.

To book a table, email info@warhamhorseshoes.co.uk or call 01328 710547.