The Duck Inn, in Stanhoe has been named as the East of England's Best Restaurant in The Good Food Guide's Local Restaurant of the Year competition.
From March to May this year, some 30,000 people across the UK voted for their favourite local eateries and The Duck Inn in Stanhoe, near Burnham Market, has come out on top for the East of the country.
The restaurant, which was re-opened in 2013 by husband-and-wife team Ben and Sarah Handley, provides visitors with an inviting place to enjoy traditional pub food and tastily showcases some of the best produce Norfolk has to offer.
Ben, who also works as the restaurant's head chef, said: 'We feel so incredibly honoured to receive this award, which means so much to me personally, as well as our incredible team here at The Duck Inn. It is the team that constantly drives us forwards as a business and a recognized destination pub/restaurant in an area where we have so many brilliant, strong competitors. We are blessed to be in Norfolk, where good local food is only minutes away. Be it in our extensive herb garden, the North Sea, the fields, rivers or the marsh, Norfolk has it all and we base our menu around the seasons and our terrific local produce.
'I must also pay tribute to our local suppliers, who it is a pleasure to work alongside, and who make it easy for us to create interesting, flavoursome, quality dishes. We are also blessed with extraordinary support and love from our wonderful customers, who make it an absolute joy to enable us to do what we do on a daily basis. We are very proud of all the achievements we have made in such a relatively short period of time, and we will continue to offer the best service and the warmest of welcomes to everyone who walks in our door.'
He added: 'The Good Food Guide is the guide that I have had the utmost respect for since my introduction to cooking and hospitality. The voting process for the award was initiated by votes from the general public. A panel of Good Food Guide then judged each entrant before anonymous inspectors carried out visits. The fact that we won still hasn't truly sunk in, and we know that our fantastically loyal customers will be as proud as we all are. This award is the culmination of three years' work; it is also the springboard for the next chapter.'
• The full list of local winners can be found here.
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