One of my favourite up-market eateries, The Boars, has recently changed hands, and I was interested to see what changes – if any – have been made. I have eaten there half a dozen times in the past and always enjoyed the food and the company.

Car parking is not the easiest, and it pays to arrive early, and turn your car round ready for a painless exit; it gets crowded out there!

We were shown to our reserved table by a Nice Young Man, and were handed a newspaper-style menu each; there were also specials on a blackboard which caught my eye. While we perused the options, I started on my cool draft Adnams Southwold ale, and my companion drank her San Perito: the menu included pork, beef, duck, bream, smoked mackerel, and two vegetarian options. I liked the idea of the red onion tart with goats cheese and leeks, and my friend asked for the smoked mackerel.

Nice Young Man brought our food after about 25 minutes which gave us time to study the other pages of the menu. There is a Little Piglets’ section with two courses for a reasonable £7, and a Sunday menu showing the roasts – Sirloin of Beef, Chicken, Loin of Pork, and a Nut Roast – all at £12 to £13. Interestingly the Christmas special 3 course lunch with a free glass of wine was only £29, so roll-on next December!

I discovered my buttered leeks hiding under the onion tart that was surrounded by red pepper pesto; the beetroot and the pomegranate seeds added a sweet and bright red touch to the meal which was generously proportioned and extremely tasty. By this time, my friend had all but finished her smoked haddock and was waiting for Nice Young Man to bring her a spoon to finish up the sauce. Cubes of garlic potato and fennel and chicory surrounded her generous portion of fish. Both dishes had pea shoots scattered over them giving a light-hearted touch with their curly tendrils.

For pudding I had spotted an Orange and Cointreau Panna Cotta with Cranberry Ice Cream. It came with cranberries sprinkled over it. Delicious, and not too sickly sweet. A generous size serving at a reasonable price. My friend chose – from the regular menu – Star Anise and Red Wine Poached Pear with orange sponge and vintage orange marmalade which she pronounced perfect, especially the orange sponge.

A couple of espressos finished the meal off beautifully, and they were hot and strong, and came with a lovely freshly baked Christmassy biscuit each.

I really enjoyed this meal, and the place is warm and very friendly. If you want peace and quiet away from the food, there is a dog-friendly snug with a log fire. For followers of the Gin craze, there are 12 different gins on the menu, and the same number of Whiskeys

Onion Tart 12.00
Mackerel 13.00
Panna Cotta 7.00
Poached Pear 6.00
Beer (half) 1.90
Wine 4.20
2 coffees 5.00

Total 49.10

The Boars
Bunwell Road, Spooner Row, Wymondham, Norfolk
NR18 9LL.
Call 01953 605851.

https://www.theboars.co.uk/