Cool Places
White Horse at Holme
40 Kirkgate, Holme-next-the-Sea, Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 6LH
It's always nice when a village pub is given a new lease of life – even more so, when it's somewhere like the White Horse, which not only enjoys a picture-perfect location in the North Norfolk village of Holme next the Sea but is also just a long stone's throw from one of the most beautiful stretches of this fabled coast – close to both Holme Dunes National Nature Reserve and its stunning sandy beach. Taken over in the summer of 2024 by the excellent Anglian Country Inns group, it's now back to doing what it does best: serving local ales and an excellent seasonal menu to hungry visitors and locals alike.
Mercifully – and in keeping with ACI's other pubs – it's just as much a place to drink as eat, and is dog-friendly too. There's a terrific beer garden (with a play area for kids), a convivial front bar and a series of cosy spaces that run the length of the pub that are mainly (but not exclusively) occupied by diners. There's also an outside terrace for a decent overspill on sunny days. Really, it's the perfect summer venue, whether at lunchtime or in the evening, while in winter it's just the sort of warm and welcoming place you want to head for on a chilly Norfolk night.
The food is undeniably good, and makes the most of the bounty of the nearby farmland and coast, with succulent mutton chops and steaks, oysters, clams, cockles, lobster and crab (Cromer crab crumpets anyone?), along with crowd-pleasing favourites like an excellent cheeseburger, homemade pies, sausages, and sides like cheesy mash and 'gravy rice'. They also do a range of posh sandwiches, served in homemade focaccia bread and featuring their own smoked salmon and delectable beer-battered fish. It's a proper village local, no question, but serving food that's a cut above the rest.