Rutland Pride

Highlights

Restaurants in Rutland: The Good Food Awards

The Finch’s Arms, Hambleton

If you were to run a lovely country pub restaurant offering excellent two AA-rosette dining and smart hotel bedrooms, you really couldn’t wish for a better location than Rutland’s Hambleton peninsular, which is home to The Finch’s Arms, run by the Crawford family since 1997.

Colin and Celia Crawford have long since been joined by their daughter and son, Charlotte and Jordan. They’ve also completed a full renovation of the 10 bedrooms and the main bar and restaurant spaces. They’ve created a lovely place to dine, with flagstones and open fires in the winter, and a large sunny terrace overlooking the reservoir in the summer months.

Summer also saw the appointment of new Executive Head Chef Duane who works with GM Liam Holmes and the brigade to curate a daily-changing set menu with two or three courses and an à la carte menu including Pub Classics. Fresh, seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients are favoured and the whole place has a lovely cosy vibe, especially in winter… little wonder, then, that our readers have named The Finch’s Arms as their Restaurant of the Year for 2024. 

The Finch’s Arms, Oakham Road, Hambleton, LE15 8TL. Call 01572 756 575 or see www.finchsarms.co.uk.

Coffee Shop of the Year 2024

The View at Rutland Nursery

Taking the title for Coffee Shop of the Year in 2024 is The View, located in Rutland Nursery near Manton and created by the Ellis Family  in 2019. Named because of the impressive views over Rutland Water, the 100-seater restaurant goes well beyond the usual remit of really good coffee and a range of delicious cakes and pastries produced in the on-site bakery. 

A main menu is served seven days a week until 5.30pm (4pm Sunday) with à la carte dishes like Roasted Chicken Supreme, Sea Bass and a good burger plus a range of Small Plates, soups, salads and sandwiches. There’s also a good brunch menu with farmhouse breakfasts.

The place has a lovely vibe too. It’s nice and bright with a vaulted cedar-clad ceiling, stone fireplace and a large, beautifully landscaped courtyard with wisteria and jasmine in the warmer months plus its large olive trees.

The View, Rutland Nursery, Manton  LE15 8RN, see www.rutlandnursery.co.uk.

Best Restaurant with Rooms 2024

Hambleton Hall

Back in 1979, when Tim & Stefa Hart purchased a former hunting lodge on the Hambleton peninsular, they intended to create a really good country house hotel. However, nobody could envisage just how successful Hambleton Hall would become.

A smashing team including Head Chef Aaron Patterson, General Manager Chris Hurst and Restaurant Director Graeme Matheson lead a smashing team who work hard to make every visit special. The hotel’s leading edge is its dining, awarded a Michelin-star every year since 1982. It has been awarded four AA-rosettes too, plus recognition in the Good Food Guide and in Hardens.

Our readers also point out that it would be remiss to overlook the 15 classically-styled rooms and neatly-landscaped 17 acres of grounds. A welcoming place to enjoy first-class hospitality, worthy of the title of Best Restaurant with Rooms for 2024.

Hambleton Hall, Ketton Road, Oakham LE15 8TH. Call 01572 756991 or see www.hambletonhall.com.

Best International Dining 2024

Sarpech, Oakham

This year our readers have awarded our title of Best International Dining Restaurant to Oakham’s Sarpech, named after the lavish ornamentation worn by kings and maharajahs on their turbans.

From 2018 when it was established, overlooking Oakham High Street, the restaurant was keen to offer fine dining with fresh quality ingredients capitalising on diverse satisfying Asian-Indian flavours and cooking techniques. Little wonder then that with an intense passion for food, dishes are selected to authentically portray Indian dishes and culture through time.

Finally, with a wine bar and a stylish modern dining environment, it’s little wonder that our readers have voted Sarpech their favourite destination for quality international dining in Rutland.

Sarpech, Burley Corner, Oakham LE15 6DU. Call 01572 842888 or see www.sarpech.co.uk.

Best Food Retailer 2024

Rennet & Rind, Stamford

Located on Stamford’s High Street, Rennet & Rind has just celebrated the first anniversary of its shop. However, the company has been trading since 1989 when its founder Mark Hulme began selling cheese as a peripatetic retailer. In 2013 Mark was joined by Perry James Wakeman, who was thrilled to join the prestigious Guilde Internationale des Fromagers this year.

Meanwhile, in September 2023 Mark was inducted into the Internationale Guilde des Fromagers, the 618th Chapter of the Brotherhood of Saint Uguzon (The Patron Saint of Cheese) in recognition of Mark’s 34 years celebrating British artisan cheese.

Mark’s 30 years of experience as an award-winning Cheesemonger, Affineur, World Cheese Award Judge and Patron of the Academy of Cheese has also equipped him to produce two of his own artisan cheeses, The Duke and The Duchess, both of which have enjoyed considerable success at the World Cheese Awards.

From their Stamford premises, Rennet & Rind provides cheese subscription boxes, and sells more than 20 British cheese varieties on its website, plus cheese companions and drinks. If you’re looking for an indulgent addition to your festive larder, the company’s Christmas Edition Mystery Cheese Box at £48 offers six outstanding cheeses, sufficient for four people with a few additional luxuries… an ideal treat to enjoy in front of the fire!

Rennet & Rind, High Street, Stamford PE9 2AL. Call 01480 831112 or see www.rennetandrind.co.uk.

Best Drinks Producer 2024

The Rutland Vineyard

As we write in mid-November, The Rutland Vineyard’s grape harvest for 2024 is in the safe custodianship of the winemakers who will turn it into home-grown still white, sparkling and red wine. And that’s not the only reason Zoe & Tim Beaver and their team have to celebrate.

Our readers have named the Ketton-based Rutland Vineyard the area’s best drinks producer. The team have had a great 2024, with the first ever wine from their own grapes, the still white First Crush, followed by  their first red wine. The couple’s 16,000 vines are a diverse mix of grape varieties from Bacchus to Ortega and Pinot Noir, Meunier and Cabernet Noir.

The tasting barn offers wine (of course) plus cheese platters as well as good coffee and homemade cakes. Special mention, too, for the spectacular views over the vineyard!

The Rutland Vineyard, Ketton, Stamford PE9 3RJ. See www.therutlandvineyard.com.

To see images of our winners and for our listings of the best restaurants, pubs, cafés and coffee shops across Rutland see https://www.pridemagazines.co.uk/rutland/view-magazines?magazine=January-2025

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