The Bildeston Crown

The Bildeston Crown wears the creamy-yellow half-timbered façade of a classic 15th-century inn, but inside it is fast forward 600 years to a modish 21st-century fusion of bare, pale wooden tables, medieval fireplaces, head-skimming ancient beams, and vibrant coral-hued walls hung with an eclectic mixed bag of gilt-framed landscape paintings and modern pieces. It is an old-meets-new look that broadly reflects what is going on in the kitchen. Chef Chris Lee's cooking takes a contemporary attitude to mixing classics alongside decidedly adventurous ideas, and the whole operation is driven by a deep commitment to local produce. At its simplest level, the 'Crown Classics' menu delivers the comfort of English snails with garlic and parsley butter, followed by grilled rib of Sussex beef with chips, wild mushrooms, French beans and béarnaise sauce - uncomplicated stuff raised to a higher level by the sheer quality of the raw materials. Trade up to the 'Select' or tasting menus, and the kitchen moves the creativity up a gear or two, serving up vanilla-infused mackerel with purées of pea and beetroot, and fennel jelly, while local Nedging pork appears in a signature 'Head to Toe' workout comprising breadcrumbed pig's ears with wasabi, ravioli of brawn, roasted loin and belly, a herbed croquette of shoulder meat, and confit leg with capers. Desserts tend to take a theme - lemon and lime, say - and run with it, coming up with a trio of lemon tart, lime posset and lemon fondant, although cheese fans might find it hard to pass on a menu of British artisan cheeses with names such as Ticklemore, Miss Muffet and Lancashire Bomb.