Burnham Market is a chi-chi North Norfolk town brimming with posh boutiques, galleries and delis. It’s most popular pub is the Hoste Arms.

Wander into the front room and you’re greeted by a typical English pub setting with beamed ceiling, red brick walls, soot-stained fireplaces, and heavy wooden tables softened by years of service.

The punters will be a contented mix of fresh-faced couples, families in Barbours and beach-faded Fat Face sweaters, and locals of all ages and from all walks of life, supping Norfolk ales and speaking in the region’s soft lilting accent. Dogs will also more than likely be curled up under tables, owing to the pub’s renowed pro-pooch policy.

Check-in is at a neat desk in the pub’s airy conservatory where guests lounge on comfy leather sofas and enjoy drinks, afternoon tea and meals when there’s overspill from the many eating areas – which is the case more often than not at the weekend.

I was swiftly checked in by staff who showed me up the creaking wooden staircase to my room (no. 1) overlooking the front of the pub.

American tourists would call the style quintessential old England… they’d also be pleased with the size of it (they’re sticklers for space) – the four-poster bed had ample room on all sides and plenty of wardrobe space. I’d call the style a little dated – but not because of the tartan fabrics, which didn’t look out of place, but because of features like the unattractive bulbous light cover where a simple brass chandelier should have been, and a cheap alarm clock radio where I’d like to have seen something more genteel.

The bed was comfy though, sheets spotless, and antique furniture, prints, deer antlers and big sash windows lent a soft countryside air. The bathroom was drab but the toiletries won me over – hand-labelled Arran Aromatics bottles of deliciously-scented goodies.

Before I get onto the food, it’s pertinent to mention the other highlight of my stay – the staff. Unfailing efficient, good-humoured and unflappable, they were well-informed, whether it be the choice of wine or driving directions. Managing Director Emma Tagg clearly runs a strict but amicable ship, and rather than taking a back seat was a constant smiling face in the bar and dining room throughout my stay.

Also visible was owner Paul Whittome, who strolled through the restaurant at meal times chatting to regulars and gauging opinion from new guests.

There’s a lot of people to get around too – the Hoste has five eating areas which variously offer pubby, bustling, romantic or even arty surroundings for a meal. Some of these areas are relatively new, following a £350,000 makeover, part of which included building some extraordinary lavatories in the basement, which are worth a visit call-of-nature-or-not.

Another unusual addition to the original pub is the Zulu Wing – a reminder of home for his South African wife Jeanne, who also designed the fabulous loos. Spears, animal prints and safari photos adorn the walls – it’s not to everyone’s taste but according to Whittome a lot of guests ask specifically for rooms in the wing.

So – to the restaurant. The wine list is vast and there are nearly 20 wines by the glass alone, priced from £3.60, including two wines produced specifically for the Hoste. Add to that the 11 choices of pudding wine and you get the idea. For real wine aficionados, there’s a wine cellar downstairs that can be booked for private events.

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