The Gunton Arms

M and I joined friends H and M today for a most enjoyable birthday celebration lunch.  We tried The Gunton Arms, what a fab place. We sat cosily in front of a huge open fire which is used to cook some of their meat. We had the most wonderful meal.  The pub is set on the edge of a huge deer park,  (my main blip) where the venison on the menu is sourced, .  The extra is the pub itself.
Gunton Hall has a fascinating history and for any who is interested I have added this below.
The Gunton Arms is situated in the one thousand acre deer park which surrounds Gunton Hall near Cromer in Norfolk. The park was created in the early 18th Century by the Harbord family and was comparable in scale to the great estates to the west, Holkham and Houghton. The Park evolved over a 150 year period with a succession of great landscape architects being employed: Charles Bridgman, Humphrey Repton, Gilpin and Teulon.
The Gunton Arms, originally Steward’s Farm, became the second house to Gunton Hall; and during the 1890s a frequent visitor was Lillie Langtry, actress, famous beauty, and mistress of the future King Edward VII. In the 20th Century the park declined into ruin, buildings were sold, the land ploughed up and the woods cut down. In 1982, rescue came in the person of Kit Martin, who along with Charles Harbord-Hamond and Ivor Braka succeeded in buying back much of the land and the buildings. In 2007 the park won the 'Genius of the Place’ Country Life / Savills award for the best restoration of a historic landscape.
 
The chef Stuart Tattersall (ex head chef at Mark Hix) cooks from local ingredients and seasonal produce. Venison from the deerpark and beef from the local herd at Blickling are cooked over a large open fire in the Elk Room. The Gunton Arms also has its own seafood, mussels and Cromer crab are caught by local fishermen. 

If you ever think of going, be prepared for some interesting and thought-provoking artworks, the current owner is an avid collector and an eclectic mix of his collection are on display in the various rooms.  
PS: The loos are rather splendid too, with lots of period features, I tried to photograph them but their small size and layout made it impossible to do them justice.