Head just few miles out from Holt towards Fakenham and you'll find Back to the Garden; farm shop, restaurant, butchers and function space, set in a huge, converted 18th century barn. Walking in through the farm shop and butchers, there’s an enticing and colourful array of locally sourced food and drink, bespoke local gifts, as well as organic veg and meat.  

The exposed brick and beam restaurant is a large open plan space, filled with pale wood dining tables set over a cool terracotta stone floor, with an enormous overhead statement spaceship-style steel light and bold local art on the walls.  

It’s a light, uplifting and relaxed space. We were greeted swiftly with smiles and sat at one of the long refectory style tables, while great beams of winter sun cast us into semi-blindness, but grateful for any Vitamin D, we shifted half-heartedly down the table, preferring to squint and chat.  

Along with my oat latte, I ordered the garden breakfast (£12.50) with smashed avocado on toasted sourdough with poached egg, roasted tomatoes, coriander and feta cheese. There’s an option for smoked salmon, too but I stuck with the original.  

I was not disappointed; the avocado was ripe and buttery, the feta – lots of fat cubes of it – was perfectly creamy and salty, the roasted tomato sweet and warming, poached egg just the right point of softness, and the toast still crispy. The salad, if a little overdressed. was fresh, and the coriander and pepper seeds gave the dish a lovely aromatic finish.  

I was far too busy chatting to eat it all, but my breakfast guest Dom managed to clear his plate of eggs Benedict (£9.50) with butchers smoked streaky bacon, poached eggs, English muffin and hollandaise sauce, remarking that it was ‘a good Eggs Benedict’ and that the bacon was nice and crispy, eggs cooked well, the only criticism being the hollandaise was a little on the runny side.  

Our coffees were quick to arrive, strong but not bitter and piping hot. All in all, I’d recommend Back to the Garden as a fine place to head for a delicious, bright breakfast. 

Lily Barker 

back-to-the-garden.co.uk 

 

Our review visits are unannounced and we pay for our meals.