Review of Dersingham’s The Coach and Horses: Newly-revamped pub, restaurant and hotel with ‘unreal’ food is well worth a visit
Just months after its highly-anticipated return to the village, it’s great to report that the revamped The Coach and Horses in Dersingham is well worth a visit.
Looking for somewhere different to try for a Monday evening meal out with my partner Lee and his parents Gina and Bernie, I remembered that the pub, restaurant and hotel had looked really lovely when my colleague Molly Nicholas reported on its major refurbishment.
The venue, which dates back to 1845, shut in October 2022 and was bought by brothers Nick and Tom Suiter, who then oversaw a major renovation of the site before it reopened in October 2024.
I’d not visited the pub before, but Lee and his parents had memories of it prior to the refurb and were quite surprised to see the contrast, commenting on how nice it looked now.
It was easy to see why as the interior of The Coach and Horses is fresh and modern, with lots of artwork for sale adorning the walls and also a board advertising upcoming events including quizzes and live music.
Having booked a table for the early evening online, we were shown to our table in what was, at that time, a relatively empty restaurant - but thankfully, it did get busier fairly soon after.
With the sunset peaking through the curtains, it was a lovely atmosphere for a catch-up of the day’s events over an evening meal.
A friendly waiter took our drinks orders once we’d settled in, with them all being at reasonable prices. I chose an Appletiser (£2.80), Lee went for an Estrella 0% (£4.70), Bernie picking a large soda and lime (£2) and Gina opting for a pint of orange juice and lemonade (£4).
It didn’t take us long to decide what we wanted to eat either, with some of us ordering a first course from the appetisers menu and others from the starters. As a big fan of the Italian bread, I had no qualms in picking the homemade focaccia - accompanied by olive oil and balsamic vinegar - to kick off my meal for £5.
Gina chose the homemade hummus with toasted sunflower seeds, olive oil and pita bread (£6), while Bernie had the soup of the day which was broccoli and cream with homemade focaccia (£7), and Lee picked the funghi piccante mushrooms with spicy Napoli sauce and toasted bread (£9).
I would go as far to say that my focaccia was perfect. It was soft and crunchy, and - as always - the olive oil and balsamic vinegar were the perfect accompaniment.
Gina said that her hummus was smooth and flavoursome, with the portion being “just the right size”.
As for Bernie’s soup, he said it tasted homemade - in a good way - with a delicious combination of flavours and the focaccia just added to it, making it even more special.
The funghi piccante mushrooms also got lots of praise from Lee, who said he’d decided to go for “something a little different” and wasn’t disappointed. The mushrooms were well cooked, he said, and the heat set off all the different flavours.
Impressed by our first courses, we were excited to see what the second courses had in store for us. We ordered from the normal menu, but there was also a daily specials menu to choose from.
It was great to see that there was more than one vegan option on the main menu, and, on this occasion, I went for the cauliflower tacos with panko cauliflower, soft shell tortilla, lime, red pepper coulis, Asian slaw and guacamole (£18).
Lee chose the homemade Coach beef burger which came with bacon, cheese, saffron aioli, slaw, onion rings and homemade skinny fries (£17), and added a fried egg for £2.
Bernie picked the Wherry battered haddock with homemade triple cooked chips, buttered garden peas and tartar sauce (£17).
Meanwhile, lamb shank with creamy mash potato and fine beans was Gina’s choice for £26.
All four dishes were presented well and looked really appetising. In particular, I felt that my tacos were visually delicious with purple, orange and green making them really colourful.
As for the taste, they were fresh and moreish with the cauliflower perfectly cooked and the zingy guacamole being a great accompaniment.
“Delicious” was the word Lee used to describe his food, saying that it was a “nice, traditional” burger, while the saffron aioli made the chips more exciting and the onion rings were “perfectly battered, and not sickly”.
Bernie said his haddock was “fresh and spot on”, while being “full of flavour”, thanks to the Wherry batter which “really made it a special” version of fish and chips.
And Gina felt that her lamb shank, which “melted in the mouth”, was “unreal”. She said the mash and beans were “to die for” and a “delicious complement” to the main dish. Bernie and Lee - who also sampled the lamb - agreed with Gina’s review.
Although there were lots of lovely-sounding desserts on the menu - on another occasion, I would definitely have tried the dark chocolate torte - we all came to the conclusion that we were too full to have a third course.
We are definitely hoping that there will be another chance to try The Coach and Horses again soon, as we left feeling very impressed with the newly-revamped business’ offerings.
Our total bill came to £132.55 including a £12.05 (10%) discretionary service charge, which worked out to around £33.14 each for two courses and a drink. We felt that this was expensive without being exortionate, and did reflect what we received for that price.
Ratings out of five:
Food: I don’t think we had one bit of criticism about the food between us. Everything was delicious, well-presented and of a good portion size. *****
Drink: All of our beverages were reasonably priced and there seemed to be lots of variety on offer. *****
Decor: After the major renovation, the pub, restaurant and hotel has a very modern, vibrant and upmarket feel. It was also clean and comfortable. *****
Staff: The two staff members we encountered were friendly and helpful. ****
Price: The food was definitely on the pricey side of things, but we felt this reflected the quality of what we ate. ****
