The Dabbling Duck

Everything! I honestly cannot fault this place. I went there based on the photos and the fact I just needed a night away somewhere and unwind. The building is wonderfully maintained and decorated. The ambience is very welcoming and relaxing. The greeting at reception was excellent and check in easy, I was even shown to my room rather than ‘it’s that way, you’ll work it out…’ The room was perfectly sized for a couple. Comfy, warm, well decorated and maintained. Very high quality throughout. I had a separate little room with a chest of drawers and the tea and coffee, so the bedroom was just a bed room. Which was nice as it didn’t feel like a hotel room. The tea and coffee. With everything top spec I was surprised to see the usual everyday brand coffee sachets. For 30 seconds I was disappointed until I saw the cafeteria and a jar of fresh ground coffee. It even had home made vodka in bottles…This is a quality establishment The bar. It was BUSY. They had a function on but the service was clinically efficient. They were so fast but they all still smiled, chatted, were welcoming. It wasn’t just a sausage factory. It was proper service. I’m sure it was Adam (it’s been a week, sorry if it’s not!!) was on his A-game. The beer selection was top. Dinner was EPIC. Had the special (Grouse) which was advertised with buttery mash. I don’t like butter so chef did new potatoes which I think were probably a better choice. Pudding amazing. Had breakfast next morning and again, service could not be faulted. Quick, but not the quick where you think they are trying to get rid of you. Just professionally quick. All this and it was not expensive. If you think it is, just give this place a go and reassess that assumption when you have experienced it. And if you are worried about noise from the pub then you need not worry…the ducks are noisier…

It’s not closer…

Nice room was comfortable and had a lovely view of the village green and duck pond. Food was excellent, a small menu where i suspect just ablaut everything was cooked from fresh, and some interesting specials.

Bathroom had over-bath shower which is not my preference but was manageable. The pub was great busy and buzzing, which did not affect me at all, I loved it, but if you like to go to bed early the room i had may have been a bit noisy for some folk.

I’m so glad me and my girlfriend came to stay at the dabbling duck my amazing mum Christine had done a walk for my sister Emily 10 years ago after she passed away from small cell lung cancer so mum stayed here as part of the journey which the staff at the time had looked after her so well. She had a wonderful time and would often reminisce, unfortunately Christine lost her battle with cancer earlier this year so In memory I felt I should visit. I knew on the day we arrived it was a special place it was hands down the best roast dinner we’ve ever had even though my partner is from Australia and never has one haha also the Guinness was very creamy and well poured. We then made are way to the accommodation which seemed very nice on the photos but even better in person and exceeding expectations. Also just to note the staff were exceptional Rob being the stand out employee who was a credit to the place, we really enjoyed our stay and hope to come back very soon. kind regards Rob and Lucie

nothing.

Lovely friendly service in the restaurant. I personally don't mind dogs in the restaurant at all but my friend doesn't like it at all so she felt a little uncomfortable with dogs walking around freely. Food was great all round, there was a nice atmosphere with people of all walks of life in the bar and restaurant; the ambiance it cosy. A good shower and toiletries in the bathroom. Nice selection of teas and coffees; especially the ground coffee and cafetiere was lovely; the home made vodka was a nice touch and exceeded expectations.

The room size of room 6 was very small; especially as we had been walking in the rain, a bigger room to dry out clothing etc would have been nice. You almost have the side step into the bed. I know I was spoilt because the room I stayed at the night before at a nearby village was enormous.

Very cute place in small, quiet town. Stayed here on our way to Sanderingham Estate and it was an easy quick drive. We showed up fairly late and they were able to accommodate us for dinner without a reservation, which was terrific considering nothing else would have been open. Had two very good meals here (Dinner and lunch), both delicious, w/ fresh ingredients and love that they make their own gin! Room was comfortable and clean. Bathroom was a good size and plenty of room. Liked the outdoor patio space also and although we weren't there long enough to enjoy the pizza/beer area, looked like a good option.

We were unaware that reservations at the on-site restaurant should be made, didn't realize it was such a popular place . They were nice enough to accommodate us, but would be helpful to include in advertisement.

we loved our suite! The bed was really big and all the little extras such as molton brown toiletries really add a lovely touch! Food was great (we ate both evening and breakfast).

the toilet seat wasn’t attached properly and fell off which did almost cause injury (my fault for not mentioning this to staff also though). Breakfast was quite expensive. should possibly have a set price for residents. I got charged £35 for 2 full English. 1 portion of toast and a cafetière of coffee between 2 people. luckily we only had breakfast 1 of the mornings otherwise this would of been a large extra expense!

Interesting gastro pub in a lovely old village functioning as both local bar and reasonably good restaurant. Our room in the adjacent annex was huge, well-equipped and very comfortable. Dinner was lovely. Breakfast a bit chaotic (see comments under "What didn't you like").

Getting our table for dinner was a bit of a chore - a waitress told us we had to inquire at the bar, where there was a huge queue of thirsty drinkers in front of us. However all was fine after that. But breakfast was a bit chaotic. There was only one waitress serving breakfast and there were huge delays in both taking our order and delivering it - not her fault, it felt more like an organisational issue. By the time our cooked breakfast arrived (and it was very nicely cooked) our tea and coffee were cold. A bit of a shame asour final memory of the place.

Loved the location and the food, both at breakfast and dinner, was delicious. Our room, Pidgeon one of the garden rooms, was spacious with a huge bed. The staff were lovely, helpful and polite.

We arrived on a very cold, frosty January afternoon and our room was freezing. It didnt take long to warm up once we had switched the radiator on, but it would have been nice if someone had thought to switch it on beforehand. The vodka shots in the room were a nice touch, but ours looked like it had been there for some time. The cafetiere looked great, but we didn't have enough coffee in the room to use it. Asked at the bar and they gave us coffee and fresh milk.

actually was disappointed that we had to pay for two days breakfast and coffees as thought it was included in the £ 280.00 price we paid for our 2 night stay. So thought that was rather expensive,

First morning's breakfast was cold and served on cold plates but 2nd served hotter and on hot plates Evening meal was slightly disappointing as curry had raw onions and peppers in it and curry should have been medium hot but was really spicy hot so not edible rice and bread nice though - the starters though were exceptional especially the crab buns.

Lovely dog friendly pub. Quirky interior with very friendly helpful staff. This is our third stay here. We took our three little dogs and we were delighted to be given an upgrade to the cottage for our two night stay. Extremely comfortable and excellent for our dogs. Bed comfortable with lovely soft cotton covers. Such a lovely pub and the food is delicious! We will definitely stay again. Dogs are made very welcome and we felt relaxed having them with us.

Nothing!