Eating & Drinking
The Restaurant is a beautiful, light and airy space. Smart but relaxed, looking out onto our Patio & Garden.
We update our menus monthly, bringing you the seasons’ best flavours and dishes.
We take bookings in our Restaurant for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, and occasionally, we open our Oak Panelled Dining Room as an additional restaurant.
The Lounge & Bar, Patio and Garden operate on a ‘walk-in’ service, but we do take up to 3 bookings on our Patio for lunch at 12.15pm only, and 3 more for dinner at 6.15pm only.
For parking information and booking policies, please click here.
Breakfast
7am (8am weekends) – 10am
Restaurant Menu
12-3pm and 6-9pm
Lounge and Bar Menu
12-9pm
Full Afternoon Tea
3.30-4pm
Menus
Private Dining & Party Events
The Oak Panelled Dining Room is a private room for parties of 20 to 60. The first half of the room is normally a private lounge for welcome drinks or post-meal aperitifs, and it then opens up in to a large dining area. It’s a lovely setting for business entertaining, family celebrations or smaller weddings.
The Mallard Room, on the far side of the main Restaurant, is an intimate room for up to 8.
The main Restaurant can also be let to groups of over 60.
Please do contact the sales team for further information on private hire and to request a private event brochure.
RESTAURANT MENU
12-3pm and 6-9pm
Please tell us of any allergies; descriptions do not include all ingredients
Please ask to see our separate dietary and vegan menus
COLD NIBBLES:
Smoked almonds £3.95 Olives marinated in garlic & herbs £3.95 Sea salt & vinegar crisps £3.95
Sourdough bread from Webbsour, Cambridge; with Italian extra virgin olive oil or Netherend Farm butter £2.95
Roasted red pepper hummus with sliced jalapenos and char-grilled pitta bread £7.95
Roasted carrot, butterbean and caraway dip, with char-grilled pitta bread and feta cheese £7.95
HOT NIBBLES:
Sun blushed tomato arancini with romesco sauce £6.50 Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dip £7.95
Sticky pork belly chunks & spicy soy dip £7.95 Spiced falafel with muhammara dip £6.95
STARTERS:
Roasted squash and gruyère cheese pithivier with parsley and spinach purée and pickled mushrooms £12.95
Roasted celeriac soup with curried oil, celeriac crisp and sourdough bread £9.95
Char-grilled hispi cabbage with tahini & chive purée, kale pesto and toasted pine nuts £9.95
Pan-fried fillet of gilt-head bream with wilted spinach and lemon & caper butter £12.95
Grilled whole king prawns with samphire and garlic butter Shell on or off £2.95 each or 6 for £15.95
Roasted partridge with wild mushroom risotto and truffle oil £11.95
PX-braised pig cheek with pisto Manchego and Manchego crisp £13.95
MAIN COURSES:
Moroccan spiced cauliflower steak with zhoug, sweet potato and spinach patty and salsa verde £24
Char-grilled kohlrabi with pepper and gochujang purée, buck wheat and pickled fennel & watercress salad £24
Pan-roasted fillet of stone bass with arrabbiata sauce, fried gnocchi and samphire £33
Fillet of chalk stream trout with spiced carrot purée, lemon crushed new potatoes and roasted salsify £31.95
Roast guineafowl with potato gratin, wild mushrooms, tenderstem broccoli, crispy Parma ham
and mushroom & tarragon sauce £29.50
Venison loin with artichoke purée, boulangère potatoes, sauteed runner beans, roasted Jerusalem artichokes
and blackberry jus £33.95
Char-grilled Norfolk steak with triple cooked chips, wedged baby gem with Caesar dressing and peppercorn sauce
10 oz Rib-eye £32.50; 10 oz Sirloin £36
ADD: Fried double yolk egg £2.95 Fried onion rings £4.95
SIDE DISHES:
Skinny or thick-cut chips £4.95 Potato gratin £5.95 Tenderstem broccoli £4.95
Runner beans with crispy shallots £4.95 Boulangère potatoes £5.95 Caesar salad £5.95
LOUNGE AND BAR MENU
12 – 9pm
Please tell us of any allergies; descriptions do not include all ingredients
Our Restaurant Menu is available daily 12-3pm, or 6-9pm
COLD NIBBLES:
Smoked almonds £3.95 Olives marinated in garlic & herbs £3.95 Sea salt & vinegar crisps £3.95
Sourdough bread from Webbsour, Cambridge; with Italian extra virgin olive oil or Netherend Farm butter £2.95
Roasted red pepper hummus with sliced jalapenos and char-grilled pitta bread £7.95
Roasted carrot, butterbean and caraway dip, with char-grilled pitta bread and feta cheese £7.95
HOT NIBBLES:
Sun blushed tomato arancini with romesco sauce £6.50 Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dip £7.95
Sticky pork belly chunks & spicy soy dip £7.95 Spiced falafel with muhammara dip £6.95
Roasted celeriac soup with curried oil, celeriac crisp and sourdough bread £9.95
Roasted carrot, mung bean, tomato and quinoa salad with baby spinach, rocket and radish £12.95
Add: Grilled halloumi cheese £3.95 Add: Hot peeled king prawns £2.95 each
Grilled king prawns with samphire and garlic butter £2.95 each, £15.95 for 6 Shell on or off
Char-grilled swordfish with Waldorf salad £17.95
Moules Mariniere: Mussels in a white wine, cream, tarragon and garlic sauce with skinny fries & ciabatta £19.95
Ploughman’s – Westcombe Cheddar & Colston Basset Stilton, honey-roast ham, chicken liver pate, honey and
mustard sausage roll, spiced fig chutney and toasted brioche £16.95
Breaded chicken schnitzel with carrot, cabbage and red onion slaw, fried egg and salsa verde £19.95
Thai red curry with roasted courgettes and aubergine, char-grilled peppers, coriander rice and pak choi £16.95
Add: Hot peeled king prawns £2.95 each
Battered fish and chips with crushed peas and tartare sauce £19.95
Pie of the day with mashed potato, tenderstem broccoli and curly kale £19
Char-grilled beef burger with cheddar cheese, bacon jam, baby gem, tomato, onion ring & skinny chips £18.95
SANDWICHES on white or granary bread, with sea salt and vinegar crisps OR; Chunky or skinny chips £1.00
Smoked salmon with cucumber, crème fraîche and dill £11.95
Mozzarella, sun blushed tomatoes and red pepper pesto £9.95
Roast beef with horseradish remoulade and caramelised onion £9.95
Chicken and avocado with tarragon mayonnaise £9.95
WARM SANDWICHES served with skinny chips
Fried enoki mushrooms on toasted ciabatta with grilled courgettes and kale pesto £11.95
Char-grilled smoked bacon, lettuce and tomato on toasted brioche with mayonnaise £11.95
Steak sandwich on toasted brioche, with caramelised onions, rocket and grain mustard £14.95
Set Lunch Menu
Monday-Friday 12-3pm
2 courses £26 or 3 courses £32
Please tell us of any allergies; descriptions do not include all ingredients
Sun-blushed tomato arancini with roasted romesco sauce and watercress salad
Wild mushroom risotto with aged parmesan and rocket
Char-grilled hispi cabbage with tahini & chive purée, kale pesto and toasted pine nuts
Braised featherblade of beef with rosemary confit potato, tenderstem broccoli and celeriac remoulade
Pan-fried fillet of gilt-head bream with sauteed potatoes, wilted spinach and lemon & caper butter
Thai red curry with roasted courgettes and aubergine, char-grilled peppers, coriander rice and pak choi
Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream
Westcomb Cheddar and Colston basset Stilton cheese;
with biscuits, celery and homemade chutney
Tea or coffee with homemade biscuits
SUNDAY LUNCH MENU
12-3.30pm
Please tell us of any allergies; descriptions do not include all ingredients
Sourdough bread from Webbsour, Cambridge, with Italian olive oil
or Netherend Farm salted butter £2.95 Smoked almonds £3.95
Olives marinated in garlic & herbs £3.95 Sea salt & vinegar crisps £3.95
2 courses £31.50 or 3 courses £37 (£15/£20 for children under 12 years old)
Chicken and sweetcorn broth with fried shallots and crispy chicken skin
Char-grilled hispi cabbage with tahini & chive purée, kale pesto and toasted pine nut & rocket salad
Old Bridge prawn cocktail with tomato & basil salsa
Smoked mackerel pâté with cucumber, lemon and sourdough toast
Chicken liver and port pâté with spiced fig chutney and toasted brioche
Sun-blushed tomato arancini with roasted romesco sauce and watercress salad
Roast sirloin of English dry-aged beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, Savoy cabbage,
roasted carrots, broccoli and gravy
Roast chicken with rosemary confit potatoes, roasted carrots, tenderstem broccoli and mushroom gravy
Roast pork loin with apple sauce, crackling, roast potatoes, Savoy cabbage, roasted carrots, broccoli and gravy
Mushroom and spinach Wellington with roast potatoes, tenderstem broccoli, Savoy cabbage and vegetarian gravy
Fillet of seabass with shrimp, broad bean & tarragon fricassée, wilted spinach and crab & chilli croquette
Battered fish and chips with crushed peas and tartare sauce
Courgette flower with honey & goats’ cheese, zhoug, grilled yellow courgettes and courgette & cumin fritter
Cauliflower cheese, for two to share £5.95
Sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream
Crème brûlée with spiced fig sorbet and cinnamon tuile
Peach tart with char-grilled peaches and apricot ice cream
Poached pineapple with mojito sauce and pink peppercorn sorbet
Two cheeses from Neal’s Yard Dairy, served with biscuits, apple, celery and apple & pear chutney
Westcombe Cheddar, Somerset – pasteurised, hard, strong, cows’ milk cheese
Baron Bigod, Suffolk – pasteurised, soft, Brie-style, cows’ milk cheese
Colston Bassett Stilton, Nottinghamshire – pasteurised, creamy, buttery, blue, cows’ milk cheese
Yr Afr, Gwynedd – unpasteurised, creamy and savoury goats’ milk cheese
Wigmore, Berkshire – unpasteurised, soft, mild and nutty sheep’s milk cheese
Three scoops of ice creams & sorbets:
Ice-Cream: clotted cream vanilla; chocolate; honey & pistachio; caramel
Sorbet: blueberry; spiced fig; pink peppercorn; raspberry
Coffee from The Brew Project, served with biscotti
Espresso £2.95 Americano £3.95/£4.95 Cappuccino, Flat White, Latte £4.50/£5.50
Tea from Birchall Teas, served with shortbread biscuits £4.25
Sunday Steak Night Menu
6-9pm
2 courses £31 or 3 courses £37
Please tell us of any allergies; descriptions do not include all ingredients
Chicken liver and port pâté with spiced fig chutney and toasted brioche
Three grilled whole king prawns with samphire and garlic butter (Shell on or off)
Sun-blushed tomato arancini with roasted romesco sauce and watercress salad
Char-Grilled Norfolk steaks: 8oz Rump; 8oz Ribeye; 7oz fillet tail
All served carved, with triple-cooked chips, Caesar salad and peppercorn sauce
Char-grilled marinated 8oz pork steak on the bone
with triple-cooked chips, Caesar salad and chimichurri sauce
Sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream
Crème brûlée with spiced fig sorbet and cinnamon tuille
Three scoops of ice creams & sorbets:
Ice-Cream: clotted cream vanilla; chocolate; honey & pistachio; caramel
Sorbet: blueberry; spiced fig; pink peppercorn; raspberry
We do not allow ‘substitutions’ to this menus
Afternoon Tea
Our “Full Afternoon Tea” must be pre-booked – We take bookings at 3.30pm or 4pm, Monday – Saturday. Your booking will be held in either the Dining Room or the Restaurant, depending on availability that day, and is served on vertical stands.
To hire a room for a private afternoon tea, the Dining Room can be booked 12pm-5pm for a minimum of 20 guests. For larger groups we serve afternoon tea on buffet plates for your guests to help themselves.
Afternoon tea with allergies & dietary requirements…
We can provide a similar menu for gluten-free guests, and can adapt the menu for most other food intolerances or allergies. We do need at least 48 hours’ notice for any change to the menu.
Please note for bookings of 6 or more people, there is a 1-week cancellation period. For bookings of smaller numbers, the cancellation period is 48 hours as normal.
Our “Cream Tea” service at the Old Bridge is relaxed and informal, served in the Lounge and Bar. Our renowned homemade scones (served with Jersey cream and strawberry jam) come out of the oven around 2.30pm, and can be ordered individually along with our hot beverages. We also offer cakes, sandwiches, biscuits and homemade crumpets in this area all day. We don’t reserve tables in the Lounge & Bar, and these are available on a ‘first come first served basis’.
The Old Bridge Afternoon Tea £27
Tea or Coffee
English breakfast; Earl Grey; Darjeeling; Green tea; Peppermint; Lemongrass & Ginger; Chamomile; Virunga chai; Fresh mint; Red berry and flowers
The Brew Project Coffee: Americano; Espresso; Macchiato; Piccolo; Cappuccino; Latte; Flat White; or Cafetière
Finger Sandwiches
Smoked salmon & crème fraîche; Chicken, bacon & mayonnaise; Beef, watercress & horseradish; Red Leicester & caramelised onion chutney; Cucumber and mint crème fraîche
Additional sandwiches are £6 per round
Classic
Fruit scone with rich Jersey cream and strawberry jam
Raspberry profiterole; Mirror glazed strawberry parfait; White chocolate blondie; Chocolate & lemon posset
Or
Savoury
Cheese scone with crème fraîche and chilli jam
Honey & mustard sausage roll; Mushroom & spinach vol-au-vent; Parma ham & gruyere cheese potato croquette
125ml glass of Prosecco ‘Ca’ di Alte’ £7.95
125ml glass of Rathfinny Estate Rosé £11.50
125ml glass of Charles Heidsieck, Brut Réserve, Champagne £13
Breakfast
Included for residents on B&B rates
Full breakfast £20.00 – Your choice of a cold and hot dish, with toast, juice and coffee or tea
Cafetière coffee £3.95 Tea £4.25
Apple or orange juice £1.95
Toast (sourdough bread from Webbsour Bakery) with butter and jam or marmalade £4.95
Croissant with jam £3.95
Cornflakes, Weetabix, Bran Flakes or Muesli with milk £3.95
Neal’s Yard Greek-style yoghurt with berry compote, poached pear and homemade granola £7.50 – add a banana £1
Porridge £8 (do allow 15 minutes)
Full English breakfast: fried egg, sausage, bacon, baked beans, field mushroom, hash brown, black pudding, tomato £14
Vegetarian English breakfast: fried eggs, baked beans, spinach, field mushroom and hash brown £12
Both served with sourdough toast
Old Bridge Eggs Benedict – homemade crumpet with sugar-roast ham, poached egg and hollandaise £9.95 / £12.95
Scrambled egg, smoked salmon, crème fraiche, chives £13
Smoked haddock, poached egg, spinach, chive butter £12
version of
this menu
Wine
Click on the PDF link to see the full, current restaurant wine list.
The previous owner of the Old Bridge, John Hoskins, was the first person in the restaurant industry to become a Master of Wine, and wine became, and continues to be, a very important part of life at The Old Bridge.
See the separate pages about the Wine Shop and the opportunity to taste (and buy wine) whilst visiting the hotel.
The bar offers 15 ‘house’ wines by the glass. This is supplemented by 20 more wines we have open on our ‘Enomatic’ machine in the wine shop.
The main restaurant wine list looks rather daunting in its size, but we do have plenty of choice at the all-important £20-£30 bracket, as well as many fine wine options for those looking for something really special. Our aim is simply to find the very best examples of any particular style.
Price is a key part of our appeal. As with every restaurant, our starting price is quite high (£24), however, our mark-up is actually one of the lowest in the country. We add between £12 and £20 on to a normal retail price, never more, even for the most expensive bottles.
The majority, but not all, of the wines in the shop are on the restaurant wine list. So you are welcome to come into the shop and buy anything to drink in the hotel. The ‘corkage’ charge is £15. If you want to bring in wine from outside the hotel then the corkage charge is £20 per bottle.
We have been lucky enough to win all the major wine list awards in the country over the country – from the AA, the Egon Ronay Guide (when it existed) and the Harpers Wine Trade magazine. In 2021 we were awarded the accolade of BEST VALUE WINE LIST for the whole of EUROPE, by the the prestigious ‘World of Fine Wine’ Magazine. We hope you will have an exciting wine experience when you are with us.
The Bar
In many ways we are a traditional English inn, so the bar might be seen as the heart of the hotel.
We serve three real ales on draught, with Adnams as our long-standing house bitter. We have been ‘CAMRA’ recommended for over 10 years.
We have 15 wines by the glass served from behind the bar – supplemented by 24 more monthly-changing open bottles on our ‘Enomatic’ system (see ‘Wine‘).
Our cocktail list changes every quarter. Some genuine classics with a few seasonal specials.
You can of course also drink in the lounge, the patio or the garden. The bar, in fact the whole hotel, is a meeting place; somewhere for a break from normal life. Alan Bennett could have a good time wondering what on earth all the chat might be about.
Current bar offerings include the following (see wine list for wines-by-the-glass)
COCKTAIL LIST
Classic Champagne cocktail – with Cognac, sugar, bitters, orange twist £14.95
or, made with Prosecco £10.95
Bellini, peach or raspberry – £8.95
Peach Iced Tea – Coconut rum, peach liqueur, lemon, mint tea £10.95
Solero Colada – Malibu, vanilla, mango puree, cream £10.95
Kir Royal – Sparkling wine + Cassis, Framboise or Mure £10.95 or made with Champagne £14.95
Japanese Gin Martini – Sakura Moon Japanese gin, vermouth, olive or lemon £13.95
Cucumber Bramble – Cucumber gin, Crème de Mure, lemon juice, sugar syrup £11.95
British Summer – Roundwood gin, lemon juice, apple juice, elderflower, mint £10.95
Mojo – Tequila Reposado, Cointreau, lemon juice, passion fruit syrup, ginger cordial £11.95
Raspberry Infusion – Tequilla, raspberry liqueur, strawberry, lemon juice, tonic £11.95
Blackberry & Honey Old Fashioned – Bourbon whisky, blackberry liqueur, honey, bitters, sugar £11.95
Negroni – Roundwood gin, campari, vermut Luis XIV, orange twist £11.95
Raspberry & Gin Mojito – Roundwood gin, fresh mint, raspberry, sugar, lime, soda £10.95
Passion Fruit Daiquiri –White rum, lime juice, passion fruit liqueur, sugar, foam bitters £10.95
Strawberry & Pineapple garden – Stolichnaya vodka, infused strawberry syrup, lemon, pineapple £10.95
Limoncello Collins – Roundwood gin, Limoncello, lemon juice, soda £10.95
SPRITZERS
White spritzer (125ml white wine, sparkling water, lime) £5.95
Pink spritzer (125ml Rosé, lemonade, lemon) £6.25
NON-ALCOHOLIC COCKTAILS
Coastal Spritz (Pentire Coastal ‘spirit’, tonic) £6.95
Light & Stormy (Three Spirit, ginger ale) £6.95
Sage & cucumber fizz (made with Pentire ‘Adrift’ – non-alcoholic spirit from Cornwall) £6.95
Nightcap Sour (Three Spirit ‘Nightcap’, pineapple, lemon) £6.95
Elderflower lemonade (with ginger and mint) £6.95
Virgin Mary £6.95
Virgin Mojito (classic/raspberry) £6.50
Virgin Mule (lime, mint, ginger beer) £6.95
DRAUGHT ALES – usually 2 from these breweries, please ask – from £4.95 a pint
NENE VALLEY BREWERY From Oundle; a rotating choice. All gluten-free
ADNAMS OF SOUTHWOLD Long-time leaders in East Anglia. Southwold Bitter or Ghost Ship
LACONS BREWERY A fine Norfolk producer. We rotate their four core beers and seasonal ales
BARSHAM BREWERY Award winning craft and ale producer in North Norfolk. All gluten-free
DRAUGHT BEERS & CIDER
Beck’s Vier Lager (4%) £5.25 Bitburger Pilsner (4.8%) £6.25 Camden Pale Ale (4%) £6.25
Leffe Blonde (6.6%) – half £4.75 Blackshore Stout (4.2%) (Guinness alternative) £5.50
Adnams’ Wild Wave Cider (5%) £5.25
Flight of beer – try four different quarter pints from our draught selections above £6.25
BOTTLED BEERS & CIDERS
Normally a special or two in stock, plus the standards:
Peroni Nastro Azzuro (330ml, 5.1%) £4.50 Corona Extra (330ml, 4.5%) £4.50
Bitburger Drive (330ml, 0%) £3.75 Ghost Ship ‘Alcohol Free’, Adnams (500ml, Under 0.5%) £4.50
Crane’s Blueberry and Apple Cider, Cambs (500ml, 4%) £4.95
Crane’s Cranberry and Lime Cider, Cambs (500ml, 4%) £4.95