Harpley’s Rose & Crown welcomes new head chef

A new head chef has joined the award-winning team at a West Norfolk pub.

Will Horne is excited to head up the kitchen team at The Rose & Crown in Harpley. Local man Will’s career has taken him from City College in Norwich where he studied for three years, to Seasons in Wells and The Harper Hotel in Langham. Most recently, he was sous chef at Number Twenty9 in Burnham Market.

Said Will: “Producing dishes using local ingredients has always been my biggest passion and I have recently returned from a month in Portugal where I ran a pop-up kitchen cooking traditional Portuguese cuisine. I am really excited to get to work with my team at The Rose & Crown and help to enhance the already brilliant menu and bring even more new flavours to the area.”

Rose & Crown patron Shannon Durrant is delighted to secure Will’s services and said: “We are blessed with an incredible team here, both front of house and in the kitchen, but when Will’s services became available it was a no-brainer for us.

“He is a local boy who has already operated in Norfolk’s best kitchens and he knows the value of utilising traditional cooking skills and the incredible seasonal produce that Norfolk has to offer.

“Having recently been named Best Destination Pub in Norfolk, we have no wish to rest on our laurels as we seek to improve on our reputation for the best hospitality, service and food at our country pub."

Will added: “I’m cannot wait to work alongside Shannon, whose food has already brought an enviable reputation to the pub, and push ourselves and the talented kitchen team to new heights.”

The Rose & Crown is in the running for The Good Food Guide’s Best Sunday Roast 2024.

“Sundays are a real family day and its a testament to the homely atmosphere and traditional home-style roasts that we see the same faces week in and week out, and are fully booked every Sunday. We are waiting in anticipation to the results of The Good Food Guide’s announcement next month,” said Shannon.