Review of The Hero at Burnham Overy Staithe: Starters were the stars of the show at beautiful village pub

I’m usually a desserts girl through and through, but I think I have been converted to starters thanks to a visit to The Hero at Burnham Overy Staithe at the weekend.

Having never before been to this pub – named in honour of local hero Horatio Nelson who was born at nearby Burnham Thorpe – my partner Shane and I had no expectations, other than hoping for a delicious afternoon meal.

Upon arriving at The Hero at around 2.30pm, the car park was pretty full which seemed to be a good sign.

We had not booked, but thankfully there was ample space for two and we were sat on a cosy table facing the bar.

It was lovely to see that this was a dog-friendly pub, with numerous four-legged friends in the vicinity.

The venue had a rustic feel to it and had been treated to a festive transformation – with fairy lights and other ornaments adorning the place.

It was not long before our friendly waitress asked what we wanted to drink. Shane chose an Adnams Dry Hopped Lager (£5.75) and I opted for an alcohol-free Seedlip gin (£4) with tonic water (£1.50).

And having perused the sample menu on the website before arriving, I already knew that I wasn’t fussed by a dessert as the only thing that was obviously vegan was a sorbet (and I’m not the biggest sorbet fan), so I turned my attention to the starters.

I liked the sound of the crispy gnocchi, with roasted heritage squash, pickled walnuts, pumpkin seeds and crispy sage (£9), which could be made vegan by removing the torched Binham Blue cheese.

And Shane went for the ‘ham, egg and chips’ which consisted of ham hock terrine, Parma ham, crispy egg, pea purée, wasabi peas, pineapple gel and potato crisps for £10.

The starters arrived promptly and both looked amazing – it’s fair to say that these were the stars of the show.

The gnocchi was indeed crispy, while it was complemented by the other ingredients which were fresh and the squash was delicious. I was asked when I ordered if I wanted it in a main size or a starter size, and next time, I would absolutely have it as a full-sized main.

Shane’s ‘ham, egg and chips’ was also his highlight. He said: “It was an unusual mix of flavours but it was well balanced.

“The wasabi peas were a highlight for me along with the terrine – it was also a very generous portion for a starter.”

Excited by the quality of the starters, there was a high level of anticipation for the mains.

I had ordered the vegan fish and (hand-cut triple cooked) chips (£16.50) with tartar and minted mushy peas.

Shane had chosen the pan roasted guinea fowl breast (£23), with confit shredded leg, smoked bacon, mushroom, chestnut, cranberry and pearl barley stew, braised Savoy cabbage and fried black garlic brioche.

These also arrived promptly, with fantastic presentation and, quite frankly, huge portions.

The vegan fish – which was made using banana blossom (a flower that grows at the end of banana bunches) – was flavoursome, and the texture of the banana blossom was meaty and layered, which mimicked fish well. It even had the same slippery texture.

While my starter had been light and delicate, this was the opposite – heavy and greasy – but that is not a bad thing as you expect that with fish and chips.

Speaking of the chunky chips, they were perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I don't usually have mushy peas but these were also really tasty, and the tartar sauce was a nice touch too.

As it was such a huge portion, I couldn’t finish it off so saved half of it for dinner the next day.

Unfortunately, Shane was not a huge fan of his main course, but this was, for the most part, down to it not being to his taste.

“I felt the guinea fowl was pleasant but that and the cabbage were hard to cut,” he said.

“The pearl barley base was nice enough and it was an all-round set of flavours that were reasonably well cooked, but just not to my taste.

“It’s no real reflection on the dish but it’s just my taste.”

After boxing up the remainder of my vegan fish and chips, we asked for the bill, which came to £69.75 (just shy of £35 each).

It was not a cheap meal out – although a third of the total cost came from one main course – but for the most part, we really enjoyed our afternoon at The Hero but would choose different mains on a return visit.

And I can't recommend highly enough a visit to the pub, followed by a walk to the harbour just before the sun sets, as the view is to die for.

Ratings out of five:

Food: The starters were without a doubt our highlights and we would have given those five stars by themselves, but overall, the dishes were fresh and tasty. ****

Drink: There was a fair amount to choose from and it was good that there were decent alcohol-free options. ****

Decor: Beautifully decorated inside and out, with an extra festive feel. *****

Staff: Friendly and knowledgeable – plus there was always someone on hand to help. *****

Price: It was not cheap but we did feel that we got decent portions for the money spent. ****