Lavender House, The

The Lavender House is one of Norfolk's finest restaurants, serving innovative, locally sourced food in a famous Grade II listed thatched cottage that dates back to 1540. Since husband and wife team Richard and Sue Hughes opened the restaurant in 2002, it has quickly made its mark on the Norfolk dining scene, receiving rave reviews from customers, press and guide books alike and featuring on the BBC series Rick Stein's Food Heroes.

Most dishes on the menu are rooted in the classics, but traditional combinations are served in an innovative way, for example Cromer crab cocktail served in a Martini glass with Bloody Mary jelly. Richard is a staunch supporter of quality ingredients and champion of the Norfolk food industry and almost all ingredients used are sourced from local producers, butchers and farm shops.

Richard is one of the region's most innovative chefs, but it is not just Richard's approach to food that is dynamic; he also runs a series of courses, master classes and demonstrations on a wide range of food and cooking techniques for customers, school pupils, suppliers, members of the food industry and trainee chefs.

Richard and his team are dedicated to inspiring young people to develop an interest in cooking and a love of good food. The Lavender House team have been welcoming pupils from local schools into the restaurant to learn more about food and eat lunch there free of charge since 2002.

Passionate about food, motivated to perfect his craft and encourage others to develop a love of food and cooking, Richard's hard work has been recognised by several industry awards, including a Catey for Menu of the Year in 1994 and an award for the work with local schools. He is well respected among his peers and the local community for his passion and work.

A keen writer, Richard is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Norfolk, a columnist in the EDP Saturday magazine and EDP Norfolk magazine and appears regularly on BBC Look East and Anglia News.