Great House Hotel & Restaurant - Lavenham, The Reviews

Living in London we don't get to visit The Great House as often as we would like It remains our first choice for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries etc. and ‘special occasion’ it always is, as we have never been disappointed. We love the food, the ambiance and the excellent service. If you get as far as the cheese selection and are intimidated by the huge choice, then ask Celine to advise you, she really knows her stuff well.

My wife and I have enjoyed several meals at the Great House in Lavenham. The staff and management are extremely pleasant and always seem to remember returning diners. The service is excellent as is the menu. My particular favourite is the calves' liver with raspberries. The cheese table offers an incredible choice, one that I always leave to the staff to choose for me. I would thoroughly recomend this little gem set in the Suffolk contryside.

I am local to the Great House and proud to call myself a regular and my family are well known to the proprietors and the staff. I have never had a bad meal at the Great House; each one has been exquisitely memorable. The veal on a bed of pasta in a lime sauce is my favourite dish ever. The tales of the Great House's cheeseboard though are incorrect as I'm afraid this is not a board, it's a glorious trolley complete with squeaky wheels and if the restaurant is not too busy then the trolley will be brought to your table. I adore it and as much as I would like to recommend it but I'm afraid I cannot because it's my little gem and I'd abhor to see it over popularised to prevent me from getting a table.

The Great House, Lavenham - March 2008 - Excellent service and food - both in terms of taste and appearance. One of the best meals I have eaten in the UK. Very helpful staff - who know the wines and food too. Portions just right not too much nor too little. Food served hot and in an exciting and complementary way. Fantastic French cheeseboard as well! We look forward to going back soon.

Our family has enjoyed dining at The Great House for many years. The ambiance is always superb and we especially enjoy the warmer months when one can dine outside. The food is delicious and menu innovative. The real attraction of the restaurant, though, is the staff who always provide excellent and professional service. Highly recommended.

The Great House already has a well-deserved reputation for excellent food and service in Lavenham's 'little corner of France in England'. The range of menus and standard of presentation are first class. Our table of four had one of the best meals of our lives there recently. Great House - great meals - great service. What more can one say?

A small restaurant just got smaller. The bar area has now been "tabled" so there is no longer anywhere to sit before or after a meal. Pity - the tables are already close enough to sample other diners' choices.

The Great House is consistently good and offers outstanding value with its lunchtime menus. The service combines friendly informality with a complete attention to detail, the decor is cosy and the food is always distinctive and delicious. This restaurant combines the best of French cuisine with a setting in a beautiful part of England. An entente cordiale flourishes in Lavenham.

My husband and I stayed here on 29th Dec 2005 to celebrate his 40th birthday. Our room was magnificent with a Jacobean four poster bed and separate sitting room. We didn't think it could get any better, but when we went down for dinner that evening we were not disappointed. The menu was extensive, as was the wine list, and the food was just amazing and the service was outstanding. The whole place is very warm and inviting and we could not have expected a better time. We will definitely go again, if not to stay over but to dine!

The Great House restaurant never disappoints. Your review here is completely accurate - this is the closest you will get to the best of rural France in England. Everything is right: from the temperature of the kir taken in the bar while you choose from the suitably focused menu, to the quality of the cooking, the presentation and the service (all are faultless). The menu changes, so it would be pointless to recommend one dish (well OK, you must order the smoked pigeon breast and chicken salad, and the raspberry crème brûlée). The Great House has sister restaurants in Suffolk - could they please open one down our way (for the record, south-west London)?