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I ventured across the border into Suffolk this week to celebrate the launch of a new Christmas menu at the Packhorse Inn.

Located only a few minutes drive from Newmarket, in the village of Moulton, this is quite literally just over the border from Cambridgeshire, making it easily accessible for many Cambridge Foodies reading. 

The Packhorse Inn is a stunning 17th century pub, making it the perfect picturesque location for a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner. It is run by the Chestnut Group, a local East Anglian chain of restaurants who take great pride in showcasing everything East Anglia has to offer – from sourcing local produce to celebrating everything that makes the area unique.

The team really gets into the spirit of things with the Christmas decorations, which tastefully compliment the historic interior of the building. There is a big Christmas tree in the corner with fairy lights and candles, adding a cosy festive atmosphere.

The Christmas decoration really got me in the mood for the feast awaiting us. It truly felt like Christmas was here already! If they put the same amount of effort into the food as they did the decorations, then we were in for a treat; especially since, I noticed that the pub is mentioned in the Michelin Guide, setting my expectations even higher.

Nibbles

We started off with a few nibbles while we waited for the main course. Brie bites with cranberry accompanied by honey mustard sausage and ham hock with apple sauce.

Both my guest and I couldn’t fault a thing from this selection, with the ham hock and brie bites being particularly memorable.

Next, was the chestnut mushroom soup. I have often struggled with mushrooms, with my opinion on it entirely depending on the context of how I am eating it. Mushroom soup is one of those dishes that I have struggled with, which made me anxious about how I was going to receive it. With that said, this take was one of the best examples of mushroom soup I have ever had. Thanks to its thick creaminess and subtle mushroom flavour, this delicate balance really worked for me and has single-handedly made me more confident with trying mushroom soup again.

Mains

For our main course, we had roast Shalford turkey, pigs in a blanket, stuffing, red cabbage, roasted root vegetables, roast potatoes, and gravy.

Turkey isn’t the most exciting of meats but somehow they managed to provide a dish that was as juicy as it was delicious. There wasn’t a single hint of dryness, mostly credited to the thick gravy and quality preparation.

The red cabbage is hard to see in the picture above (as it was presented underneath the turkey) but it was one of the highlights of the evening. It was sweetened with (what I think was) aniseed and really added some flare to the flavour.

The root vegetables were a nice touch and complimented the meal visually, as well as with flavour. This added a rustic autumnal colour that captured the theme of the evening. I would have preferred them slightly crispier but otherwise they were a great demonstration on how to make vegetables exciting.

Combined, everything was brought together to create a balanced, colourful, and delicious plate of warm comfort. Everything from the large crispy potatoes to the rich thick gravy was divine.

Dessert

We were presented with a selection of small desserts to sign off the evening. This consisted of a ‘Packhorse mini dessert board’ with spiced gingerbread cake and chocolate & hazelnut arctic roll. These were nice desserts but didn’t particularly inspire me. Perhaps, my bar was set a little too high after several dishes of such high calibre?

The arctic roll was quite dry rather than the soft sponginess that it is well known for. It did, however, have a lovely flavour of hazelnut and chocolate, which is right up my street. It reminded me of a Ferrero Rocher without the gooey centre.

This lonely looking bite-sized dessert on a large plate was the spiced brûlêe. It had a lovely flaky skin with a custard topping that was signed off with a lightly spiced flavour that really added a hint of nostalgic Christmas warmth.

Conclusion…

The Packhorse Inn offers a charming and enchanting Christmas experience that will really get you into the holiday spirit. Many places manage to capture the warmth and jolly atmosphere of Christmas but few like The Packhorse Inn. This was truly special.

Their food is worthy of the Micheline Guide and the service was exceptional, even serving as many people who joined us tonight.

Christmas has come early!