Occupying a stunning position overlooking the picturesque Chater Valley to the east of Lyndon, the barn was rescued from near ruin and is now home to a wonderful café, with additional meeting area spaces in the extensive mezzanine floor.
View our handy Food & Drink Map with cycling route and list of places to eat
Rutland is proud of its farming and agricultural background and it is thanks to this strong tradition of supporting local produce that there is an excellent selection of quality food and drink available now, not only when eating out but also with local businesses producing delicious fare to enjoy in your own home.
Award Winning Food & Drink
Inspectors and reviewers are repeatedly impressed with the quality food offer here, with many establishments winning awards in guide books and reviewed in the national press.
The Olive Branch in Clipsham has an enviable clutch of hospitality industry honours. Crowned ‘Best Pub’ in the GQ Food & Drink Awards 2021, this year it has also been recognised as the finest gastropub in the county in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropub Awards. Being placed in ‘The List’ is one of the pub world’s highest accolades and The Wheatsheaf in Greetham is also proud to be among the recipients of this coveted award.
The Good Pub Guide, awarded The Olive Branch ‘Pub of the Year 2021’ and also recommend these excellent Rutland pubs:
- The Grainstore Brewery, Oakham
- The Kings Arms, Wing
- The Wheatsheaf, Greetham
An AA Rosette Award is an highly sought-after accreditation for culinary excellence, awarded annually on a rising scale of one to five. Rutland is proud to have a multitude of recognised venues:
Hambleton Hall 
The Olive Branch
Lake Isle
The Kings Arms
Barnsdale Lodge
Since 1951,The Good Food Guide has reviewed the best restaurants, pubs and cafés across the UK. Each year, the guide is completely rewritten and compiled from scratch. All reviews are based on a huge volume of feedback submitted by readers, together with anonymous expert inspections to ensure that every entry is assessed afresh. Rutland boasts four entries in 2021;
The Olive Branch, Clipsham | Hitchens Barn, Oakham | Lake Isle, Uppingham | Hambleton Hall
Michelin Awards of Distinction
For top quality English elegance, it is hard to beat Hambleton Hall on the Rutland Water peninsular, it has the longest retained Michelin Star in the UK (since 1982) and appeared in The Good Food Guide’s Top 50 best UK restaurants for 29 years, it is also renowned for a quality wine list, luxury accommodation and an award winning bakery, not to mention outstanding hospitality – come and see what all the fuss is about on your next visit.
Hitchen’s Barn opened on Burley Road in Oakham in 2019 and as well as featuring in The Good Food Guide, has also been distinguished with a Bib Gourmand, an award which showcases “delightful little restaurants selected by MICHELIN guide inspectors for their very good value for money.”
Featured Listings
Our curry house is a culinary destination that offers an unforgettable dining experience. We take pride in presenting an extensive menu of Indian dishes that are made with the finest ingredients and spices.
A family-owned, independent garden centre with a restaurant and cakery on the outskirts of Oakham, located within a selection of tempting shops at Rutland Garden Village courtyard with children’s play area.
Hambleton Bakery on Cottesmore Road, Exton sprung into life in 2008, since then the little shop at one end of the Bakery has surpassed all of our expectations. Traditional bread, made slowly with top quality English or French stone ground flour, makes up a significant part of our output.
AA 4* Accommodation, 2 AA Rosettes and Home To Jimmy’s Smokehouse in Rutland
In May 2023 we opened ‘The View’, a new 100-seater restaurant with panoramic views across stunning Rutland Water to the hills beyond.
Start Date: 16/03/2019
Visit the Orangery Restaurant for morning coffee, light bites, afternoon tea, specialty party dinners, celebrations and wedding parties.
The Good Food Guide 2019/20 & Michelin Guide recommendation.
Blossoms – one of the best restaurants in Rutland
Renown for its superb food and spectacular views, Blossoms is one of the best restaurants in Rutland.
Enjoy our home cooked food, cakes, tray-bakes and snacks in this brand new Tea room on the southern edge of Oakham. Our lovely Tea Room serves a variety of hot and cold food and drinks, snacks, ice creams and more. Food is served to sit in or take away and we do our best to cater for all dietary needs. We also offer Afternoon Tea, which includes a selection of sandwiches, cakes, scones and tea or coffee (booking required).
Mallard Point is a family-run Single Estate Vineyard and Distillery located in Essendine, Rutland, offering tours and creating a range of local gins and still and sparkling wines.
Ganders Goat pride themselves on their green focused farming and production methods. Come Goat Walking on the farm, where they produce a range of Soap and Ice Cream from the goat milk.
Start Date: 01/01/2019
The Sun Inn is a traditional thatched village pub which has retained many of the original features with oak beams and inglenook fireplace. A great range of light snacks and restaurant meals are available Tuesday to Saturday lunchtimes and evenings, plus a fantastic roast is on Sundays from 12 until 4pm.
Inspired by the Rutland county motto Multum-in-Parvo or Much-in-Little, we designed a range of Gins to capture the essence of this wonderful area. Using ingredients that have been sourced locally, we’ve come up with some beautiful and unique gin flavours that we hope you enjoy as much as we do.
We are proud to offer the very best fresh, seasonal food, served in generous portions. Wherever possible, we source our ingredients from local producers, so our sandwiches are freshly made using Hambleton Bakery’s award-winning bread and in season our salads come direct from our very own allotment.
New for 2023, come and enjoy freshly made soup, served with our famous Sourdough; Salads, filled Focaccias and of course all of your favourite sweet treats….all in the site of the old bakery near Exton.
