Having spent the last ten years of my life living in and around Eaton, I’ve frequented both of the village’s pubs many times.
After featuring The Cellar House last week, I thought it was only fair to cover The Red Lion as well. They are both at the heart of the village, but the Red Lion has a very different character.
For starters, it is a much older building, with warped wooden beams along the ceiling, a roaring fire and a suit of armour it is very atmospheric. The website states that it has been there since 1643 and you can certainly feel the history. Although The Cellar House is an old building, it’s certainly not that old (actually, if anyone knows how old it is, I would be interested!)
Unlike The Cellar House, I would say that this is more of a restaurant than a pub. Although you can sit at the bar to have a drink, most of the tables are reserved for people eating. The food is very good though, if more expensive than The Cellar House. All dishes are incredibly fresh and well cooked, with excellent service. I’ve never been able to find fault with it.
Having said that it’s more of a restaurant, it’s actually an inn and you can stay there for the night. Living around the corner, it would be rather extravagant for me to have stayed there, so I can’t really comment, but I would be surprised if it wasn’t of the same calibre as the restaurant.
If you have any recommendations for place to go and visit in Norfolk, let me know!