Brisley Bell and Back to the Garden best for alfresco dining

The Good Food Guide has published its list of the 30 "best restaurants for your first alfresco meal of the year", with Back to the Garden and The Brisley Bell both clinching a place. 

The outside seating area of Back to the Garden (Image: Back to the Garden)

Located in Letheringsett near Holt, Back to the Garden has a farm shop, café, restaurant and garden.

The Good Food Guide describes the farm shop's local produce and deli counter as a "feast of temptations" and the garden as a "pretty, lavender-filled space in summer."

In the café, breakfast can be eaten until 11.45am featuring "sausages from the butcher’s slab with black pudding, streaky bacon and the rest" and lunchtime options include "smoked Norfolk Dapple arancini with butternut squash purée, a packed fish pie or a ploughman’s board with deli items and homemade piccalilli."

The indoor and outdoor seating at The Brisley Bell (Image: The Brisley Bell)

Described by The Good Food Guide as "ivy-clad and handsome," the Brisley Bell is a traditional country inn located on the village's common It is near Dereham. 

The family-friendly pub has two acres of garden and a covered patio.

With six bedrooms also on offer, The Brisley Bell recently made The Times' list of the 25 cosiest places to stay in the UK.

The garden at The Brisley Bell (Image: The Brisley Bell)The food offering is described by The Good Food Guide as "very respectable traditional pub food," with head chef Hervé Stouvenel creating a changing daily menu of meat-focused, seasonal dishes.

Amelia Nicholson, one of the owners of The Bristley Bell, said: "We’re delighted to be included in The Good Food Guide – and this particular honour is very apt as we’re now planning to offer a barbeque this summer.

"Keep an eye on our socials for further details."