The Gamekeeper Freehouse in Breckland

It was probably my first visit to a UK pub or restaurant in over 20 years & also in my 1970s home village. Table booked by a Norfolk friend, purely based on Google recommendation, to follow a burial service in village church. It was midday Wednesday & only two people, so booking was not necessary. Entire experience was 1st class. Ver friendly, just right degree of service perfectly judging the time but also very honest on recommendations for food & drink, both of which were excellent & for reasonable prices. After the meal, invited to sit in the comfortable sofas around the fire next to the bar. Being a quiet, mid-week day, which though suited us well, I can't judge the atmosphere too well, but having been taken on a quick tour of the building, I can imagine it's a fabulous place when full of life. Highly recommended & big Dankeschön for brightening up an otherwise sombre day. Maybe I'll be back next year to try out the Biergarten! Prost🍺

A quick visit to the quaint south Norfolk village of Old Buckenham and The Gamekeeper today for a spot of lunch. This 17th century, grade II listed pub is beautiful inside with exposed oak beams, eclectic wooden and leather furniture and a lovely traditional atmosphere. The service was perfect and the food was fabulous. My guest enjoyed Norfolk ham, fried eggs and skin on chips and I enjoyed the slow roasted pork belly with black pudding and Parmentier potatoes. I also enjoyed the lemon curd Pana Cotta with raspberry ice-cream and accompanied our lunch with real ale. Would highly recommend a visit and it looks like a perfect spot for Sunday Lunch. There is also a large room which caters for private events such as weddings. Another plus...it's very dog friendly for pre booked diners, Mr Ted was very happy although he didn't get to see a dog menu !

We made reservations on a Sunday for 13:00, but due to delays we were running gloriously late. The pub was very busy when we eventually arrived at 14:30, but the atmosphere was warm and welcoming! We explained our situation to the lady behind the bar, who was lovely! She immediately said not a problem, I'll show you to your table. The conservatory/barn? area where we sat was beautiful. Tastefully decorated, comfy seating, warm, proportionally spaced out tables and the large mirrors on the walls reflected the light perfectly. The waitress and waiter that served us were impeccably mannered and seemed genuinely happy and fun. We both had the Sunday roast and it was delicious. The roast potatoes and crackling especially, were top class. It's making my mouth water now thinking about it. I asked for a glass of water and the waitress brought us a jug with ice and lemon and two glasses straight away. My only complaint is the water down there doesn't taste as good as up north ; ) We would highly recommend this gem of a place, and we shall definitely be back there for a longer visit and more food and drinks. Thank you to all the team that looked after us!

Had the most wonderfully delicious pizza with friends here while visiting the area, we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals, the service was amazing, so friendly and helpful, looking forward to visiting again :)

Lovely pub with friendly staff, good food and a nice atmosphere.

Friendly service,. We came for Sunday roast early evening, all the meals arrived the quickest ever. great volume of meats and Variety of vegetables. We all enjoyed thoroughly. Thank you very much

Last minute Sunday lunch was spot on. Kids loved their burgers too.

Didn't have food so couldn't score

We had a wonderful Sunday roast here after a long day at Banham zoo. The food was incredible and prices very reasonably. Staff were very kind and friendly 😊 we would definitely go back.

Delicious food , staff couldn't do enough. First time I had been but will definitely be back!

The Gamekeeper comes with a bit of a rep amongst the locals and I'm legit disappointed as this place lacks massively. 1* for Atmosphere as the place has the Atmosphere of a morgue. 1* The service was appalling. 2* Food distinctly average for an over average price. Poor, very poor indeed.

Good service, lovely food. Nice outdoor space

Friendly staff. Not a massive menus. Tries to be a bit posh on food. Can’t get a meat pie, or chicken and chips.Started having live music.

Tasty pizza, lovely atmosphere and entertainment. 😎

Me and my boyfriend went here on a quiet Monday, we were greated with the friendliest waitress. The food was delicious and fast to arrive 5/5 😋 😍

We were staying in the area for a family birthday weekend and were looking for a pub that did sunday roasts. I was really pleased they could accommodate all 14 of us a relatively short notice and when speaking with Emma over the phone she was polite and seemed to be a person who loves her job. The food was lovely, especially the cauliflower cheese (could have had extras of that). The only thing that let it down for me, and this is just a personal preference, is they had no dessert options that came with custard. I love a bit of crumble and custard after a yummy roast. I would definitely recommend this pub as great service and great cooked food.

Enjoying some small plates out in the sunny beer garden and listening to love music from Daisy and the Continentals jug band was the very definition of a perfect British pub afternoon. The pints were cooking, the food was delicious (try the pork belly bites) and the staff were all amazing, positive, helpful, friendly and welcoming. Plenty of games for the kids too and a common just over the way to take the dog for a walk too!

Good food well served on pleasant surroundings.

We had a lovely day in Norfolk with a super meal at The Gamekeeper. Staff were attentive, helpful and friendly. The meal was good quality with a fantastic homemade chocolate brownie for dessert. Highly recommend, we will definitely come back!

Fantastic Sunday roast. A cosy pub with friendly staff and good beer.

A lovely experience food excellent, service perfect and lovely atmosphere xx

If restaurants were a car crash this would be a multiple pile up.

Had been before & took friends along as we were confident with the venue. We all enjoyed the Sunday menu & the service was good. Downsides - no sherry at the bar & staff and/or chef didn’t understand what ‘water biscuits’ were (to accompany the cheese board). Malbec wasn’t available. No big deal, just a bit of a laugh! Upside - great food. Just sorry there weren’t many customers in to enhance a lovely atmosphere.

Came here with a few friends as was recommended by family members who have had a good meal, however our experience was ruined by a girl we dealt with named Heidi. Spoke to us extremely rude and abruptly. The food was mediocre. Disappointed with our experience due to this girl and unfortunately will not be returning. Myself and friends we’re disappointed by this young girl who could probably do with a little more training in the customer service area. However, lovely area, beautiful pub/restaurant shame was let down. 6/10

Great food, fast and friendly service, lovely atmosphere. Would definitely recommend.

A nice find visiting the area. Had a wonderful evening birthday celebration meal. We had the Pork Belly and the venison sausages, followed by the sticky toffe pudding and chocolate brownie. The food came out piping hot and very tasty. The service was great. Prices very reasonable. Would visit again. Thank you...

Nice pub and good food. My boyfriend and I came for Valentines day dinner. Had sharing platter for starter which wasn't too bad, not quite my cup of tea and 3 pieces of bread which didn't really make sense, should of been either 2 or 4, don't think it was really worth the £17. Asked for bottle of sparkling water which I think we have been completely forgotten about and had to ask again after about 10 minutes which is quite disappointing considering it wasn't even busy. I've had tomahawk steak which was great but don't think I'd have gone for it if I could clearly see the price which was cleverly at the very bottom of the board which you couldn't see if you were sat down (£65). It would have been helpful if the menu was actually updated and posted online. It was overall a good experience minus slow service and the cheeky positioning of the steak price which was bit of a slap across the face when the bill came 😳

Lovely place, attentive staff and good quality food. The only reason I've dropped a star is due to the vegan options. We booked a table for a Sunday as we fancied a roast, and called ahead to check if the veggie option (nut roast) could be made vegan - the menu on their website states "Many dishes can be modified to be vegan" - and they assured us it could be. However, once seated in the restaurant we were told it was NOT possible. Never mind, there were 3 other vegan options on the menu online...but wait, one of them (the Curry-infused cauliflower steak) had disappeared from the actual menu in the restaurant. Then we were told one of the other vegan options, the Spinach and pea risotto, was actually something completely different (a cheesy gnocchi if I recall correctly), so that was also not an option. Thankfully the vegan burger saved the day and was delicious. It's just annoying that we went thinking there were 4 possible options (generous compared to many pubs, especially on a Sunday), only to find that there was only 1.

Great setting for a lovely Sunday roast. Excellent staff, very friendly.

Great service and food was amazing 👍👍👍

Nice vibe and very tasty food, plenty of room and not rushed, very enjoyable

Fantastic welcome and delicious food, recommend highly

This and its sister pub , The Kings Head in Hethersett have fantastic teams bringing you the finest pub dining experiences. My support team always make sure they order dishes that suit my personal dietary requirements. I'm a very refined frenchie.

Had a cup of tea stop here during my cycle tour. Absolutely perfect way to stop, sat by the fire listening to christmas tunes whilst enjoying my cuppa!

Fantastic Christmas lunch with all of the above getting 5 stars ☘️

Great selection of woodfordes beers. Delicious food and great service.

Great food with great service- Shall be back again

Had a Sunday lunch with parents and partner. Unbelievably tasty pork bites and a Sunday feast. Drinks prices very good. All round excellence as indicated by how busy it was but the staff coped admirably.

Did not eat but had a few drinks great venue sat in front of the roaring fire

Food wasn’t good. Ordered the pork belly. It was nicely presented but was lukewarm. The 2 baby carrot garnish was cold. Our food and drinks bill came to nearly £300 (there was 10 of us). Staff were lovely but I didn’t think the meal was worth the money.

Amazing food, excellent service

My food was good however roast chicken was smothered in garlic. We were given a soup spoon for our deserts. Service was slow but I feel staff hadn't been trained. The venue is perfect

Had an absolutely wonderful meal here with friends. Ordered the duck and asked for it well done, it was cooked to perfection. The dessert was amazing too. We ate in the hall and I was knocked out by the decor and atmosphere. The staff are excellent, polite and super friendly. We have already booked for Christmas. Can't wait!

Really tasty food and lovely staff. The dining room is very cozy with elegant decoration.

Great food and service at decently prices.

Great food and friendly service for a good price

Lovely pub. Friendly staff. Didn't eat but what others where eating looked great.

Amazing food Great service Lovely beer garden

A lovely pub that's dog friendly, which our Sheltie enjoyed as she wandered around the beer garden saying hello to everyone. The barmaid/waitress was very cheery - despite being kept busy by the unexpected number of customers on a Monday evening, she didn't let any sign of stress show and seemed genuinely happy to help.

Very Friendly staff, excellent food, excellent value for food

Nice atmosphere, all clean and new. Dogs allowed in some areas. Restaurant over priced and limited choice. Drinks are very expensive edit: year on menu a lot better pricing as could as it can be in these times

Pleasant staff. Only had a few alcohol free beers but really nice place.

Went for steak night, the steak itself was lovely, but the portion of chips were tiny and the salad was just a few leaves. The wine was said to be a house wine and tasted like it had been open for a while, like vinegar. We then paid for a sauce which was tiny when it came out and was £4. The service was great, was just disappointed in the size of the meal and the quality of the wine. Won't be returning for this again.

Very helpful and friendly team. Very good food and good value kids menu. Dog loved the pupsicle too!

WOW!! What a fantastic pub, absolutely lovely friendly welcoming staff, great selection of drinks, super dog friendly and the food was out of this world!! What a great gem of a pub, absolutely gutted we found this on the last day of our holiday otherwise would have frequented often! Thanks so much for a fantastic end to our holiday ❤️

Nice place limited selection of beer. Plenty of car spaces. Friendly staff. Not had a meal there, they are always busy busy.

Nice place nice staff nice food

Restaurant neglected on quiz nights but food very good.

Brilliant pub and restaurant, great staff and service.. beer very good.

Really nice food ,lovely surroundings and good service ,

Had a few meals here and each time they've been superb 👌

Lovely meal at the Gamekeeper last night, the food and the service was really great. First time visiting the pub and I have to say it was excellent. Love the architecture of the building, it’s got a lovely feel to it. Thank you to Sally and her team of waitresses for great service.

Quaint village pub offering wonderful food. Great for couples, families and large group bookings.

Meal reasonable but not price No atmosphere

Excellent gastropub, well worth visiting! Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and charming old building. Food was great - we had two burgers and a pork belly, with the cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding for dessert - all were very tasty and well portioned. Good range of soft drinks too

Have driven past many times and said we should try the Gamekeeper. My wife treated me on fathers day and I have to say it was an excellent meal. Good menu, staff were friendly and accommodating, and the food was very good. Now on my list of favourite places to eat in Norfolk and Suffolk.Will go again soon.

The Gamekeeper, Old Buckenham, Norfolk Date of visit 8/6/23 Ratings based on image portrayed and price point. See our featured post for the rating scale. Overall experience 4/10 Food 4/10 Service 4/10 Cleanliness 4/10 Atmposhere/ Setting 4/10 Value 4/10 The Pecking Orders Verdict. This Keeper needs to up their game. Quite underwhelmed with our recent meal here. Felt like a half hearted attempt at sprucing the place up had been made unfortunately a half hearted attempt at the menu also. 2 out of 4 dishes were OK. Not the cleanest place. Staff seem disorganised. Food ordered. Starters Pork Belly Bites £5.00 Mains Margherita Pizza £13.50 Wherry beer battered Fish & Chips £17.00 Seared Duck Breast £19.00 Desserts We gave this a miss. The Pork Belly starter was OK. Reasonable sized portion. Soft and covered in a sweet sticky chinese style sauce. The fish was very disappointing. Bland, soggy batter and not the freshest fish. No hint of the beer used in the batter and a very dark colour from being overcooked on well used oil. The chips were chunky possibly twice cooked and plenty of them, more like wedges but quite pleasant as were the mushy peas. The pizza was light with a good even coating of cheese and tomato. The best of the dishes. The duck was overdone and not what we would call seared as per the menu. More like chargrilled. I'm not a fan of the 'grill marks' on food. It is essentially a burnt strip and much prefer a good even crust. This duck tasted chemically like it have been cooked on a gas grate. With only two soggy sweet potato wedges to accompany it, I was certainly glad to have the pizza to make it a meal. The staff were very loud and very slow. One waitress spending an age chatting to one table. I had to order drinks at the bar after a long wait with empty glasses and then had to wait again to be served. I was the only one stood there, barmaid was on the phone for what seemed like forever. Dried food on the glasses, toilet paper on the floor in the bar area and salt and sugar left on a sideboard, empty vinegar bottles looking sticky like they never got cleaned between refills. Not somewhere we are likely to return to.

We have had two fantastic meals whilst staying in the village. The food is superb and presented beautifully. Highly recommended.

Ignored at the bar no check on the food on offer of drinks at the table. Told the manager and they were not interested

Just had the most disappointing experience. This is our 3rd time here first 2 we’re lovely. Tonight we had a table for 6 waited 45 minutes for our first drinks. 50 minutes for our starters. No sign of mains after 1 hours and 45 minutes. We felt ignored and left and won’t return.

Very friendly and helpful, food great Made us feel very welcome, great atmosphere. Chef bought out a "firework" in our pudding to celebrate our honeymoon. Thank you we will be back before we go home.

4 adults and 2 children all enjoyed eating here. This is a pub we often visited in the past and we are pleased it has re-opened in new ownership. The service was great and we had made several special requests which were all agreed. The Woodfordes ale is well kept and the pub grub was promptly served and piping hot. The portion size is "Norfolk large". We will certainly return again soon. May '23 still a good place to eat but now privately owned.

Went for an evening meal and wasn't disappointed dog friendly as well. Food was excellent well presented and good value and the dessert was lovely.Lovely surroundings very friendly and great service will definitely return.

Very good food with extremely friendly staff

Excellent food, large menu and friendly staff. Couldn't fault it.

Lovely atmosphere, delicious food, good portion sizes, attentive and friendly staff!

Nice friendly place to come and good good 👍

I went there for the first time on Tuesday and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Good food friendly staff, well done.

Great food, ambiance, lovely outdoor traditional pub , i would recommend 👌

Very friendly landlady comfortable settings and very welcoming to all

A tremendously cosy pub with a welcome as warm as the wood burners. Great beer, good food. Emma is the shining light in this place, we just love it.

Great pub. Lovely cozy country atmosphere. Good food, good beer. What else do you need!

First time visiting since it has been reopened and it was delicious. A good portion size and everything was cooked to a high quality.

Whilst in the UK, we've made a few pub grub hauls and this joint has to be one of the nicest aesthetics and comfiest places to eat, the decor is awesome and a very quirky gastro take on a traditional British pub with plenty of roaring fires to keep you toasty. However, the nut roast wasn't the most exciting. Fairly yummy, lacking any kind of real flavor or seasoning and a pretty average result. I also finished off with an Espresso which was unfortunately cold and pretty bleak too. Support local businesses!

Great pub and top food at a reasonable price. Well worth a visit

Good food great service, great ambience.

Friendly workers, good food, could do with some seasoning or herbs on roast potatoes as abit plain, chicken breast abit white for my liking, but rest was lovely and dessert was good, i had the sticky toffee, probably be best if they wrote on the menu it has nuts on tho as it's an Allergen

Called into the Gamekeeper on the way back from the Zoo in Banham. Late lunch, I had mackerel pate to start followed by pork belly, both were fabulous. My husband had black pudding scotch egg and duck,which he also said was fab. We sat in the high ceiling dining room, which is nicely decorated, but a bit cold and lacks atmosphere. The rest of the pub is nicely done and cosy. Great place to visit for lunch or dinner, brilliant staff.

Good food, good service, nice atmosphere thanks a lovely visit...we will be back :)

Can't fault it. Warm, friendly and good food.

Great service, friendly and warm atmosphere, and lovely food. Dog friendly too.

Lovely meal and excellent wine - the lady who looked after and served us was absolutely lovely - Great Evening.

The decor of the place is okay but the bar is far from country pub. As for selection of drinks very poor they only have two lagers very disappointing ones at that and advertise selling nog not to have it on. Skipped a drunk and went to a proper pub across the Rd. I dare say the food would be okay as most pubs are restaurants now. Won't be in a hurry bk. Mrs couldn't even get a rose 😞

Lovely pub very warm and friendly atmosphere. Food very good and decent portion sizes. Just slightly let down by no table service for drinks when eating so had to keep going to the bar, we weren’t told about specials board only noticed it just as our food came. Ordered a coffee with dessert and didn’t get it , But !! We will definitely be going back and I would recommend it.

Glad to find The Gamekeeper reopened and so with the same comfortable relaxed atmosphere. Friday lunch time, plenty of custom. Superb food from a thoughtful menu. Excellent visit. Dog friendly area within the centre of the pub too! Well done The Gamekeeper!!

Food lovely, would like to see more choices on the menu.

Very nice, quirky place, quirky staff. Excellent everything. Wish it was my local, but we are just over the border. Not too far though.

Went a couple of weeks ago to celebrate a friends birthday. There were 10 of us so we were in one of the smaller rooms. The service was excellent and the food was delicicious. The portions were very generous, and much more than enough to satisfy. The sticky toffee pudding was light and delicious. Will definitely go again and highly recommend. Spent a lovely afternoon.

We all really enjoyed our Christmas Quiz and dinner yesterday evening. Very friendly and welcoming staff.

Wonderful place to have a meal with friends