The Hourglass (formerly known as The Horse & Groom) in Sculthorpe is set between the village street and the main A148, with lots of parking space. We’d booked a table for four at 7pm and when we arrived there were four diners already enjoying a meal – however it’s quite a big pub-restaurant and the place looked deserted!

The contemporary decor is attractively minimalist, with cream paintwork and tasteful canvases on the wall. Very clean-and-sharp-looking but not too much ‘character’ for what I assume is quite an old building. I like it though. The landlord is friendly and attentive and after a round of drinks was ordered (the Woodforde’s Wherry was in decent nick but the only other ale choice was Bombadier) we were shown to our table.

For starters we chose whitebait, vegetable risotto and blue cheese mushrooms. They didn’t take very long to arrive and were all delicious. Our main courses were rump steaks with chips & mushrooms, rump of lamb on a spinach & potato bed and pork ribs with BBQ sauce & chips. All were absolutely excellent fare – the dishes could simply not be faulted. The ribs were tender and tasty – loads of them too. One of our group remarked that it was the most tender rump steak he’d had! Can’t be bad, can it?

So… all told very good indeed. The choice of beer was a tad dull and predictable but of decent quality. The food was lovely and the surroundings and staff were great. Recommended.