Twenty years ago, David George bought a fire-damaged pub in Duston and set about transforming it into a dining venue that is known across the county and beyond for its excellent food, warm welcome and high-quality accommodation.
To celebrate, The Hopping Hare has put together a special Celebrating 20 Years menu that encapsulates what it is today – an award-winning two AA Rosette restaurant and previous winner of Restaurant of the Year at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.
The historic building, which was once a country manor house, surrounded by open fields and often home to a whole variety of animals from travelling circuses, now offers an al a carte menu, 20 boutique bedrooms, an al fresco dining area, and regular tasting menus and events.
Good suppliers are fundamental to the quality of the dishes available in the restaurant; game comes from a number of local estates, including Althorp, and everything is prepared fresh on site, including all bread and ice creams. Wine and gin tasting nights, hosted by another local supplier, Warner’s Distilleries, are a regular feature.
The comfortable bedrooms, each with its own bespoke look, have made The Hopping Hare a favourite with visitors to Northampton, offering a convenient place to stay close to the town’s major sporting venues, the theatre and town centre dining options, and for those visiting the likes of Silverstone and Althorp.
The 20th Anniversary menu, which will be served on June 6, combines the best of The Hopping Hare, combining as it does the traditional and the innovative. At lunchtime, there is a range of specialities from the grill, including a Hopping Hare beef burger and chicken and chorizo skewers, and steaks with a selection of sauces.
In the evening, there’s tomato and roasted red pepper arancini, confit fillet of sea bass with a cassoulet or butter beans and chorizo, and roasted beetroot, hazelnut pesto and goats cheese salad.
That is followed by a selection of roast fillet of halibut and seared scallop, slow-cooked Althorp estate lamb shoulder, seared fillet of beef with crispy panko prawns and corn-fed breast of chicken with creamed leeks.
For dessert diners can choose from white chocolate delice and mini caramelised lemon tart.
The Celebrating 20 Years menu will be served on June 6. The evening event costs £50 per person and will include live entertainment from Carla Gray, as some memorable magic tricks from DV Magic.
David George said: “We’re celebrating 20 years of great food and great company. We’re so proud of what The Hopping Hare has become and even prouder of the people who helped make it what it is today. Here’s to the next 20!”
Full details of The Hopping Hare’s menus and accommodation, including the Tasting Menu that is available every Friday evening at £45 per person, can be found on their website.
