Morston Hall

About Morston Hall

Morston Hall is a small country house hotel on the coast road between Blakeney and Stiffkey, owned and run by chef patron Galton Blackiston and his wife Tracy for more than three decades. The Jacobean flint house sits in around three acres of walled and lawned garden, with the salt marshes and the Blakeney Point seal colonies a short walk away. It is first and foremost a restaurant with rooms, and the kitchen has held a Michelin star for over 25 consecutive years alongside four AA Rosettes.

There are 13 bedrooms and suites in total. Six are in the main house, decorated in a traditional country style with antique furniture and garden views, while the newer garden pavilion rooms are larger and quieter, several with private terraces, underfloor heating and freestanding baths. All are en suite, with fresh flowers, robes, and tea and coffee provided. Rates normally include breakfast, and most guests book on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.

Dinner is a set daily-changing tasting menu served at a single sitting, preceded by canapes and drinks in the conservatory or garden. Produce is heavily local: Morston mussels, Cromer crab, Brancaster oysters, game from nearby estates and herbs and vegetables from the kitchen garden. There is a serious wine list and the service is formal but unstuffy. Cookery demonstrations and gourmet weekends run through the quieter months.

The hotel suits couples and food-led travellers who want a proper dining destination rather than a resort. It is well placed for birdwatching at Cley and Titchwell, boat trips from Morston Quay, and the Georgian shops of Holt. There is no spa, no pool and no lift, and children over eight are welcome by arrangement, so it is a better fit for a quiet two- or three-night stay than a family holiday base.