Country Pub & Restaurant on Essex/Suffolk Border

The Pheasant pub restaurant at Gestingthorpe, award winner of the best newcomer restaurant in Essex in 2008, is set in the middle of rural countryside, ideal for pub walks, situated between Castle Hedingham and Sudbury.

Owners Diana & James Donoghue have converted this charming country pub, serving locally sourced food in a welcoming setting, with wood burning stoves alight in winter providing a snug and cosy atmosphere and during summer, the view from the garden is breathtaking where you can see for miles and enjoy alfresco dining.

Our Menu

The menu is bursting with seasonal choice, such as delicious Game Pie, made with pheasant, rabbit, venison, and pigeon, Slow Roasted Belly of Pork with caramelised apples, Spaynes Hall Farm Sausages from Gestingthorpe and with the Smokery next door, home smoked fish is the speciality such as the famous Smoked Salmon Pate, Smoked Salmon, Smoked Halibut and great as an appetiser, the Smoked Prawns.  Additionally, all of this you can purchase from the Smokery counter at the pub bar.

Our Garden and Keeping Bees

James’s former profession was garden design, James exhibted at the RHS, Chelsea flower show 2003, you can now visit his garden at the Pheasant and as you will see, gardening is still a huge passion of James. There are raised vegetable beds to provide the fruit and vegetables for the restaurant, all organic, such as various tomatoes, which have been grown from seed.  In addition, James keeps Bees and uses some of his honey for dressings and salads in his recipes.