The Restaurant

The story

The Black Bull, Balsham | AA 2-Rosette Modern British Dining

The kitchen and the craft

Modern British cooking defines the menu at The Black Bull in Balsham, where Head Chef Rob Burling has worked since 2020. His tenure combines training from Trinity College and Mustique Island with a dedication to seasonal sourcing. This consistency secured two AA Rosettes for the kitchen.

Light, timber and the outdoors

A new dining room occupies a Grade II listed barn, featuring an oak-panelled vaulted ceiling that floods the space with daylight during service. The adjacent bar shifts tone with leather sofas and exposed beams framing a relaxed layout. Lattice stained-glass windows catch the afternoon light, while outside, Chelsea medal-winning garden designer Ian Shooter arranged a tree-lined sandstone patio beneath the inn's thatched eaves.

Local brews and cellar selections

The beverage program supports the kitchen's regional focus through four hand-pumped real ales drawn from local breweries. An internal label produces the Red and Black beers, while guest taps rotate to highlight emerging microbreweries across the county. Forty wines complete the selection, with twelve bottles pourable by the glass.