The Sun Inn

The Sun Inn, Dedham, Essex inn, quirky decor

The Sun Inn, Dedham, Essex, family-friendly

The Sun Inn, Dedham, Italian food, child-friendly

Restored with flair by owner Piers Baker, this yellow-painted 15th-century coaching inn is opposite the church on Dedham's main street. He has given the bar 'an attractive lived-in feel', with old oak floorboards, log fires, window seats, club chairs, board games, lots of local information. There is a lounge decorated in country house style. The furnishing is more minimal in the open-plan dining room, on two levels, with exposed ancient beams forming a partition with the bar. The Mediterranean/Italian cooking of chef Ugo Simonelli is much praised: his daily-changing menu might include pasta with squid and ink, orange zest; Sutton Hoo chicken roasted with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, grilled polenta. There are quirky touches in the bedrooms: old packing cases for bedside tables, antique and retro furniture. Two new rooms were being added in summer 2011. Children are welcomed (adapted menus, a slide and swing in the garden). Breakfast has smoked fish of the day; farmyard egg frittata; hand-cut bread for toast. A picnic with a rug can be provided for visitors walking or boating along the River Stour to Flatford Mill. (RG, and others)

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