The Olive Branch
Clipsham, Rutland
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A pubby success story if ever there was one, this handsome stone hostelry was gifted to Clipsham by a local squire in 1890 and rescued from extinction by three friends in 1999. Since then, it has become a shining star on the Rutland scene with its open-minded community spirit and forward-thinking approach to food and drink. The Olive Branch was an early adopter of local sourcing and still name-checks its ever-growing list of suppliers, as well as topping up its larder with home-grown produce from the increasingly productive ‘pub paddock’. The kitchen caters for all appetites and predilections – whether your preference is for haddock and chips, a ‘risotto’ of celeriac with baked apple and fennel or loin of Old Spot pork with salt-baked turnip, spring onion, English morels and mugwort. Starters are equally creative, ranging from cockle-warming Lincolnshire Poacher dumplings with oxtail and caramelised onion broth to trendy charred mackerel with oyster mayo and sea buckthorn, while dessert might bring raw milk bavarois, banana panna cotta or something voguish such as baked apple terrine with honey beer and apple marigold. On the drinks front, top-notch regional ales and an ever-changing list of good-value wines receive equal billing, with Coravin selections signalling the owners’ serious intent in this field. Accommodation is available at Beech House, across the road from the pub.
