Richard Bainbridge, originally from Norwich has travelled and worked his way through some of the most amazing Michelin starred Restaurants across the globe including the 3 Michelin Starred Waterside Inn in Bray. Upon his return to Norfolk, he was head chef at Galton Blackiston’s Morston Hall. In 2015 he won BBC 2’s Great British Menu and returned in 2017 as a Veteran Judge on the program judging the chefs of the central region.
Katja and Richard Bainbridge opened Benedicts in 2015.
The restaurant has been named in The Times Top 100 Restaurants in the UK, Square Meal Top 100 and EDP Norfolk’s Best Restaurant, alongside a rating of 6 in the Good Food Guide. It was was awarded 3 AA Rosettes in January 2018.
Hospitality teams normally hold their staff party in January with no festive vibes. When I set Chef to Home up, I promised myself I will allocate time in December to celebrate and reflect on the year behind us no matter how small or big we are. We all need to feel the festive spirit. A dinner at Benedicts was our choice this year. Experiencing fine dining as a guest feels different from doing it. It was our turn to experience fine hospitality from the other side.
We opted for the five-course menu with the optional ‘APERITIF’ course.
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THE TEASE
Prawn Cocktail | Pissaladière | Pumpkin Taco
This came in two waves. The prawn cocktail was seasoned with freeze dried raspberries and the pissaladière was like a French Onion soup with a puff pastry shell. The taco had chestnut and pumpkin puree on it. We thoroughly enjoyed all three of them.
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APERITIF – Rice Cracker, Salmon Roe, Sherry Mousse
This was one of their signature dishes with a personal story behind it from Richard.
“When I was growing up, my nanny and granddad had a daily ritual, they called ‘The Sundowner’. Every day at 5pm, they would sit down together and enjoy a glass of sherry before dinner. I wanted to honour this family tradition by crating my own version of the ‘The Sundowner’, a rich and delicate sherry mousse, served with a crisp rice cracker, topped with salmon roe (pickled radish), apple gel, burnt onion powder, parsley cress and shallot rings.
A delicious tribute and bursts of flavour for you to enjoy.
If any mousse is left, feel free to mop it up with your bread served shortly.”
This was a combination of lots of flavours in your mouth but also something unusual on our palate.
Zsolt (husband, the last-minute shopper, car loader, my biggest supporter and my honest critic) described this dish as ‘interesting’.
Steph (front of house manager) didn’t like the sherry mousse.
I found it playful because of the dipping. With each bite I got something different.
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PARKER HOUSE BREAD
Christmas Spice Butter
The bread course is always the one I look forward to the most and ah, it did hit the ‘wow factor’ in every possible level. The visuals were very pretty; the smell was divine and tearing apart the soft crumb from the crispy top was pure joy. I enjoyed the bread more with the butters than with the sherry mousse.
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FARMHOUSE PORK PATE
Cranberries, Pickled Spiced Quince
Farmhouse style executed to perfection. I really enjoyed the pickled quince with it. Zsolt said this was his least favourite course out of all the dishes.
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For the mains we could choose between three options: meat, fish or vegetarian. Having a tasting menu with a main course option is brilliant because although we had a set menu we also could practice ‘decision making’ within. Zsolt opted for the meat and us ladies for the fish.
EX DAIRY COW SIRLOIN
Spiced Red Cabbage, Sauce au Poivre
Zsolt said the meat was a bit chewier what he expected. This probably due to the type of meat. Serving dairy cow meat in high end restaurants is trendy these days. The main reason behind it is sustainability. The meat also has more intense and complex flavour.
WEST COAST HALIBUT
Parsnip Puree, Brussels Sprouts, Fish Jus
Beautiful dish, a really enjoyed the burned Brussels sprouts. For both dishes the sauces were poured on the table in front of us.
Main courses were served with a bowl of house potatoes.
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The restrooms were located upstairs. The restaurant regularly hosts guest chefs, and they included a few pictures on the corridor about the teams that previously cooked in Benedicts’ kitchen. The ladies room looked beautiful and very nicely thought after. They had elegantly rolled hand towels to dry hands.
The private dining room is also located upstairs.
A little but very nice touch was the folded napkin on the table after we returned to our seats.
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CLEMENTINE POSSET
Mulled Wine Granita
A lovely little, refreshing pre-dessert before our last course. The mulled wine tricked us because you would except it to be warm, but it was a mulled wine flavoured cold element.
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CHRISTMAS WREATH
Chestnut, Dark Chocolate, Eggnog
Very festive dessert, a choux wreath was filled with chestnut and chocolate purée and was served with eggnog ice cream. The cream was nicely balanced (dark chocolate can overpower the chestnut’s delicate flavour easy) and had a beautiful texture. Having it with the eggnog ice cream was very refreshing.
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The restaurant had a great vibe; the room is not too big but not too small either. The service was friendly and polite. Some dishes were presented by the chefs, so we had a chance to see some of the back of house team as well. Overall, we had a great time.
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Date of our visit: 6pm Tuesday, 9th December 2025
Harrogate Still 750ml £5
Menu 1 £65 x 3 = £195
Rice Cracker Supplement £7 x 3 = £21
Bon Accord Rhubarb Soda £5
Lemonade £3.10
Molmenti & Celot Prosecco £48
Service Charge £27.71
Total £304.81
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I am Eniko Fejer, founder and private chef at Chef to Home. We are one of Norfolk’s leading small event caterers offering private dinner and catering experiences for family or friend’s get-togethers. We have been mentioned on the EDP and on BBC Radio 2, collaborated with other small business (check our press page) and we have over 80 very personalised five star Google reviews. The concept of Chef to Home by Eniko Fejer was born in late 2020 however I started to work full time as a private chef in April 2023. My aim has been to provide a high-end, personalised culinary experience to the guests in their chosen location.
Dining in high-end restaurants is not new to me. I started eating out in Michelin star restaurants at the age of 23. Before my son was born in 2016, I have been in many one, two and even a few three star restaurants in the UK and across Europe. Lately my visits became less frequent, but I have been going as and when I could.
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