A stylish new country pub is rapidly becoming one of the gems on the Suffolk foodie trail. Following an extensive two-year refurbishment by husband and wife team, Dominic and Jemima Withey, The Turks Head serves local and seasonal cuisine. The cosy bar, elegant dining room and expansive garden also offers a drinking experience to suit all occasions with rotating local cask beers, a large gin collection and diverse wine list offering everything from English sparkling to New World wines.
Suffolk is becoming universally known as ‘The Foodie County’ and Hasketon, where the Turks Head is located, is certainly one of the jewels in its crown. Located just outside popular destination, Woodbridge, the picturesque village is already home to the acclaimed Gressingham Duck and Sutton Hoo Chicken. Head Chef Chandramauli Dwivedi, known as Mauli, is passionate about using locally sourced ingredients and the regularly changing menus also reflect his Indian heritage and classical French training. Mauli trained with the Taj Hotel Hotel Group, including working under Antonio Carluccio and most recently worked as Head Chef at The Black Lion in Long Melford, where he gained an excellent reputation and following.
A true celebration of British food, The Turks Head combines pub favorites with modern classics. Examples of lunch dishes include; Yew Tree House Beetroot, Rosary Goats Cheese, Toasted Hazelnuts, Grape Vinaigrette, 28 Day-aged Hereford Beef Burger, Beer Battered East Coast Cod with Minted Smashed Peas, Tartar Sauce and Hand Cut Chips and Gressingham Duck Salad with Orange, Mixed Peppers, Red Gem Lettuce and Hill Farm rapeseed Oil Dressing
Dinner dishes include starters such as; Grilled Scottish Scallops with Seaweed and Grapefruit, and Sticky Blythburgh Pork Belly with Fresh Summer Bean Ragout and Aspall Cyder Apple followed by wonderfully fresh Skate Swing Grenobloise, Jersey Royal Potatoes, Wilted Greens and Potted Shrimp, Sutton Hoo Chicken Saltimbocca with Scandinavian Ratte Style Potatoes, Wilted Greens and Crispy Sage Butter Sauce andPoletna Pancake with Fresh Corn, Sorrel Crème Fraiche and Green Miso. Summer Berry Mille-Feuille with Burnt Meringue and Clotted Cream, Mango Kulfi with Basil Shake and Sugar Cane Syrup and Dark Chocolate Nemesis with Candied Fruits and Crème Fraiche are just some of the perfect puddings to finish with. The Turks Head also have a reasonable and delicious Sunday Lunch menu with two courses and a dedicated kids menu.
Owner Jemima is also a professional interior designer and oversaw the refurbishment, ensuring every area of the space radiates warmth and an eye for detail. The striking dark blue dining room features high vaulted ceilings with dark wooden table, original animal-inspired artworks by Suffolk-based artist Sophie Elinor Martin and contemporary light fixtures. Large windows flood the space with natural light and look out over the 92 cover outside space with its perfectly manicured lawn, eye-catching sculptures by acclaimed local artist, Paul Richardson and two petanque pistes.
Visitors to the welcoming bar can enjoy a great range of local cask ales, interesting lagers and Aspall’s Cyder. Gin lovers will also be delighted with over 25 different gins, from the classic to the innovative, with several different gin ‘specials’ every week, alongside well loved drinks such as Aperol Spritz and Kir Royal. The diverse wine list offers everything from Margaux to Merlot, and also includes English wines, one of them made in the nearby market town of Framlingham.
The Turk’s Head is dog-friendly, and is already becoming a community hub for the village of Hasketon and its surroundings with weekly petanque sessions, a resident knitting circle and regular supperclubs, including a ’10 Mile Meal’ where all ingredients are sourced within a ten mile radius, the next one taking place on 6th October.
Dogs, Muddy Boots and Muddy Children Welcome!