Once a country manor house, surrounded by open fields, The Hopping Hare retains its charm and appeal, especially during the Christmas season when it is ready with a warm welcome and comfortable surroundings where everyone can relax and enjoy themselves.
Special menus have been announced for festive get-togethers throughout December, as well as for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and for those wanting to make a night of it, there are 20 stylish boutique bedrooms.
The Hopping Hare, a two AA Rosette restaurant, took home a Gold award in the Restaurant of the Year category at last year’s Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards and the Christmas menus reflect the kitchen team’s commitment to fresh, local produce and creating innovative dishes.
On the Festive Menu, which is priced at £45 per person, there’s something to suit all tastes, from confit chicken and leek terrine or chestnut mushroom and Northampton Blue cheese tart among the starters, to main courses that include roast Gressingham turkey with chestnut and cranberry stuffing with all the trimmings; slow-cooked shoulder of lamb, pan-fried fillet of sea trout, and garlic and thyme baked butternut squash.
The dessert selection includes Christmas spiced sticky toffee pudding and mulled wine pear Bakewell tart.
The Festive Menu will be served from Monday, November 24 until Christmas Eve and from Saturday, December 27 until Tuesday, December 30. A £10 per person non-refundable deposit is required on parties of eight or more.
Christmas Day Lunch is always a popular event for Th e Hopping Hare and this year promises to be no exception.
After an amuse bouche of cauliflower and truffle velouté, guests will enjoy their choice from the starters, which include Hopping Hare assiette of seafood, roulade of Althorp Estate game, or roast butternut squash and goats cheese tart.
The mains, naturally, include roast Gressingham turkey with chestnut and cranberry stuffing with all the trimmings; or guests can choose pan-fried fillet of beef with Dauphinoise potatoes, pan-roasted monkfish tail, or roast Portobello mushroom, spinach and goats cheese Wellington.
Christmas pudding leads the way on the dessert selection, which also includes Hopping Hare yule log, clementine and ginger delice and a selection of British cheeses, followed by tea, coffee and mince pies.
Dining and Cooking