Hotel Partner

We are delighted to be working this year with The Crown Hotel in Wells-next-the-Sea as our official hotel partner.

The Crown Hotel is an independent family-run hotel at the back of the Buttlands – a quietly spacious Georgian square in the heart of the town a short walk down the hill to the Quay and to Wells Maltings where most of our events take place.

Chris Coubrough, the hotel’s proprietor for the past 23 years, is a Kiwi immigrant, master chef and former presenter (during the late noughties) of ITV’s Coastal Kitchen. Chris founded and runs the North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival and makes innovative use of the best local seasonal ingredients all year round.

Wells-next-the-Sea is a working fishing port with a long history, surrounded by rolling countryside, salt marsh and nature reserve as well as vast hectares of working farmland that produce everything from malting barley to samphire to venison to specialist cheeses. A lot of local producers work with the twin aims of generating high-quality food and looking after the land, sea and wildlife with which we share our space. It is as good to support their commitment to sustainability as it is to enjoy the results.

Finding accommodation in and around Wells can be challenging. The Crown has 22 luxury bedrooms and comfortable lounges, bar and restaurant spaces that flow into one another and provide corners and opportunities for reading a book in peace or meeting other festival attendees.

As well as accommodating some of our writers, The Crown will be offering pre-booked tickets to our main events and special rates for festival-goers over the festival weekend.