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 a family-run hotel at the back of the Buttlands – the spacious Georgian square in the heart of the town a short walk down the hill to the Quay and Wells Maltings, where most of our events take place.
Chris Coubrough, the hotel proprietor for 23 years, is a master chef and former presenter (back in the late noughties) of ITV’s Coastal Kitchen. Chris also founded and runs the North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival.
Wells-next-the-Sea is an 800-year-old working fishing port in rural North Norfolk, surrounded by salt marsh and Holkham – Britain’s largest privately-owned nature reserve. Local farms produce everything from malting barley to samphire to venison to specialist cheeses. Many 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. Chris supports their skill and commitment to sustainability with his menus.
Finding accommodation in and around Wells can be challenging. The Crown has 22 luxury bedrooms as well as comfortable lounges, a bar and restaurant spaces that flow into one another with corners for reading a book in peace and a friendly layout for meeting other festival goers.
As well as accommodating some of our writers, The Crown will be offering pre-booked tickets to our main events and special rates for the festival weekend.