In Great Barton, on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds, you’ll find The Bunbury Arms: a pub that’s long been known for its carvery, served seven days a week. Reopened by its current owners in September 2023, it’s a place that seems busy whenever we drive past…and we finally booked a midweek table for a meal with friends.
Of course, there’s a regular menu (and a separate kids’ menu), but we needed to test the carvery offering for ourselves. It’s only Thursdays and Sundays when it’s served from lunchtime – if you want to try it any other day of the week, be sure to book a table from 5pm onwards.
We were the first table in on a Wednesday night, the team still unveiling “a selection of locally sourced meats, vegetables and perfect Yorkshire puddings” when we arrived. While we waited, we ordered the kids’ meals (neither fancied a carvery) so they’d arrive as early as possible.
The kids’ fish and chips (£7) comes with a choice of peas, beans or salad: for our son, it was only ever going to be beans. The meal was a hit: look how perfectly fried that fish is, and at the size of the portion!
And so, onto the main event: The Bunbury Arms carvery. Once you’ve ordered, you receive a little plastic card that shows you’re entitled to go up and fill a plate – a sensible approach. The huge smile of the guy in charge of carving the meats was infectious: in fact, every member of the team we met while we were there was lovely.
As we were first up to the carvery station, we watched him unwrap the three huge joints of meat before our eyes (vegetarian option also available). On the first half of the counter we feasted our eyes on a honey-glazed gammon joint, roast turkey and a topside of beef, all of which looked and smelled incredible. Choose one or a mix of two or more – and you’ll be served from a mountain of Yorkshire puddings and a dish loaded with sage and onion stuffing if you want those, too.
Time for the veg, which you serve yourself. Choose between roast potatoes and boiled new potatoes. Load up your plate with peas, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower cheese and, slightly randomly, roasted Mediterranean veg.
There’s also gravy, apple sauce, horseradish and cranberry sauce to add to your plate when you’re done.
Of course, we chose a bit of everything to get the full experience. The gammon was smoky and succulent, the turkey incredibly juicy and perfectly cooked: none of the boring, dry stuff that people often associate with the meat! My beef wasn’t great, but I was given the very end piece – others at the table said the slices that had been cut later were better. The stuffing was decent, and the Yorkies were lovely and crisp.
The carrots, peas and cabbage still had a bit of bite to them: no mushiness here. The cauliflower cheese? Not bad, but personally, I like mine a little cheesier. I wouldn’t rush back to have Mediterranean veg on a roast dinner again, but it was fine. The gravy could have been a bit thicker, and while the roast potatoes had a good flavour, they were lacking that crispy exterior that I love.
On a Thursday, you can pick up a carvery at The Bunbury Arms for £12.50 – on every other day, it’s £17.95. While that may be higher than some places, you get a lot for your money, and the quality, for the most part, is great – the turkey and gammon in particular.
Family-friendly, relaxed and comfortable, with good food, The Bunbury Arms lived up to expectations – and exceeded them for the kids when we pulled into the car park and they spotted the bouncy castle in the garden! If you’re after a hearty, delicious carvery in a relaxed and friendly pub environment, add The Bunbury Arms to your list.