Whittome's winner

Having become a millionaire from selling potatoes, Paul Whittome bought the Hoste Arms as a property investment but it soon became a passion. MAX GOSNEY reports

The sound of a pneumatic drill rings across the car park of the Hoste Arms in Burnham Market, as proprietor Paul Whittome hurries towards his office.

But, he says, the latest extension to his 120-cover Norfolk inn is the least of the day's problems: 'Of all the people that could come and stay this weekend, it had to be Michael Winner.

Somewhat predictably, Winner, in finest snob-on-the-move mode, found fault with the croissants and the South African-themed bedroom decor. Whittome has lent him his car for the weekend he was attending a posh wedding at nearby Holkham Hal. But Winner's stay, and a subsequent debate on the merits of the Hoste Arms in the letters that are published next to his Sunday Times column, proved one thing there's no pleasing some folk.

For many others, though, the Hoste Arms is one of our finest gastro pubs, an eternal favourite for those looking to get away from it all. And it has come a long way in 16 years of Whittome ownership.

'When I bought the Hoste in 1989, it was operating as a vulgar theme pub, he says. 'The decor was the height of bad taste and the brewer who owned it ought to have been shot.

A pub turning over £3,000 a week has been transformed into a multi-million pound rural retreat with the addition of 36 bedrooms and a seasonal high-quality food offer. He shows no signs of slowing as the builders construct his latest feature: a £350,000 subterranean wine cellar to accommodate the pub's growing selection of fine wines.

Selling potatoes from a caravan

Innovation comes naturally to the entrepreneurial landlord. 'I made my money selling potatoes from a roadside caravan, he says. 'I started in 1977 and by the late '80s was a millionaire.

Success was sweet for Whittome, whose partial deafness and dyslexia led to a blighted school career. 'I was a disruptive student because of my condition, he explains. 'But I used those disadvantages to drive me to the top. After I achieved success from my potato business, I drove a new Rolls-Royce around to see my old economics master who had banned me from class.

Whittome thrived as a middleman, buying potatoes from farmers and selling them on to caterers. But in 1989, he decided to switch careers. 'I knew my job was under threat. The farmers and caterers were getting more powerful and it was clear they didn't need a third party.

Close to the Norfolk coast where he had enjoyed family holidays, Whittome discovered an ideal opportunity. 'I bought the Hoste as a property investment, he says, 'but it quickly became a passion. I love the idea of creating elegant bedrooms and an informal dining area.

It's a concept that has been championed with some style. The Hoste offers elegant sleeping quarters, including the Zulu wing, which has been designed by Whittome's South African wife, Jeanne, and which comes complete with shields and spears from the South African tribe.

But the pub's food adopts closer-to-home appeal, explains Whittome. 'When people visit Norfolk they want to eat in a pub offering food from local farms.

The Hoste Arms obliges, with regional fare including calf's liver from Holt butcher Herbert V Graves and seafood from Coles of Kings Lynn.

Head chef Rory Whelan, who has worked in restaurants such as London's L'Escargot, offers a modern British menu with highlights includ- ing fried squid, tomato, chickpea and couscous, lemon and cumin dressing (£5.95) and pan-fried thick-cut calf's liver, sweet pickled cabbage and shallots, mash and crispy Parma ham (£14.50).

Blueprint is simple, quality dishes

The blueprint is for simple, quality dishes made from local fare. Whittome says: 'My favourite meals are based on ingredients you can pull out of the sea or fresh from the garden. It's crazy that people are jumping on the 'go local' bandwagon. Why weren't they doing it all along?

The Hoste Arms landlord is quick to correct any chefs caught ignoring the regional cause. 'I remember coming back from holiday and the chef had put on New Zealand mussels. I had words and took it straight off.

However, although the ingredients are local, the chefs are encouraged to embrace ideas from afar. Whittome will take head chef Whelan and his team of chefs on a trip to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York this November. Previous culinary tours have included Spain's El Bulli restaurant. 'It's so important the chefs eat out at the top places to give them inspiration, he says.

Whittome himself is quick to credit the food idols that helped to mastermind the Hoste's first menus. 'Denis Watkins was a very good friend and gave me advice in the early days. The really successful people aren't afraid of sharing ideas.

Today's menu is very different from the pub's original concept. 'The food offer has altered significantly over the past decade, adds Whittome. 'We used to run a separate bar and restaurant menu and it was more complex.

With its plush conservatory fitted with cappuccino-coloured couches and cascading water feature, the Hoste Arms is a cut above your average country pub. But a dedicated drinkers' bar and linen-free dining areas ensure Whittome maintains a universal appeal. 'Informality should never mean lack of quality, he explains. 'Pub owners can be guilty of over-elaborating. We do the simple things well, like nice white crockery and old oak tables.

Whittome manages the Hoste Arms with the assistance of his wife and two other directors: Emma Tagg, who joined the pub as a part-time waitress, and former head chef at the Hoste, Andrew McPherson. The support team allows Whittome to holiday in South Africa each winter. But the landlord remains indifferent to the prospect of a more permanent safari. 'I get an offer on the Hoste every couple of months, he reveals, 'but I won't sell. It means more to me than just money.

The Hoste Arms lowdown

Money matters

Freehold value in 1989: £500,000

Estimated value in 2005: £5m

Investment since 1989: £2.5m

Food file

Covers per week: 1,600

Covers: 120

GP on food: 68%

Head chef: Rory Whelan

Menu style: 'Modern British with Asian and south European influences. Dishes are kept simple with no more than four ingredients on the plate.

Brigade: 10

Typical customers: 'We attract a broad range, from locals to people travelling up from London. Recently we had one table who washed down burgers with a £550 bottle of wine.

Best-selling dishes:

l Pan-fried sea bass, brown shrimp paella, chilli, garlic and saffron butter (£15.75)

l Assiette of Hoste desserts (for two people) (£7.95)

l Honey-glazed ham hock, mango and chilli mash, lime jus (£9.50)

At the bar

GP on drink: 65%

Wines: More than 300 bins with an emphasis on 'quality at affordable prices. Choices range from Macon-Lugny Burgundy 2002 (£19.95) to Chateau Mouton Rothschild Bordeaux 1982 (£427).

Ales: Adnam's SSB, Greene King Abbot Ale, Woodforde's Wherry and Woodforde's Nelson's Revenge.

In the bedroom

Number of bedrooms: 36

Designer: Jeanne Whittome

Style: Traditional British in the main hotel meets African safari in the Hoste's nine-bedroom Zulu wing.