December at The Small Holding, Kent

A snowy Decmber day at The Small Holing, Kent

December at The Small Holding

Green Michelin Star 2021/22/23
360 Guide Three Green Circles 2024
Number 69, Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants
Number 89, Square Meal’s Top 100 Restaurants
Good Food Guide 2024 and shortlisted for best Farm to Table restaurant

December

The December menu at The Small Holding, Kent finds partnership in the soft, earthy and comforting flavours of root vegetables, brassicas, mushrooms, cream and fat tempered by the tartness of ferments, vinegars and pickles. Now is the time for the larder to shine, stacked high with Kilner jars, to brighten these cold, thin days providing a burst of invigorating colour, taste and texture for the plate and palette.

The Small Holding

As winter tightens his grip, The Small Holding’s December menu moves from ‘just picked on the farm’ to the preserves of the pantry, where the most important ingredient is ‘time’. Barbecued Orkney scallops are dressed with yuzu vinaigrette, preserved wild garlic and smoked scallop roes; beef sirloin is paired with black garlic purée, nasturtium flower vinegar gel and dried calendula and finished with a beef sauce made with smoked bone marrow, while one of the two desserts this month is Douglas Fir, Plum, Yoghurt Whey where plums are fermented with plum brandy and served with toasted buckwheat and a foraged Douglas Fir sorbet.

Book a Table at The Small Holding

The December Full Acre menu at The Small Holding

Snacks, Sourdough and Hinxden Butter

Brassicas, cheese, tomato
Jerusalem artichoke, walnut, gherkin

Scallop, squash, wild garlic
Bass, celeriac, mushroom

Turkey, bread, sprouts
Beef, potato, cabbage

Douglas Fir, plum, yoghurt whey
Chocolate, chestnut, chicory root

Cheese (optional)
Sweet Treats

The Small Holding is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £95 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £75 per person, with the option of a wine flight. A three-course set menu (from the full acre menu) is available on Thursday and Friday lunch time, priced £55 per person. The drinks list also includes housemade soft drinks, kombucha and non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits.

About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a Michelin green-starred kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. Run by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, as Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of Acre, which also includes Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex. 

The 36-cover restaurant and farm is set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

The menu is defined by the farm’s own produce. Vegetables and fruits are harvested within hours of guests arriving; while charcuterie, sourdough and cultured butter and zero waste animal cookery from the farm’s own livestock, are made on site. The kitchen team works directly with growers, farmers and fishermen who share the same core values, and the team forage in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

“Growing our own produce on the farm brings an understanding and honesty back to the kitchen, and vital freshness. Making the most of our harvests when the ingredients are at their prime - whilst also preserving and conserving them to use throughout the year, keeps us concentrated on the natural cycle of the land and helps us to create full flavoured and imaginative dishes.” Will Devlin 

For more information and images for The Small Holding, Will Devlin and Acre, please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room 07730 039361 | hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Introducing Pearly Cow Brighton

Pearly Cow Brighton

Pearly Cow Brighton

Pearly Cow is Brighton's hottest new restaurant with the doors opening on 4th November for soft launch, and 22nd of November for public bookings. Sat directly on Brighton’s seafront and spread across four Georgian & Regency townhouses, the restaurant is opposite the iconic West Pier and will serve the most indulgent cuts of meat and the freshest fish in gorgeous settings.

Leading the kitchen brigade is Executive Chef Andrew MacKenzie. Despite having worked and travelled in restaurants and hotels all over the world, from Gleneagles to Goodwood Hotel to Soho House, and working with hospitality greats such as Nico Ladenis and Paul Heathcote, Andrew is a Brighton-boy through-and-through; he loves the city and being able to cook and work so close to the sea and having one-to-one relationships with the amazing roster of Sussex producers and suppliers.

“Pearly Cow is about treating yourself. It's a break from the everyday. It’s the feeling of finding a pearl in an oyster shell. It’s a bit of magic. Oh, and our chips will change your life.” Andrew MacKenzie

Lunch and dinner celebrate standout, seasonal ingredients from the countryside and coastline, skilfully and playfully brought to life with classic interpretations, sharing dishes and desserts. On Sundays, the Pearly Cow roast comes with all the traditional trimmings, but with modern touches. The eclectic menu of fantastic dry-aged steaks and the freshest fish from south coast day boats are cooked simply on open-flame or served raw on ice.    

There’s more to Pearly Cow than the food though – the drinks deserve equal billing. Peruse the cocktail menu with a signature classic or twisted cocktail from mixology maestro Josh Williams and start with snacks while you wait such as lobster, apple and fennel tacos; wagyu beef and mustard soy glaze skewers or a plate of Lindisfarne oysters and freshly baked bread with salted beef dripping butter.

For starters choose from the small plates menu or dishes on ice, such as scallop cured in yuzu and cucumber; 45-day aged fillet of beef tartare, Exmoor caviar, oyster cream and charred sourdough; chargrilled octopus and romesco sauce or garlic roast ceps on toast and poached hens’ egg.

Fire takes centre stage for the main courses with 45-day salt-aged steaks with a choice of sauces or butters, wood fired lobster with parsley and dill butter or wild mushroom risotto with British truffle.

A standout section of the menu are Pearly Cow’s sharing dishes, including the soon-to-be signature Seafood Platter with lobster, mussels, langoustine, soft shell crab, wood fired scallop and seaweed aioli; a celebratory 36ooz salt-aged Côte de Boeuf with bone marrow butter or a quarter rolled Suckling Pig.

For a final flourish to a sensational feast, finish with a wonder-filled sweet treat with classics such as rice pudding with caramelised cobnuts and poached sultana; egg custard tart and nutmeg ice cream; a killer banoffee soufflé with toffee ice cream that will soon become a non-negotiable order for many dining at Pearly Cow, or a plate of perfectly kept Sussex cheeses served with walnut & raisin bread and chutney.

Ready to tuck in? We are.

Notes to editors

The Pearly Cow story

Pearly Cow is an independent collection of restaurants created by three brothers, Tristan, James and Tom Guest. Together, they have a love of creating wonder-filled dining-destinations with never-tried-before dishes, sure to make an impression. They created Pearly Cow in 2022, with the first Cow of the Herd launching in York, followed by Margate in 2023 and now Brighton in 2024. Pearly Cow Brighton is set within No.124 by GuestHouse, a newly opened 32-room boutique hotel, including three suites, lounges, games room, winter garden, vinyl library, pantry and terrace and the multi-level FieldTrip Spa, hidden away in the hotel through a wildflower flanked entrance. guesthousehotels.co.uk

Pearly Cow Lunch
Friday and Saturday - 12 - 3:30pm
Sunday - 12 to 5pm

Pearly Cow Dinner
Monday - Saturday - 5 - 9pm
Sunday 6 - 8.30pm

Pearly Cow, Brighton
124 Kings Road
Brighton
BN1 2FY

brighton@pearlycow.co.uk
0330 055 4531
Instagram @pearlycowbrighton @pearlycowuk

TikTok @pearlycowuk

A Damm Good Dinner at The Sun Inn with Estrella

A Damm Good Dinner at The Sun Inn with Estrella

On Wednesday 6th November, The Sun Inn is hosting a special dinner event in collaboration with the masters of beer from The Damm Brewery, for a five-course Spanish feast paired with Estrella’s outstanding Catalonian beers.

Costing £60 per person the dinner will introduce diners to a range of Estrella Damm beers from the light-bodied Rosa Blanca with its characteristic stone fruit and citrus aromas to be paired with Head Chef Pete Pestell’s Grilled Cheltenham Beetroot with Ajo Blanco to the hoppy bitterness of Complot Session IPA paired with Bedfordshire Quail with Celeriac Purée, Prunes and Sherry. Pudding is the intriguing combination of the classic Crème Catalana paired with Estrella’s Damm Lemon, full of Mediterranean lemon and lime.

Reservations are essential and can be booked by emailing bookings@thesunfelmersham.com

The menu

Estrella Damm
Anchovy Toast and Jamón Croquettes
Estrella Damm with its notes of fresh spices accentuates the savoury umami flavours in the anchovy. Its subtle carbonation cuts through the richness of the jamón, while its cereal aromas complement the toast and croquettes. Estrella has a dry, slightly bitter finish and acidity which provide balance to the salt in both dishes.

Rosa Blanca
Grilled Cheltenham Beetroot with Ajo Blanco Sauce
Rosa Blanca has a characteristic stone fruit and citrus aroma and flavour which adds brightness to the earthy grilled beetroot and amplifies its harmony with the garlic and vinegar notes in the ajo blanco sauce. The beer is light-bodied, with a refreshing lively carbonation that refreshes the palate, making this pairing reminiscent of dining al fresco at the seaside during the height of summer.

Inedit Damm
Fideuà Negra with Cornish razor clams
Inedit Damm is a blend of wheat beer and pilsner – the cereal notes and mild bitterness of the pilsner complement the fideuà pasta, while the fruity esters of the wheat beer provide a contrast with the mild brininess of the razor clams. The addition of orange peel, coriander, and liquorice in the beer amplifies the symmetry of the dish, highlighting the seafood flavours.

Complot Session IPA
Bedfordshire Quail with Celeriac Purée, Prunes and Sherry
The hops take centre stage with Complot Session IPA, including the Nugget variety grown in Prades not far from the brewery. The hop bitterness is a great match with the richness of the quail, while the pine and floral notes provide balance to the creamy peppery celeriac purée, and the tart sweetness of prunes and sherry.

Damm Lemon
Crema Catalana
Damm Lemon adds a whole new flavour element to this classic dessert, by adding an invigorating citrus kick of tart Mediterranean lemon and Caribbean lime. The sweetness of the lemon dances on the taste buds with the caramelised sugar while the rich custard is complemented by the beer’s effervescent bubbles, leaving you ready for another bite

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About The Sun Inn

The Sun Inn is a quintessentially British Free House in the village of Felmersham, deep in the Bedfordshire countryside, but less than an hour from London Kings Cross. Built in the 17th century and refurbished for the twentieth century traveller with two ensuite bedrooms on the upper floors.  The Sun Inn is an historic rural pub and offers the warmth of traditional hospitality and great food that is home-reared and locally produced.

The Pub is part of Wild Berry Farm, a 350- acre estate and traditional mixed livestock farm, producing native and rare-breed, grass-fed Hereford beef, pork, Boer goats and poultry including Bronze turkeys and duck. The land boasts lush river meadows, species-rich grassland, woodlands and lakes and is a haven for birds and wildlife. The pub also supports many local businesses, including other farmers and estates, sourcing produce and game such as venison, pheasant and partridge, locally.

The pub was purchased by JJ and Laura Ibbet in 2019 as part of a shared vision between themselves and childhood and village friends, Peter and Conny, a couple of couples sharing a passion for quality produce, warm hospitality and creating memorable experiences. Restoration work began in 2022, and once the structural work was complete, the team embarked on a full refurbishment, with a focus on using natural and sustainable materials, to provide guests with accommodation and dining fitting for the 21st century traveller, fully reopening the restaurant and rooms in April 2023.

The bar is open Tuesday to Sunday, with bar food served from the hatch Wednesday to Sunday, while the Dining Room for the Farmer’s Table tasting menu is open Thursday to Saturday for dinner and for Sunday lunch.

For more information, images, interviews or to arrange a press visit to The Sun Inn, please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room​ on 07730 039361 or Hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Address: The Sun Inn, Grange Road, Felmersham, Bedfordshire, MK43 7EU
Instagram: @thesunfelmersham Website: www.thesunfelmersham.com

Christmas at Water Lane

Christmas at Water Lane

Bloom and Burn x Water Lane
5th, 6th, 7th and 8th December
10.30am-12.30pm
£85 per person

Enjoy these festive morning sessions creating your own Christmas wreath. Using dried flowers, seedheads and other fresh and foraged materials harvested from around Water Lane, you'll create a stunning, naturalistic wreath under the careful guidance of Graeme Corbett, floral stylist at Bloom and Burn, perfectly complemented with a luxury velvet ribbon. Graeme will guide you through the process and help you create your own unique design from the cornucopia of materials made available to you. Tickets include a festive drink and mince pie.

Water Lane Christmas Fair
Make a date for Water Lane’s Christmas Fair on Friday 29th November (evening only) Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December, from 10am to 4.30pm. All around the site, and in the glasshouses, will be stalls from craftspeople, makers, creators and artisan food producers. There will be festive food and hot mulled drinks, to keep the chill off, available throughout the day, and the Water Lane Christmas Pantry will be fully stocked in the shop, alongside gifts and potted indoor bulbs.

Festive dining
From 28th November - 22nd December, private events and parties from eight to fifty guests will be offered Water Lane’s new festive menus, to be shared by the table, available for lunch and Friday and Saturday night supper. Plates might include Radicchio, Graceburn, clementine and roast shallots; Sonny’s Smokehouse smoked salmon, horseradish and seeded loaf; Mushroom pithivier and creamed cavolo nero; Porchetta, stuffed with chestnuts and cranberries or Turbot, brown butter sprouts and lemon mayonnaise. Christmas dining at Water Lane.

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About Water Lane

Water Lane is a walled garden on what was once the Tongswood Estate in Hawkhurst, in the High Weald of Kent. A long-term restoration project, led by custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, there is a restaurant, a large and productive garden growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and cut flowers, a small shop of useful and beautiful pieces for the home and garden, select garden plants for sale and event spaces for workshops and private celebrations.

For more information about Water Lane, interview with Nick Selby and Ian James, high resolution images or to visit the walled garden, please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk | 07730 039361

October at The Counter by Robin Read

The Counter by Robin Read, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

October at The Counter by Robin Read

“The Counter is delicious and charming… treating the inner Veruca Salt in all of us with pure imagination.” Grace Dent reviewing The Counter for The Guardian

“This new venture… is the best news for Tunbridge Wells. It has the makings of a destination – a relaxing neighbourhood restaurant with a big-city attitude” Good Food Guide

The fires are lit, the heavier and more complex red wines are poured, the curtain is pulled to and the menu at The Counter by Robin Read reaches for luxe comfort this month. Robin and the team have been foraging locally in the nearby woods for mushrooms allowing for a snack of Tunbridge Wells Cep Tart with Smoked Eel, before diving into a tasting menu of Autumnal treats including Cornish Monkfish, Pumpkin & Sage; Aged Sussex Rump Cap with swede & black pepper purée, girolles and beer braised shallot, before a new addition to the menu, a palette cleanser of Sorrel, Morghew Honey & Amaro Tea and for dessert, Mascarpone mousse, fig and linseed, served with an optional glass of Muscat de Beames de Venise ‘Solera’ Domaine de Coyeux.

Diners have a choice of three-, five-, eight-course menus, costing £40, £60, £96 respectively, which are shorter versions of the ten-course menu. Three or six-glass wine pairing is £36 or £70, while the eight-glass pairing is £96 per guest and a three-glass non-alcoholic pairing is £32. The ten-course tasting menu is reserved exclusively for guests sitting at the pass overlooking the kitchen and gives diners an interactive experience watching Robin and his team of chefs cook and plate up at the pass; the menu is more experimental, taste-testing dishes that are in development for the next month’s menu.

Vision and suppliers

Robin’s vision of a modern-day restaurant is that of a responsible and sustainable one with seasonal cooking, few food miles and using every part of an ingredient. He seeks out and nurtures a strong network of small, independent farmers, growers, and producers from farm to sea and takes great care and pride to meet all his suppliers, visiting their farm, forest, river, warehouse, or barn across the country. This ensures he has first-hand knowledge of the produce, and relationships with the people whose hands create, grow, or farm them.

Suppliers at The Counter include Kentish fruit and vegetables from T H Brown & Son, fish from Chapmans in Sevenoaks, meat from Fullers Butchers in Eridge and charcuterie from Beal’s. The wine programme is headed up by Greta Boccia and is a curated edit of English and European wines alongside several English spirits, such as Hepple gin and vodka and Vault vermouth and botanical spirits, on the list.

The restaurant features original artwork on display, and for sale, by Venezuelan artist RAA, a close friend of Robin and his former sous chef. The multi-media works combine acrylics, oil pastels, colour pencils and spray paint in bold and graphic shapes.

Open days and hours:

Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: Lunch 12:00 – 14:30, Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00 

Gravetye Manor awarded Two Michelin Keys

Gravetye Manor has been awarded Two Michelin Keys

Gravetye Manor awarded Two Michelin Keys

Gravetye Manor has been honoured with the prestigious distinction of Two MICHELIN Keys by the MICHELIN Guide, reaffirming its status as one of the top hotels in the UK.

These are the first ever Keys awarded in the UK and focus on five universal criteria for selecting hotels: excellence in architecture and interior design; quality and consistency of service; overall personality and character; the value in relation to the price; and a significant contribution to the neighbourhood or setting.

The award recognises Gravetye Manor’s commitment to delivering an exceptional guest experience, combining luxury accommodation and service within 35-acres of world-class gardens and exquisite Michelin dining from Executive Chef George Blogg and team. Known for its intimate and elegant atmosphere, Gravetye Manor offers guests a unique blend of luxury and natural beauty, positioning it among the finest hotels in the UK.

Director of Sales and Marketing, Celine Leslie said: "We are absolutely thrilled with the two key recognition from Michelin. It sits nicely alongside our one Michelin star and is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team at the property. We are hugely grateful to all those that support us, guests and suppliers alike, as we strive to provide unforgettable experiences to all those that visit us.”

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About Gravetye Manor
Gravetye Manor is a hotel and restaurant with four Red Stars, four Rosettes and one Michelin star, in West Sussex on the Kent/Surrey/Sussex borders. The Elizabethan manor house looks over 35-acres of stunning world-renowned gardens, walled kitchen garden, orchard, glasshouses and Peach House set within a further 1000 acres of woodland. The gardens are considered amongst the most influential in English horticultural history, made famous by previous owner and influential gardener William Robinson, whose preference for the ‘wild garden’, mixed herbaceous borders and hardy perennial planting broke with the formal Victorian style of the day, and his radical approach remains as popular as ever with gardeners today.

Will Devlin cooks at Nordelaia, Italy for international chef pop up series

The chefs at Nordelaia, Piedmont, Italy

Will Devlin cooks at Nordelaia, Italy for international chef pop up series

Will Devlin, chef owner of The Small Holding, Kent will be cooking a series of pop-up dinners at LORTA, the farm to fork restaurant at boutique hotel Nordelaia in the Monferrato hills of Piedmont, Italy.

The seasonal dinner, in collaboration with Resident Chef Charles Pearce is a one-off seasonal menu that will be served at LORTO for only two nights on 18th and 19th October 2024.

Will and Charles share the same philosophy for using hyper-seasonal, local produce as well as championing small artisanal producers, and will bring their own distinct style to the LORTO kitchen. Autumn in Piedmont offers an abundance of native herbs, vegetables, and flowers to work with including, of course, mushrooms and truffles. The dinner will start with a welcome drink on the terrace overlooking Piedmont’s rolling hills, before an introduction from Charles and Will discussing their inspiration for the evening ahead. The menu, taking place in the height of the Piedmont truffle season offers eight courses, priced 150EUR per person, including wine pairing. Dishes include Pumpkin, Vinegar and Sage; Mushroom, Hazelnut and Truffle; Ravioli, Prawn and Chanterelle and Goat with Piedmont condiments.

LORTO, translated as ‘The Vegetable Garden’, serves predominantly vegetable-based dishes taken from the restaurant’s abundant kitchen garden and producers in the area, both of which provide constant inspiration to Charles and his small team of passionate, like-minded chefs

Other chefs in the pop-up series include Jacob Kenedy from Bocca di Lupo and Roberta Hall McCarron from The Little Chartroom in Edinburgh.

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About Nordelaia

Nordelaia is an independent hotel in the Montferrat area of Piedmont, Italy set in five hectares of agricultural land and with its own vineyards. Comprising 12 guest rooms and suites, Nordelaia combines destination dining, a spa, and activities that allow guests to discover the best of the area. Easily accessible from Milan, Genoa and Turin, the hotel is the perfect base to discover one of Italy’s most sophisticated and enchanting destinations.

About The Small Holding
The Small Holding is a Michelin green-starred kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. Run by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, as Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of the Acre Group which also includes Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex. The 36-cover restaurant and farm are set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Growing, foraging, and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

The menu is defined by the farm’s own produce. Vegetables and fruits are harvested within hours of guests arriving; while charcuterie, sourdough, and cultured butter and zero waste animal cookery from the farm’s own livestock, are made on site. The kitchen team works directly with growers, farmers and fishermen who share the same core values, and the team forage in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

The Sun Inn, Felmersham

The team at The Sun Inn -JJ and Laura, Pete and Conny.

Country pub for Autumn and Winter breaks

The Sun Inn is a 17th century thatched roof pub with rooms, in the chocolate box pretty village of Felmersham, deep in the Bedfordshire countryside. An historic rural pub, The Sun offers the warmth of traditional hospitality and great food that is home-reared and locally produced. Less than an hour from London Kings Cross, The Sun is a quintessentially British Free House and an ideal base for long country walks, summer afternoons in the cottage garden and evenings by the fire on winter nights. 

Built in the 1600s, the pub, with two ensuite bedrooms on the upper floors, is part of Wild Berry Farm, a 350- acre estate and traditional mixed livestock farm, producing native and rare-breed, grass-fed Hereford beef, pork, Boer goats and poultry including Bronze turkeys and duck. The land boasts lush river meadows, species-rich grassland, woodlands and lakes and is a haven for birds and wildlife. The pub also supports many local businesses, including other farmers and estates, sourcing produce and game such as venison, pheasant and partridge, locally.

The pub was purchased by JJ and Laura Ibbet in 2019 as part of a shared vision between themselves and childhood and village friends, Peter and Conny, a couple of couples sharing a passion for quality produce, warm hospitality and creating memorable experiences. Restoration work began in 2022, and once the structural work was complete, the team embarked on a full refurbishment, with a focus on using natural and sustainable materials, to provide guests with accommodation and dining fitting for the 21st century traveller, fully reopening the restaurant and rooms in April 2023.

The farm and the pub

Childhood friends JJ Ibbett and Pete Pestell grew up knowing one day they wanted to work together. Their families and careers took them in separate directions – JJ worked widely in the farming sector and on the family farm, while Pete worked in kitchens notably under Chef and Restaurateur, Rowley Leigh, who remains a mentor and friend, and as the personal chef to the Duke of Bedford. Together with their wives, Laura and Conny, the foursome have brought new energy to the pub and to the riverside community of Felmersham.

The Food

Two monthly changing menus are offered in the Dining Room, showcasing the best each season has to offer.  ‘The Farmer’s Table’ is a five-course tasting menu offering a genuine farm to fork dining experience with the majority of the meat coming from the pub’s own farm; while ‘Greengrocer’s Table’ is a vegan menu, where the vegetables are grown exclusively for the pub in the village. Meat, notably native breed beef and pork and from a herd of free-to-roam Boer goats, reared by JJ and Laura, comes from Wild Berry Farm less than 10 minutes from the pub and is finished and aged on site. Slaughter is at a local abattoir before the whole carcass is brought back to the pub’s own butchery to hang in house. Local growers in the village supply seasonal vegetables, herbs and soft fruit to the restaurant, while Pete and his team regularly forage for ingredients such as wild garlic and mushrooms.

Start with a generous portion of sourdough bread, house churned butter and chicken salt before choosing from plates such as Longhorn Beef Mince, Onions and Hash Brown; Savoy Cabbage, Curried Goat and Pickled Damson; Middle White Pork Belly, Butter Beans and Confit Duck Stuffed Shallot; Roast Darne of Hake with Partridge Sauce, Cavolo Nero and Beurre Blanc and Kouign Amann with Custard and Soy Sauce Ice Cream. As you’d expect in a proper pub, Sunday Lunch is a full-on affair with Roast Rib of Hereford Beef, Yorkshire Pudding, Roast Potatoes, Vegetables and Horseradish Cream or Slow Roast Mutton with Roast Potatoes, Vegetables and Mint Gravy.

The bar is open Tuesday to Sunday, with bar food served from the hatch Wednesday to Sunday, while the Dining Room for the Farmers Table tasting menu is open Thursday to Saturday for dinner and for Sunday lunch.

Laura Ibbett, co-owner and Director of The Sun Inn, says, “Our two families are so closely intertwined – our children are all friends together at the village school – and our relationship goes far beyond the pub and the farm. As fourth generation farmers, the pub is a brilliant opportunity to be at the centre of the community while also having a direct to market outpost for the meat we produce and creating the opportunity to constantly evolve our family farm. The fact we get to work alongside our friends, Pete and Conny, to achieve our vision of a thriving rural pub that is genuine, honest and down to earth, makes a good thing even better.”

The Bedrooms

The upper floors of The Sun have undergone extensive restoration to convert the living spaces into two newly refurbished bedrooms. Honouring the pastorale beauty of the surrounding farmland the rooms have been carefully designed combining luxurious comfort while championing natural and sustainable materials, tactility and craftsmanship. 

Dawn is a large suite split over two floors with a super king Hypnos bed, free-standing copper bath, separate bathroom with walk in shower, living room and dining area with Samsung Artframe TV, Nespresso machine and Hypnos double sofa bed and kitchenette with mini bar and fridge. Conveying a strong sense of the building's architectural history, traditional fittings combine with modern elegance and British eclecticism. The original stone walls exude character and history, while tongue and groove panelling, antique brass, sisal, honey toned wooden floors and cork complement the earthy palette of shell pink, soft cream and mustard from sustainable paint company, Graphenstone. Sleep soundly in the eves after a deep bath in the freestanding copper tub using Bramley products, before a restful night’s sleep, cocooned by the paired back and natural interiors.

Modest in scale but mighty in comfort, the smaller suite, Dusk showcases that magical palette of restful dusky hues enjoyed at twilight. Recline and rest in this pretty dual aspect room decorated top to toe in the most serene green for a cosy and restorative night’s sleep.

For more information, images, interviews or to arrange a press visit to The Sun Inn, please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room 07730 039361 or Hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Address: The Sun Inn, Grange Road, Felmersham, Bedfordshire, MK43 7EU
Instagram: @thesunfelmersham Website: www.thesunfelmersham.com

Autumnal floral events at Gravetye Manor

Autumnal colour in the long border at Gravetye Manor

Floral events this autumn at Gravetye Manor​

Gravetye Manor, the country house hotel, Michelin starred restaurant and historic gardens in the rural Sussex countryside is hosting a series of floral events this Autumn.

Dried Flower Workshop with floral artist Bex Partridge
Tuesday 1st October and Wednesday 2nd October
Join Bex Partridge, floral artist, for a morning of nature inspired creativity. Bex will guide guests to create one of her signature half-moon wreaths, built upon a natural woven wreath base. Working with rich autumnal tones, in greens, reds, oranges, pinks and purples, she will show guests how to weave fresh and dried stems to create a beautiful everlasting wreath. Autumn is the best time to work with dried flowers, with bountiful blooms, seedheads and leaves being gathered throughout the summer to dry and create with. £160.00 per person, tea/coffee and biscuits on arrival, two-course lunch, wine, and workshop, inclusive.

The Tulip Garden with Polly Nicholson
Tuesday 8th October 2024
Specialist flower grower and tulip expert, Polly Nicholson, will talk about her latest book The Tulip Garden: Growing and Collecting Species, Rare and Annual Varieties, which offers an introduction to growing and collecting tulips alongside expert tips and advice for gardeners. With powerful imagery, Polly will take guests on a journey to Blacklands, her beautiful, six-acre English country garden. Gravetye’s Head Gardener Tom Coward will join the end of the talk for a Q&A with Polly. £160.00 per person, including tea/coffee on arrival, the talk, three-course lunch, drinks and a signed copy of the book, inclusive.

Flower Workshops with Head Florist Sharon Coote
Wednesday 9th October and Thursday 10th October
Two flower workshops hosted by Gravetye’s Head Florist Sharon Cootes who will expertly demonstrate and teach guests how to make and create an autumnal display, using a mixture of seasonal flowers from the garden. Hosted in the oak framed in the Little Garden. £155.00 per person, tea/coffee and biscuits on arrival, two-course lunch, wine, and workshop, inclusive.

Gravetye Book Launch
Saturday 16th November
Discover the spectacular new edition of Gravetye Manor: 20 year’s work round an old manor house by William Robinson with new colour images and a foreword by Head Gardener, Tom Coward. The event includes a talk from Tom and the chance to purchase the book at a special price. £160 per person including an aperitif, talk, three-course lunch and wine, inclusive.

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About Gravetye Manor
Gravetye Manor is a hotel and restaurant with four Red Stars, four Rosettes and one Michelin star, in West Sussex on the Kent/Surrey/Sussex borders. The Elizabethan manor house looks over 35 acres of stunning world-renowned gardens, walled kitchen garden, orchard, glasshouses and Peach House set within a further 1000 acres of woodland. The gardens are considered amongst the most influential in English horticultural history, made famous by previous owner and influential gardener William Robinson, whose preference for the ‘wild garden’, mixed herbaceous borders and hardy perennial planting broke with the formal Victorian style of the day, and his radical approach remains as popular as ever with gardeners today.

Notes to editors
Address: Gravetye Manor, Vowels Lane, West Hoathly, Sussex, RH19 4LJ
Tel: 01342 810567
Website: www.gravetyemanor.co.uk
Instagram: @gravetyemanor

September at The Small Holding

Alex, senior gardener at The Small Holding on the farm

September at The Small Holding, Kent

Green Michelin Star 2021/22/23
360 Guide Three Green Circles 2024

September is one of our favourite months at acre and it’s all about the harvest. At The Small Holding, it’s a whole-team effort preserving the summer gluts, and preparing both the farm, and the larder, for the leaner months ahead and creating new layers of flavour for winter. The last of the late summer tomatoes, sweetcorn and sweet red peppers are enjoying the sunshine and the Uchiki Kuri squash are pushing on to full ripeness and flavour for this month’s menu. It is also the start of the autumnal plums, apples and mushrooms.

The Small Holding

The September menus bridge this golden hour in the season; dishes become richer and more deeply flavoured as the season starts to turn. The first squashes from the farm are ready and see their way to chef James Chatfield’s menu paired with smoked sheep’s cheese, pumpkin seed, charred kale and herb pesto, while everybody’s favourite sweetcorn is cooked down into a smooth cream and served with meltingly soft braised pork cheek and barbecued chicken of the woods mushroom. For one of the two desserts on the September menu, there is a woodruff baba cake soaked in plum brandy with plum sorbet, woodruff ice cream and smoked pumpkin seed praline. 

Book a Table at The Small Holding

The September Full Acre menu at The Small Holding

Snacks, Sourdough and Hinxden Butter

Tomato and chilli
Squash, sheep's cheese, kale

Trout, cucumber, radish
Cod, crab, agretti

Pork, sweetcorn, mushroom
Hogget, aubergine, pepper

Apple, lemon verbena, yoghurt
Plum and woodruff

Cheese (optional)
Sweet Treats

The Small Holding is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £95 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £75 per person, with the option of a wine flight. A three-course set menu (from the full acre menu) is available on Thursday and Friday lunch time, priced £55 per person. The drinks list also includes housemade soft drinks, kombucha and non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits.

About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a Michelin green-starred kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. Run by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, as Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of Acre, which also includes Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex. 

The 36-cover restaurant and farm is set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

The menu is defined by the farm’s own produce. Vegetables and fruits are harvested within hours of guests arriving; while charcuterie, sourdough and cultured butter and zero waste animal cookery from the farm’s own livestock, are made on site. The kitchen team works directly with growers, farmers and fishermen who share the same core values, and the team forage in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

“Growing our own produce on the farm brings an understanding and honesty back to the kitchen, and vital freshness. Making the most of our harvests when the ingredients are at their prime - whilst also preserving and conserving them to use throughout the year, keeps us concentrated on the natural cycle of the land and helps us to create full flavoured and imaginative dishes.” Will Devlin 

September at The Counter by Robin Read

Shiso, Trout and Roe at The Counter by Robin Read, Tunbridge Wells

September at The Counter

www.thecountertw.com | @the_counter_tw | @robin__read
The Counter | 77 Calverley Road | Tunbridge Wells | Kent | TN1 2UY

“The Counter is delicious and charming… treating the inner Veruca Salt in all of us with pure imagination.”  The Guardian

“This new venture… is the best news for Tunbridge Wells. It has the makings of a destination – a relaxing neighbourhood restaurant with a big-city attitude” Good Food Guide

The September menu at The Counter by Robin Read bridges the seasons with the first of the Autumnal squash, celeriac, greengages, apples and blackberries partnered with the luxury of caviar, truffles, wild turbot and aged Sussex sirloin. A treat of a menu, as much as a celebration of the seasons, the ten-course tasting menu experience, served exclusively to guests sitting at the kitchen counter by the pass is elevated further with extra snacks, and premium wine pairings. Guests dining in September will enjoy dishes such as Shiso, Trout and Smoked Pike Roe; Wild Turbot, Leek and Potato Agnoletti, Chive Emulsion, Caviar Veloute; Allsop & Walker Ewes Tart, Beet, Nectarine, Bitter Orange Gel & Thyme; Greengage Sorbet, Yuzu Sake and Apple Mille Feuille, Blackberry Gel and Vanilla Cream.

There is also a choice of three-, five-, eight-course menus, costing £40, £60, £96 respectively, which are shorter versions of the ten-course menu. Three or six-glass wine pairing is £36 or £70, while the eight-glass pairing is £96 per guest and a three-glass non-alcoholic pairing is £32. The ten-course tasting menu is reserved exclusively for guests sitting at the pass overlooking the kitchen and gives diners an interactive experience watching Robin and his team of chefs cook and plate up at the pass; the menu is more experimental, taste-testing dishes that are in development for the next month’s menu.

Open days and hours:

Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: Lunch 12:00 – 14:30, Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00 

About Robin Read

After years of planning, whilst building up a strong customer base through pop ups and private dining, The Counter is the fruition of the long-held dream of Robin Read to have his own restaurant. Born from a long family history of serving the best produce over a counter, Robin’s maternal grandfather was a Master Butcher in Rugeley, Staffordshire, while on his paternal side, his great-grandfather was a Greengrocer in Lewisham, South London. Together with his wife Greta Boccia, they have taken on a 200-year-old Georgian building in the heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells, which includes the main restaurant with table and counter dining, private dining room, small wine bar and courtyard garden, with raised beds and pots growing herbs, salads, and brassicas.

Prior to opening his own restaurant, Robin was Executive Chef of the Firmdale Hotel Group for 16 years, overseeing six new Firmdale openings, including four hotels, a bakery and training academy, all with great success. He worked with head chefs in eight sites (UK & internationally) with over 200 kitchen staff, to maintain the highest of standards.

Robin began his cooking career at the age of 16 with work experience at the Roux Brothers’ London patisserie, where he trained in 1990. His love and passion for the industry continued to grow, working and training with some of the best chefs this country has produced. He spent two years at Chez Nico under Nico Ladenis as sous chef, which held three Michelin stars, before working with Marco Pierre White at Mirabelle, becoming Head Chef, and retaining their one Michelin star. Robin also spent time in the kitchens at Le Gavroche, The Square and Restaurant Paul Heathcote.

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George Blogg leaves Gravetye Manor

Executive Head Chef George Blogg steps down from Gravetye Manor

George Blogg, Executive Head Chef at Gravetye Manor, West Sussex is stepping down after more than ten years at the hotel and restaurant. Since joining Gravetye in 2014, George has been recognised with numerous awards including winning and retaining a Michelin Star for nine years, 4 AA Rosettes, a Master of Culinary Arts from the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, the Cateys Hotel Chef of the Year in 2022 and the highest UK entry for the We’re Smart Green Guide for his relationship and efforts using Gravetye’s garden produce.

George will be leaving Gravetye Manor in December. Recruitment for this special and rare opportunity is ongoing; applicants interested to apply for the role are encouraged to contact General Manager Paul Skinner on paul@gravetyemanor.co.uk to discuss the role in more detail.

George Blogg comments, “Gravetye is a magical place that will forever be a part of who I am. The last 10 years have been an incredible journey and an utter privilege to work alongside some truly amazing people, whose passion and hard work have grown Gravetye to be a standout property. I am excited for the future but will miss Gravetye immensely. I am proud of the countless guest experiences we have created, and I know that Gravetye will continue to thrive. I would like to thank the owners, Elizabeth and Jeremy Hosking, and Andrew Thomason (General Manager from 2012-2022) for the faith and mentorship that they provided me.”

Owners of Gravetye Manor, Jeremy and Elizabeth Hosking, comment, “George has been an influential and key member of the Gravetye team for over ten years and we have much to thank and congratulate him for. It’s bittersweet to see him go but we are hugely grateful for everything he has achieved and the dedication he has given to both his colleagues and to our guests at Gravetye. George will be a hard act to follow, and we wish him all the best.”

About Gravetye Manor

Gravetye Manor is a hotel and restaurant with four Red Stars, four Rosettes and one Michelin star, in West Sussex on the Kent/Surrey/Sussex borders. The Elizabethan manor house looks over 35 acres of stunning world-renowned gardens, walled kitchen garden, orchard, glasshouses and Peach House set within a further 1000 acres of woodland. The gardens are considered amongst the most influential in English horticultural history, made famous by previous owner and influential gardener William Robinson, whose preference for the ‘wild garden’, mixed herbaceous borders and hardy perennial planting broke with the formal Victorian style of the day, and his radical approach remains as popular as ever with gardeners today.

For more information, please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room
07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Notes to editors

Address:  Gravetye Manor, Vowels Lane, West Hoathly, Sussex, RH19 4LJ
Tel:  01342 810567
Website:  www.gravetyemanor.co.uk
Instagram:  @gravetyemanor

August at The Counter by Robin Read

August at The Counter by Robin Read, Tunbridge Wells

“The Counter is delicious and charming… treating the inner Veruca Salt in all of us with pure imagination.” Grace Dent reviewing The Counter for The Guardian

“This new venture… is the best news for Tunbridge Wells. It has the e

Three months after opening his debut restaurant, The Counter in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and already receiving critical acclaim, chef patron Robin Read isn’t sitting still. The new monthly menu in August sees the ten-course counter experience elevated further with extra snacks, extended wine pairings, makings of a destination – a relaxing neighbourhood restaurant with a big-city attitude” Good Food Guidwith the addition of a premium wine pairing and a three-part beef dish using the exceptional Sussex aged beef from Fullers in Eridge, using the prime cuts as well as trim for a rich ragu.

Guests dining in August will enjoy dishes such as Dorset crab tart, trout roe, kohlrabi and watercress; roast sweetcorn and Beal’s nduja, spring onions, chives and parsley; poached Sussex fillet with beetroot & beef tea, beef fat and Wiltshire truffles and Fig Leaf Parfait, Myatt’s White Peach, Gingerbread crumb and fig leaf oil.

The new August menu offers a choice of three-, five-, eight- and ten-course tasting menus, costing £40, £60, £95, and £125 respectively. Three or six-glass wine pairing is £36 or £70, while the eight-glass pairing is £96 per guest; a three-glass non-alcoholic pairing is £32. The ten-course tasting menu is reserved exclusively for guests sitting at the pass overlooking the kitchen and gives diners an interactive experience watching Robin and his team of chefs cook and plate up at the pass; the menu is more experimental, taste-testing dishes that are in development for the next month’s menu.

August’s ten-course menu at The Counter

Ricotta Rosti
tare, herb salad 

Dorset Crab Tart
trout roe, kohlrabi and watercress 

Malted Sourdough served with vegetable broth
Chiddingstone Dairy butter

 Sherry Roast Aubergine
slow roast tomatoes, chilled tomato & pepper dressing, basil 

Roast Sweetcorn & Beal’s Nduja
spring onions, chives and parsley 

Isle of Orkney Scallop
herb puree, confit potato and brown butter 

Baked North Sea Cod
seaweed butter sauce, beans & lovage 

Chefs Treat 

Poached Sussex Fillet
beetroot & beef tea, beef fat, Wiltshire truffles

Aged Sussex Sirloin
beetroot rosette, creamed greens, red wine sauce

The Idle Hour
pastry cracker, pickled plums, bronze fennel
Optional £12 supplement

Strawberry Sorbet
strawberry & lemon verbena

Fig Leaf Parfait
Myatt’s white peach, gingerbread crumb, fig leaf oil

The Sweet Treat Tower

£125 per person

3, 6 or 8-glass wine pairing £36, £72 or £96

About Robin Read
After years of planning, whilst building up a strong customer base through pop ups and private dining, The Counter is the fruition of the long-held dream of Robin Read to have his own restaurant. Born from a long family history of serving the best produce over a counter, Robin’s maternal grandfather was a Master Butcher in Rugeley, Staffordshire, while on his paternal side, his great-grandfather was a Greengrocer in Lewisham, South London. Together with his wife Greta Boccia, they have taken on a 200-year-old Georgian building in the heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells, which includes the main restaurant with table and counter dining, private dining room, small wine bar and courtyard garden, with raised beds and pots growing herbs, salads, and brassicas.

Prior to opening his own restaurant, Robin was Executive Chef of the Firmdale Hotel Group for 16 years, overseeing six new Firmdale openings, including four hotels, a bakery and training academy, all with great success. He worked with head chefs in eight sites (UK & internationally) with over 200 kitchen staff, to maintain the highest of standards. Robin began his cooking career at the age of 16 with work experience at the Roux Brothers’ London patisserie, where he trained in 1990. His love and passion for the industry continued to grow, working and training with some of the best chefs this country has produced. He spent two years at Chez Nico under Nico Ladenis as sous chef, which held three Michelin stars, before working with Marco Pierre White at Mirabelle, becoming Head Chef, and retaining their one Michelin star. Robin also spent time in the kitchens at Le Gavroche, The Square and Restaurant Paul Heathcote.

Open days and hours:
Wednesday: Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Thursday & Friday: Lunch 12:00 – 14:30, Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00

Harvest Festival Autumn Fair at Water Lane

Harvest Festival Autumn Fair at Water Lane
Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September
10-4.30pm
£5 entry per adult on the door, children 16 and under, go free

Water Lane, the Victorian walled garden just outside Hawkhurst, Kent will bring together craftspeople, makers, artists, textiles for a weekend of food, flowers and friends for the Water Lane Autumn Fair. Now in its third year, co-owners Nick Selby and Ian James have curated a wonderful mix of stallholders including Hawk & Dove (vintage clothing), Hunter Jones (lifestyle), Raffman & Huckster (lifestyle), Sally Hampson (blankets and throws) and Crafty Basketry, plus new stallholders including Olivier Morris (dressing gowns and slippers), Nicola Gillis (pottery), Old Hope (block prints), Twisted Horseshoe (knives), Wolf from the Door (pottery, textiles, wood), Mussi (knitwear), Centre Half (tie dye), Georgia de Pauley (silk scarves and vintage aquascutum) and Doe (leather ware). Entry is £5 per person on the door and children, 16 and under, go free.

“We’re thrilled to be introducing so many wonderful and talented makers and creatives to Water Lane.” says co-owner Nick Selby

Sellers’ stalls will be set up under the stretch awning, terrace and in the Pelargonium House, and food stalls from Water Lane’s Produce Market regulars, including LAM, Cold Blow Coffee, Blackwoods Cheese, Zak's Kombucha, Halstead Bakery, Basil's Fungi Farm and Colt Bagels will be on the upper terrace, plus natural wines from biodynamic Kent vineyard Ham Street.

Head Chef Jed Wrobel will be serving breakfast on the terrace, plus lunch, coffee and cake, and lunch reservations can be made for both days in the Carnation House restaurant. From Water Lane’s own cutting garden there will be bunches of freshly cut flowers for sale, including all the late summer favourites, dahlias and chrysanthemums, in colours of berry, plum, mustard and marmalade.

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About Water Lane

Water Lane is a walled garden on what was once the Tongswood Estate in Hawkhurst, in the High Weald of Kent. A long-term restoration project, led by custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, there is a restaurant, a large and productive garden growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and cut flowers, a small shop of useful and beautiful pieces for the home and garden, select garden plants for sale and event spaces for workshops and private celebrations.

New dinner service at Water Lane

Dinner is served at Water Lane on Friday and Saturday evenings (credit Becca Fawn)

Dinner is served at Water Lane

Water Lane, the walled garden, restaurant and events space near Hawkhurst in Kent will be serving dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings, starting from 2nd August. Come for a dusk walk and see Water Lane in the golden hour before supper in the Carnation House. Reservations are open now. Dishes from the a la carte menu include flatbread and sorrel gremolata, beetroot borani and paprika crisps, gazpacho, courgette straws and aioli while you wait, before starters of crab, chilli and cucumber salad, sardines in saor, or crispy polenta, burrata, confit garlic and tapenade before main courses of grilled aubergine, houmous and crispy carrots, lamb cutlets, tabbouleh and chermoula or butterflied mackerel, courgettes and broad beans. Puddings are summer in full swing with gooseberry fool, cherry and almond galette and Water Lane soft serve.

Tables can be reserved between 5.30pm to 8.30pm.

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About Water Lane

Water Lane is an idyllic walled garden with a restaurant, vinery and Victorian glasshouses on the Kent and Sussex borders. A long-term project over many years to come, the site is being sympathetically transformed into a productive walled garden, by custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, with the help of Garden and Landscape designer, Jo Thompson, with vegetable beds, cut flowers, restored vinery, outside spaces and a pavilion for dining and events. The Grade II Victorian glasshouses date back to the 1800s, including a Melon House, Cucumber House, Pelargonium House and Peach Case and a Vinery, on what was once the Tongswood Estate. There is a monthly food market on Saturdays, workshops and events and seasonal fairs in Spring, Autumn, and at Christmas.

For more information, please contact Hannah Blake on hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk or 07730 039361

www.waterlane.net
Water Lane
Walled Garden, Water Lane
Hawkhurst 
Kent, TN18 5DH

July at The Counter by Robin Read

July at The Counter by Robin Read, Tunbridge Wells

“This new venture… is the best news for Tunbridge Wells. It has the makings of a destination – a relaxing neighbourhood restaurant with a big-city attitude” Good Food Guide

July at The Counter, the debut restaurant of ex-Firmdale Hotels Executive Chef Robin Read in Tunbridge Wells, sees a beautiful new seasonal tasting menu full of summer produce from Kent and Sussex, including tomatoes, courgettes, peas, artichokes, cucumber, mint, basil and strawberries. Cooking is classic and clean with elevated technique to let the natural flavours shine. Robin seeks out independent suppliers and family businesses to work with including Kentish fruit and vegetables from T H Brown & Son and Myatts of Mockbeggar, fish from Chapmans in Sevenoaks, meat from Fullers Butchers in Eridge and charcuterie from Beal’s.

The new July menu offers a choice of three-, five-, eight- and ten-course tasting menus, costing £40, £60, £95, and £125 respectively. Three or five-glass wine pairing is £36 or £60 per guest, or a three-glass non-alcoholic pairing is £32. The ten-course tasting menu is reserved exclusively for guests sitting at the pass overlooking the kitchen and gives diners an interactive experience watching Robin and his team of chefs cook and plate up at the pass; the menu is more experimental, taste-testing dishes that are in development for the next month’s menu.

July’s eight-course menu at The Counter

Ricotta Rosti Tare, herb salad

Malted sourdough served with ‘waste’ vegetable broth
Chiddingstone Dairy butter

Summer salad Baby leaves & shoots, truffled balsamic, crispy onions and ‘Old Winchester’ wafer

Tomato & Artichokes
Oregano, white wine & olive oil

Steamed wild line caught sea bass
Courgette & basil purée, Hoffman & Rathbone velouté

Roast Sussex chicken
Roast thigh, pea, mint and pancetta

Tunworth
Pain Perdu, beetroot ketchup & watercress
(optional £12 supplement)

Cucumber sorbet

Strawberries & Cream
Compressed strawberries, crème diplomate, frangipane

The Sweet Treat Tower

About Robin Read

After years of planning, whilst building up a strong customer base through pop ups and private dining, The Counter is the fruition of the long-held dream of Robin Read to have his own restaurant. Born from a long family history of serving the best produce over a counter, Robin’s maternal grandfather was a Master Butcher in Rugeley, Staffordshire, while on his paternal side, his great-grandfather was a Greengrocer in Lewisham, South London. Together with his wife Greta Boccia, they have taken on a 200-year-old Georgian building in the heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells, which includes the main restaurant with table and counter dining, private dining room, small wine bar and courtyard garden, with raised beds and pots growing herbs, salads, and brassicas.

Prior to opening his own restaurant, Robin was Executive Chef of the Firmdale Hotel Group for 16 years, overseeing six new Firmdale openings, including four hotels, a bakery and training academy, all with great success. He worked with head chefs in eight sites (UK & internationally) with over 200 kitchen staff, to maintain the highest of standards. Robin began his cooking career at the age of 16 with work experience at the Roux Brothers’ London patisserie, where he trained in 1990. His love and passion of the industry continued to grow, working and training with some of the best chefs this country has produced. He spent two years at Chez Nico under Nico Ladenis as sous chef, which held three Michelin stars, before working with Marco Pierre White at Mirabelle, becoming Head Chef, and retaining their one Michelin star. Robin also spent time in the kitchens at Le Gavroche, The Square and Restaurant Paul Heathcote.

Open days and hours:
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: Lunch 12:00 – 14:30, Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00

For more information about The Counter by Robin Read please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Farm Table at The Small Holding

Picking peas at The Small Holding (credit Saltwick Media)

Farm Table at The Small Holding

New for the Summer at The Small Holding, Kent is Farm Table, a series of intimate, alfresco suppers hosted amongst the wild flower meadow and vegetable beds on the one-ace farm. Exclusively for eight guests with just one sitting each month for July, August and September, this magical dining experience will start as the sun starts to set with a glass of Sussex sparkling from Artelium Wine Estate and a walk around the farm, watching the bees and butterflies and seeing what produce is in perfect condition to harvest. Much of the six-course menu will be harvested straight from the farm, where chef Will Devlin will cook elements of the menu over fire in front of guests. Showcasing a rainbow of summer vegetables, fruit, herbs and edible flowers, expect to see freshly harvested farm crudités, tomatoes straight from the vine and still warm from the sun, barbecued kales, greens and peas and garnet-coloured berries picked from the bush served with garden herbs and warm chocolate sauce.

Reservations for July, August and September are open now and cost £120 per person.

Green Michelin Star 2021/22/23
360 Guide Three Green Circles 2024
Number 69, Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants
Number 89, Square Meal’s Top 100 Restaurants
Good Food Guide 2024 and shortlisted for best Farm to Table restaurant

About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a Michelin green-starred kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. Run by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, as Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of Acre, which also includes Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex. 

The 36-cover restaurant and farm is set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

The menu is defined by the farm’s own produce. Vegetables and fruits are harvested within hours of guests arriving; while charcuterie, sourdough and cultured butter and zero waste animal cookery from the farm’s own livestock, are made on site. The kitchen team works directly with growers, farmers and fishermen who share the same core values, and the team forage in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

“Growing our own produce on the farm brings an understanding and honesty back to the kitchen, and vital freshness. Making the most of our harvests when the ingredients are at their prime - whilst also preserving and conserving them to use throughout the year, keeps us concentrated on the natural cycle of the land and helps us to create full flavoured and imaginative dishes.” Will Devlin

For more information and images for The Small Holding, Will Delvin and Acre please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

June at The Small Holding

Nasturiums on the farm at The Small Holding (credit Claire Winfield)

June at The Small Holding

Green Michelin Star 2021/22/23
60 Guide Three Green Circles 2024
Number 69, Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants
Number 89, Square Meal’s Top 100 Restaurants
Good Food Guide 2024 and shortlisted for best Farm to Table restaurant

June is a busy and exciting month at acre. Just like the poly tunnel at The Small Holding, which is fit to bursting with seedlings ready to be planted out now or still putting on growth to sow later in the season for a steady succession of produce to harvest, there are exciting new menus to share, the launch of a new three-course lunch menu at The Small Holding on Thursday and Friday lunch (£55pp), events to book including the June supper club at Birchwood, Father’s Day and wellness and holistic therapies from Birchwood Studio, and the launch of acre’s beer collaboration with Lakedown Brewing Co. 

The Small Holding

June is such a glorious month. Every shade of green is available in the fields, forests, and hedgerows and on the farm as the teams harvest new season broad beans, peas, gooseberries, lettuces, herbs and edible flowers, and forage for creamy-white umbels of elderflower. Guests arriving for lunch, or the early dinner sitting, are enjoying a drink on the terrace when the sun is low and golden. There is a stunning new tasting menu this month starting with snacks including a crab tart with herbs and allium flowers and a smoked venison heart croustade; Jersey Royals with elderflower, dill and lardo; barbecued scallop with peas and gooseberries; duck with beetroot, fig leaf and parsley velouté and cherry blossom vinegar, and a beautiful blackcurrant leaf and chocolate dessert where ice cream, sponge, honey, mousse and tuille are infused with the floral herbaceous flavour of the blackcurrant leaves. An unusual and stunning dessert to finish a meal at The Small Holding this June.

The June Full Acre menu at The Small Holding

Snacks, Sourdough and Hinxden Butter

Tomato, radish, broad bean
Jersey Royal, elderflower, lardo

Scallop, peas, gooseberry
John Dory, lettuce, nasturtium

Chicken, onion, Lord of the Hundreds
Duck, beetroot, fig leaf

Strawberry, garden herbs meringue
Blackcurrant leaf, dark chocolate, honey

The Small Holding is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £95 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £75 per person, with the option of a wine flight. A three-course set menu (from the full acre menu) is available on Thursday and Friday lunch time, priced £55 per person. The drinks list also includes housemade soft drinks, kombucha and non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits.

Book a table at The Small Holding

Full Loop with Lakedown Brewing Co
For Matt & Will Devlin, brewing their own beer had always been on the agenda so the opportunity was welcome to work with Jamie Daltrey and his team at Lakedown Brewing Co, who share the same holistic and sustainable approach to food and drink production. The result is Full Loop,a full-flavoured and approachable pale ale that is a perfect partner for food, without overwhelming or fighting with the food. Available by the can, Full Loop is perfect to enjoy on the terraces at Birchwood and The Small Holding.

About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a Michelin green-starred kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. Run by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, as Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of Acre, which also includes Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex.

The 36-cover restaurant and farm is set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

The menu is defined by the farm’s own produce. Vegetables and fruits are harvested within hours of guests arriving; while charcuterie, sourdough and cultured butter and zero waste animal cookery from the farm’s own livestock, are made on site. The kitchen team works directly with growers, farmers and fishermen who share the same core values, and the team forage in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

“Growing our own produce on the farm brings an understanding and honesty back to the kitchen, and vital freshness. Making the most of our harvests when the ingredients are at their prime - whilst also preserving and conserving them to use throughout the year, keeps us concentrated on the natural cycle of the land and helps us to create full flavoured and imaginative dishes.” Will Devlin 

For more information and images for The Small Holding, Will Devlin and Acre,
please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039361 | hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

The terrace at Water Lane opens for the summer on 5th June

The summer restaurant terrace at Water Lane

The terrace at Water Lane opens for the summer on 5th June

The summer restaurant on the terrace at Water Lane will open for the season on 5th June.  The covered terrace, under a huge stretch awning looks out on to the walled garden in front of the vegetable and cut flower beds. The idyllic setting is the perfect spot for a long lunch and ice-cold aperitifs, taking in the sensory pleasure of the garden in full bloom with the scent of sweet peas and roses in the air, mingled with woodsmoke from the Portuguese wood oven. On Head Chef Jed Wrobel’s sample menu are fresh peas in their pods and aioli; flatbreads lightly charred in the wood oven and topped with crushed peas, mint and goats’ curd; cucumber, brown shrimp and chervil; wood-fired mackerel and gooseberries; slow roast salt marsh lamb in ras el hanout. While there is another month or so for the soft berries and stone fruit to arrive, Jed is filling the seasonal gap with epic Knickerbocker Glories.

Visitors coming for lunch from further afield will also find Water Lane’s shop with a curated collection of practical and beautiful things for the home and garden, plus chutneys, jams and pickles from the Water Lane Pantry. There is also a small collection of potted herbs and garden plants, freshly cut flowers from the cutting garden and a collection of antique and vintage garden pieces, including time-worn French iron tables and chairs, hand-woven basketry, galvanised planters, and a collection of eastern mediterranean pots and urns, which have been sourced exclusively for Water Lane by Rye-based collectors Soap & Salvation.

“A contender for one of the most charming eateries in Kent, it’s impossible to resist the lure of this restaurant tucked away in a delightful walled garden.” The Good Food Guide

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About Water Lane

Water Lane is a walled garden on what was once the Tongswood Estate in Hawkhurst, in the High Weald of Kent. A long-term restoration project, led by custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, there is a restaurant, a large and productive garden growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and cut flowers, a small shop of useful and beautiful pieces for the home and garden, select garden plants for sale and event spaces for workshops and private celebrations.

Water Lane Walled Garden | Hawkhurst | Kent | TN18 5DH
www.waterlane.net | @water.lane

Water Lane Wine Fair

Water Lane Wine Fair & Supper on Saturday 15th June

Water Lane Wine Fair

Saturday 15th June, 12pm - 6pm
Tickets here

Water Lane, a walled garden near Hawkhurst, Kent is hosting its first Wine Fair on Saturday 15th June, from 12pm-6pm. Situated in the High Weald, an area of natural beauty encompassing Kent, the garden of England, and Sussex with its strong similarities in soil and climate to the Champagne region in France, Water Lane is surrounded by some of the best expressions of English wine.

Curated in collaboration with wine writer and communicator, Abbie Moulton, author of New British Wine, (Hoxton Mini Press) the Wine Fair is being held at the start of English Wine Week. In keeping with Water Lane’s ethos, winemakers have been handpicked to reflect the same values: highlighting family-run and independent wineries, and those committed to organic and sustainable winemaking. Throughout the day there will be a programme of events - learn to taste like a pro at an expert-led tutorial, find out about the future of English wine at the panel talk or listen to award-winning sommelier Honey Spencer talk about her new book Natural Wine, No Drama (Pavilion Books). In the evening, an early summer supper of sharing plate style dishes will be served, cooked by Head Chef Jed Wrobel and his team; each course will be paired with an English wine by a guest sommelier.

Historically, England may not have been the first place to come to mind for fine wine, but over the past couple of decades, things have changed dramatically and there are now wines of world-class quality, helped in part by rising temperatures, but also because of increased knowledge and experimentation. English Sparkling wine has been in the spotlight for some years now, spearheaded by vineyards such as Nyetimber and Gusbourne, but still wines are quietly undergoing something of a revolution too, with an ever-growing collection of pioneering makers, such as Ben Walgate from Walgate Wines and Kristin Syltevik at Oxney Organic Estate, helping put British wine on the map.

Tickets to the Wine Fair are £25 per person and includes four tasting samples and admittance to the panel discussion and interview event. Tickets to the Wine Fair and Supper (from 6.30pm) are £100 per person and includes four tasting glasses from the wine market and a four-course sharing supper paired with our chosen wines.

Wine makers and producers confirmed include:

Oxney Organic Estate - Artelium Wine Estate - Roebuck Estates - Tillingham Winery - 
Kinsbrook Vinyard - Ham Street Wines - Walgate Wines - Mountfield Vinery

About Abbie Moulton

Abbie Moulton is a drinks writer, author, broadcaster and presenter, specialising in wine and whisky – the people who make them and the places that pour them. Her work has been featured in the Evening Standard, The Times, Suitcase and Table magazine, among other publications, and she regularly chats on the radio and on podcasts. Her first book New British Wine celebrates the people who are growing, producing, and championing the best of the new wave of British wine. This sumptuous coffee table book, filled with superb original photography, brings together personal interviews with some of the most inspiring people in Britain’s fast-growing, eclectic wine scene – taking the reader on a tour of over 30 influential winemakers, sommeliers and restaurants, from Cornish vineyards to Scottish wine bars.

About Water Lane

Water Lane is a walled garden on what was once the Tongswood Estate in Hawkhurst, in the High Weald of Kent. A long-term restoration project, led by custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, there is a restaurant, a large and productive garden growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and cut flowers, a small shop of useful and beautiful pieces for the home and garden, select garden plants for sale and event spaces for workshops and private celebrations.