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.

-ends-

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.

-ends-

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

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

-ends-

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.

April at The Small Holding

Seedlings in the poly tunnel at The Small Holding, Kent (credit Key & Quill)

April at The Small Holding

The Small Holding’s farm is a hive of activity in April. Alex and Nick in the Farm Team will usually be found in the potting shed, planting seeds in earnest and playing a never-ending game of Tetrus to find space for more trays of seedlings, giving them warmth and light, ready to plant out into the ground in May. Gardening is only for the patient. The Farm and Kitchen teams planned the whole of the 2024 growing season in October last year, and only now are we starting to see green growth and germination. Favourites for the menu include Broccoli ‘Red Blaze’, Cucumber ‘Passandra’, Radish ‘Viola’, Runner Beans ‘Scarlet Emperor’ and Courgette ‘Midnight’. The team grows harder to come by herbs such as flowering cumin, hyssop, purslane and Summer and Winter Savory, while the double-width polytunnel will house tomatoes, strawberries, fennel, peppers, and aubergines. With the very real chance of a late frost only the hardiest mustards and mizuna have been planted out so far in the beds, but it won’t be long until the whole farm is abundant with new vegetables, fruits and herbs.

April menu at The Small Holding

April can be an even crueller month than March for farm-fresh ingredients. The forced rhubarb is over, but there are larder stores of ‘rhuboshi’, salted and pickled rhubarb, to be served with an oyster cracker on this month’s snack plate, and a croustade of hogget tartare from Bluebell Farm and smoked goats’ curd. A beautiful dish of cuttlefish agnolotti is served with a brown crab bisque, made with the farm’s lemongrass and fermented chilli and finished with pickled fennel and tarragon oil. On the meat courses there is a dish of Wagyu x Sussex Angus beef from Trenchmore Farm in Sussex. The underrated and extremely delicious Denver cut has been chosen, which is a well-marbled and tender cut from the shoulder. To serve, head chef Will Devlin brines the beef in shio koji, before barbecuing and basting with beef garum and beef fat and served with potato terrine, roast and pickled onions and a beef sauce finished with smoked bone marrow, wagyu bresoala and fermented wild garlic.

The April Full Acre menu at The Small Holding

Snacks, Sourdough and Hinxden Butter

Tomato, Wild Garlic, Yoghurt
Asparagus, Preserved Citrus, Coppa

Cuttlefish, Crab, Fennel
Cod, Yoghurt Whey, Douglas Fir

Pork Cheek, Turnip, Apple
Sussex Wagyu, Potato, Alliums

Rhubarb, Buttermilk, Fennel
Chocolate, Chicory Root, Pumpkin

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. The drinks list also includes housemade soft drinks, kombucha and non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits.

Soap & Salvation launch garden range at Water Lane

Jo and Barrie McPherson at Soap & Salvation in Rye (photo credit Mark Cocksedge)

Soap & Salvation launch garden range at Water Lane

Water Lane, the Victorian walled garden, restaurant and events space near Hawkhurst in the High Weald of Kent, has partnered with Soap & Salvation, to sell a bespoke edit of vintage and antique garden furniture and pieces, which have been exclusively sourced for Water Lane. 

Launching on Friday 29th April at Water Lane, there will be time worn French iron tables and chairs mixing colours and styles for sale, vintage hand-woven basketry in all shapes and sizes, galvanised planters with hand painted blocks of green, cream and egg-yolk yellow, and a collection of beautiful urns from the eastern Mediterranean with naïve hand-painted patterns, half-glazed necks, and simplistic scribed decoration. 

Soap & Salvation was founded by Jo and Barrie McPherson; they source from the heart, mixing antique, vintage and 20th century design finds to create their modern rustic style. The partnership at Water Lane brings their passion for sourcing and collecting unique treasures, with a joint reverence for functional everyday objects that combine beauty and solid craftsmanship. 

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, a weekly produce market and quarterly fairs.

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

Senior hire at The Small Holding

New Restaurant Manager Suzi-Mona Milne at The Small Holding

SUZI-MONA MILNE JOINS THE SMALL HOLDING AS NEW RESTAURANT MANAGER

THE SMALL HOLDING
Ranters Lane | Kilndown | Kent | TN17 2SG
www.smallholdingrestaurant.com

Suzi-Mona Milne has joined The Small Holding, Will and Matt Devlin’s Green Michelin star restaurant in Kent, as Restaurant Manager. The appointment further strengthens the senior management team with Suzi bringing her commitment to outstanding levels of service for guests, and her passion for wine training and education to The Small Holding; she is currently completing her WSET Level 4 Diploma.

Reporting directly to Will and Matt Devlin, Suzi’s role at The Small Holding includes the smooth running of restaurant operations, in addition to managing budgets, hiring, team development and profit control.

Having studied Applied Linguistics at the University of Portsmouth, Suzi’s career in hospitality began working at high street chains Patisserie Valerie and Cote Brasserie, before progressing to General Manager of the Cirencester site, and then moving to The King’s Arms in Prestbury, a 200-capapcity brasserie and village pub and part of the Raymond Blanc Company estate, as General Manager. In 2021, Suzi’s interest in wine took her to Tofino, Canada to The Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn, a Relais and Chateaux property. She joined the resort as Restaurant Manager, at what was her first foray into fine dining. Taking over several outlets in the Inn, Suzi was responsible for a team of 46 with her role including recruitment, scheduling, budgeting, labour control, developing the team and standards and ensuring guests were accommodated for in any capacity needed.

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 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 Full Acre and Half Acre tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

March at The Small Holding

Will Devlin picks wild garlic at The Small Holding

March at The Small Holding

The transition from winter to spring is the longest wait, but with the beginning of March, the seasonal shift is clear to see. Daffodils and primroses line the banks of the entrance up to The Small Holding, but for all the optimism in the air and a hint of warmth in the sun, March is the ‘hunger gap’ in the kitchen. The winter produce is almost gone, and ingredients associated with Spring aren’t ready to harvest yet.

In many ways the Full and Half Acre March menus at The Small Holding are some of the most exciting of the year, as Owner Will Devlin and Head Chef James Chatfield call on the well-stocked pantry of preserved, pickled, and fermented foods, while looking to nature herself for wild food. The team makes use of the previous summer and autumn gluts, especially when there is an almost empty natural larder. The clocks will soon change, the evening light will linger just a little longer and wild food such as young nettles and the first wild garlic shoots can be found. Come April and May there will also be wild rocket, sorrel, and elderflower – all of which will be on the menu.

On the March menu snacks plate are the first English asparagus, served with raw scallop in a croustade of smoked crème fraiche, lime kosho and coal oil dressing, smoked roe, and primrose flowers, while the new season tender wild garlic leaves are pureed with buttermilk for fried chicken nuggets and hot honey, made with fermented chilies from the farm. March calls for creativity from the pastry team while waiting for seasonal fruit. One of the desserts this month is an incredible sorbet of fermented Crown Prince pumpkin, sea buckthorn, chicory root crumble and pumpkin seed oil.

The March Full Acre menu at The Small Holding

Snacks, Sourdough and Hinxden Butter

Lion’s Mane, Horseradish, Sourdough
Potato, Onion, Three-cornered Leek

Cuttlefish, Barley, Fennel
Halibut, Mushroom, Purple Sprouting

Lamb, Wild Garlic, Raw Yoghurt
Pork, Cabbage, Apple

Pumpkin, Sea Buckthorn, Chicory Root
Rhubarb, Raw Buttermilk, Honey

ends

The Small Holding is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £85 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £75 per person, with the option of a wine flight. The drinks list also includes housemade soft drinks, kombucha and non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits.

From April, the price per person of the Full Acre and Half Acre menus will increase to £95 and £75, respectively. This price increase reflects rising prices from the producers and suppliers we work with and our commitment to always pay a fair price to farmers to help protect their livelihoods, while continuing to produce outstanding quality ingredients.

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

February at The Small Holding

Rhubarb at The Small Holding

February at The Small Holding

The green shoots around The Small Holding’s farm and along the hedgerows are starting to emerge. While still in the dead of winter, the start of the growing season is already underway, the farm and kitchen teams have confirmed the growing plans for 2024, and seed sowing has started in the polytunnel. There is much excitement when the seed packets arrive. With relatively limited space, the team maximise every inch of soil with succession, underplanting and companion planting, and grow vertically to extend the season and produce the greatest yield. Flavour is always king, but it’s a balance of so many factors with constant learning, questioning, and tweaking; there are as many mistakes as successes.

On the February Full and Half Acre tasting menus there are some incredible new dishes from Chef Owner Will Devlin and Head Chef James Chatfield. From the plate of snacks to settle guests in for their dining experience, including braised Trenchmore beef croquettes and wild garlic mayonnaise; Chalk Stream trout tartare croustade with spruce brined ikura fish roe, buckthorn kosho and smoked crème fraiche; and pumpkin and sage gougere through to the desserts of Douglas fir sorbet, preserved plums and yoghurt when caramel; and finishing with a woodruff custard tart with rhubarb sorbet, poached sorbet and toast hay anglaise, the February menu is a stunning taste exploration of the season.

The Full Acre menu at The Small Holding:

Snacks, Bread & Butter

Brassicas, Cheese, Onion
Potato, Mushroom, Wild Garlic

Scallop, Beef, Kohlrabi
Cod, Mussels, Leek

Chicken, Chilli, Seaweed
Venison, Squash, Spruce

Douglas Fir, Plum, Yoghurt Whey
Rhubarb, Custard, Woodruff

The Small Holding is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £85 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £65 per person, with the option of a wine flight. 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.

Garden Photography masterclasss with Jason Ingram at Water Lane

Water Lane, the Victorian walled garden in Kent, is hosting a garden photography masterclass with the internationally acclaimed photographer Jason Ingram. Taking place on 20th September, this is a chance to learn from one of the best in the business with the gardens, glasshouses, vegetable, and flower beds of Water Lane as the participants’ studio. Jason has photographed gardens all over the world and his work is regularly published in books and national magazines. This exclusive workshop is full of practical advice and will dramatically improve your garden and plant photography skills.

The day starts with an inspirational illustrated talk by Jason who will demonstrate the many techniques he uses, show you how to select good subjects, frame effectively and make the most of the light conditions. Using your own SLR camera and equipment, Jason will offer advice and guidance and will give informal feedback on your work. This full day workshop includes refreshments and a light lunch.

Jason works with international garden designers and travels widely photographing gardens. His work features regularly in top garden publications. Over the past year, Jason has got to know the garden at Water Lane as he undertook a project with garden designer, Jo Thompson for Garden's Illustrated. He has been awarded Garden Photographer of the Year by The Garden Media Guild six times and Features Photographer of the Year three times.

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, a weekly produce market and quarterly fairs.

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

James Chatfield appointed new head chef at The Small Holding, Kent

James Chatfield has beeb appointed new head chef at The Small Holding, Kent

New Head Chef appointed at The Small Holding

James Chatfield, 28, from Hailsham, East Sussex has been appointed as the new Head Chef at The Small Holding, the Michelin green star restaurant in Kent, owned and operated by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, and part of the Acre group including Birchwood.

James started his new role at the farm to table restaurant with one-acre of productive land growing vegetables, fruit, herbs, plus beehives, ducks and chickens, in early December. Having grown up and worked in East Sussex in restaurants including Gravetye Manor, Restaurant Tristram, 64 Degrees and Murmur, James’ most recent role was Senior Chef de Partie at Tommy Banks’ Michelin star restaurant The Black Swan at Oldstead in North Yorkshire; James and his wife, Gabby Chatfield who worked in Front of House, were in position there for just under a year, with Gabby now joining James at The Small Holding as a supervisor.

Coming from a family farming background, with his uncle and grandfather owning the award-winning Hook & Son dairy and beef farm, James has had hands-on experience of good produce and close relationships with suppliers since a young age. He brings with him to The Small Holding a shared ethos to Chef Owner Will Devlin of sourcing, growing, and foraging the best quality ingredients, combining time-old preservation techniques with modern innovations.

James’ appointment sees the departure of previous Head Chef Duncan Moran who was at The Small Holding for five years and has been a pivotal member of the team. Duncan has joined The Black Swan Oldstead as Chef de Partie.

Will Devlin comments, “Duncan leaving us is bittersweet as he’s been an amazing part of The Small Holding and the wider Acre team. He’s been with Matt and I since the early pop-up days, through lockdowns, catching escaped sheep and cooking some incredible food together. He is on to great things and we’re all really happy and proud of him. We’re excited to welcome James to the team, we share the same passion and values, and he has some fantastic experience and skills; I can’t wait to get behind the stoves with him.”

-ends-

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 Small Holding is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £85 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £65 per person, with the option of a wine flight. The drinks list also includes house made soft drinks, kombucha and non-alcoholic wine, beer, and spirits.

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 Michelin Green Star for sustainable gastronomy recognises restaurants with a focus on environmental practices; it encompasses everything about The Small Holding and the teams’ drive for sustainability.

“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 

Notes to editors
The Small Holding| Ranters Lane | Kilndown | Kent | TN17 2SG
www.smallholdingrestaurant.com | @the.small.holding

Green Michelin Star 2021/22/23
Number 25, Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants
Number 10, Square Meal’s Top 100 Restaurants
Good Food Guide 2023

Christmas at Water Lane

Festive feasting at Water Lane

Christmas at Water Lane

‘Tis soon the season and there’s much to sparkle at Water Lane in the coming months.

Christmas at Water Lane in Hawkhurst, Kent, sees the three-acre walled garden bedecked with boughs of foraged evergreens and berries, and festoon lights twinkling prettily between the Victorian glasshouses. Visit for festive feasting in the Carnation House, private dining in the Pelargonium House, a festive workshop, and the Water Lane Christmas Market, taking place over the whole first weekend in December.

Water Lane shop
Festive gifts and products in the shop have been curated by Water Lane custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, and shop manager, Pia Carpenter. Their combined intent is to champion the local, the artisan and the small-scale.

Festive gifts and products in the shop have been curated by Water Lane custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, and shop manager, Pia Carpenter. Their combined intent is to champion the local, the artisan and the small-scale.

Festive feasting
From 1st- 24th December parties of eight plus guests can indulge in Water Lane’s festive menus, to be shared by the table. Plates include Venison Carpaccio, Sprouts & Capers; Roast Scallop, Pepper Dulce & Lardo or Roast Duck, Carrots & Brandied Prunes. Vegan options include Tempura Sprouts and Christmas Ketchup to start, followed by Chestnut & Cep Stuffed Squash, all served with traditional festive trimmings and optional supplements. And for dessert, Clementine Crème Brulee, a Local Cheese board, and of course Water Lane’s Christmas Pudding.

Christmas Market
1st and 2nd December
10-4pm
£7.50 per car or free entry on bike or foot

On the first weekend of December, make a date for Water Lane’s Christmas Market. All around the site and in the glasshouses will be festive stalls from craftspeople, makers, and artisan food producers. Come to shop from small and independent stalls run by creative and talented people and enjoy festive food and hot mulled drinks.

Christmas Trees and Wreaths | Gifts | Crafts | Cambridge Imprint cards and stationery
Cheese, Charcuterie, Preserves | Mince Pies and Puddings

New for 2023 is the Christmas Market Feast, a communal dining table on both days of the market. Sit down for 12.30pm for a festive vegetarian family style feast celebrating the roots and brassicas which are so special, sweet, and full of flavour after the hard frosts of Winter. Priced at £37.50 per person, this wonderful menu from Jed Wrobel and his team includes Winter chanterelle and pearl barley arancini with quince ketchup; Beetroot carpaccio, sprouts, and nasturtium pods; Jerusalem artichoke and pepper dulce temptation and for pudding, a poached pear and chocolate pavlova.

Festive Workshops
Create something beautiful at one of Water Lane’s festive workshops. Floral stylist Graeme Corbett from Bloom & Burn with teach various sessions to create stunning, naturalistic Christmas Wreaths, made using dried flowers, seedheads and other fresh and foraged materials harvested from around the Water Lane Garden, perfectly complemented with a luxury velvet ribbon. While in the Alternative Willow Christmas Tree Weaving workshop, Dominic Parrette will teach how to weave a robust, beautiful conical plant support that can double up as a Christmas decoration this winter. Using sustainable materials, the resulting support will be both elegant and robust and will last two or three growing seasons.

-ends-

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.

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

Grow the Seasons at The Small Holding - new course dates for 2024

Will Devlin at The Small Holding, Kent

Grow the Seasons

Learn to ‘Grow the Seasons’ in 2024 with new dates announced for chef and grower Will Devlin’s horticultural courses at his Michelin green-starred restaurant and farm, The Small Holding. 

Led by Head Gardener Sara Cushing and Assistant Head Gardener Alex Cairns, Grow the Seasons is for people of all skills and ages who are interested in gardening, growing and how our food goes from plot to plate, as well as giving a behind-the-scenes experience of the day-to-day running of a michelin green-starred restaurant. 

The full-day course starts with coffee and pastries on The Small Holding’s one-acre farm, and is a balanced mix of hands-on practical and theory learning, as guests discover and share in the team’s knowledge on seasonal vegetable and fruit growing, ‘No Dig’ principles, soil health and composting, and how to take sustainable practices home to their own gardens, plots and allotments. 

Each quarterly course is in tune with the growing season, including ‘Fresh Start’ in February looking at no-dig beds and planning for the growing year ahead; ‘Planting Out’ in May looking at sowing, planting, support structures, companion and succession planting; ‘Harvest Time’ in August is about reaping the rewards, composting and organic feeds and finally, ‘Winter Planning’ in November, which will cover the end of the growing season, mulching, lifting and dividing and overwintering crops.

Each full-day course costs £195 per person and includes coffee and pastries, lunch at The Small Holding, learning sheets and a practical gift bag to take home.

Find out more and book for February, May, August and November 2024 www.growtheseasons.com.

-ends-

“The menu reads like a list of all that is good in a British Larder. Self-sufficiency, careful sourcing, purity of intent and an absolute focus on flavour. It’s easy to fall in love with The Small Holding for the warmth of the staff, its good intent and deft execution.” Tony Turnbull, The Times

Forge, Fire & Food at The Small Holding

Alex Pole at the forge (credit Tim Booth)

FORGE, FIRE & FOOD

Alex Pole Blacksmith x The Small Holding
Sunday 3rd September, 12.30-15.30
£70 pp including knife making demonstration, cocktail and lunch
Reservation link here.

Blacksmith Alex Pole will join executive chef Will Devlin and guests at The Small Holding for an exclusive ‘Forge, Fire & Food’ event on Sunday 3rd September.

Alex Pole has worked as a blacksmith for over 30 years and founded Forge Kitchenware in 2015, making traditionally hand-forged kitchenware and cooking utensils, made in the fires of his Dorset workshop. Forging is the ancient art of shaping metal by heating it by fire and hammering. It is a highly skilled art full of tradition and folklore, and with infinite modern applications.

Alex makes pieces for home kitchens, outdoor cooking and bespoke pieces for chefs and restaurants including The Small Holding, L’enclume and Ikoyi. One of Alex’s primary aims is to promote blacksmithing and traditional crafts to show their importance in the 21st century.

This one-off event at The Small Holding will begin with a knife making demonstration from Alex and his senior assistant Jack Pardoe. Each piece of Forge Kitchenware, be it a knife, skillet or coffee scoop, starts as a simple bar of steel, which is heated and repeatedly hit on the blacksmiths’ anvil, until it is the correct size, shape and style. Some pieces can take hundreds of strikes before it is right. Alex will offer insight into the ancient traditions and techniques of European knife making and the creation of pieces that are beautiful and tactile, yet wholly functional.  

Throughout the demonstration Will and Alex will be talking about his craft and how he became involved in the food world, along with serving snacks and negronis, created with The Small Holding’s own house made Campari-style liqueur, made with foraged bitter botanicals. This will be followed by a fire-cooked family style feast of Paley Farm mutton and produce from The Small Holding’s farm, using Alex Pole’s cast iron skillets.

Will Devlin says, “Alex is a true craftsman and artist and it’s a joy to use his hand-forged pieces in both the kitchen and as part of our tableware service. His pieces combine beauty and function and will last a life-time if treated well and looked after. These values of craft, design and sustainability are fundamental to us at The Small Holding, and combined with food and fire is irresistible.”

-ends-

About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a 36-cover restaurant and farm set in one acre of land, on a country lane in the village of Kilndown, on the Kent and East Sussex borders. The farm is less than 10 ft from the kitchen, growing nearly 200 varieties of vegetables, fruit and herbs, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Native breed Large Black pigs, chickens and ducks roam the farm and sheep for hogget and mutton graze less than half a mile away. The Small Holding was awarded a Michelin Green Star in 2021, and was one of the first seven restaurants in the country to be recognised for its commitment to sustainability in gastronomy and low-impact environmental practices. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing ‘Full Acre’ and ‘Half Acre’ tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm and foraged in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

Run by brothers Will And Matt Devlin, as Executive Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of the Acre Group which also includes Birchwood in nearby Flimwell, East Sussex.

Summer events at Birchwood

Summer events at Birchwood

Summer events on the terrace at Birchwood, Flimwell, East Sussex

Two new late Summer events will take place at Birchwood, Will and Matt Devlin’s restaurant and event space at Flimwell Park, East Sussex.

Supper club 

The next edition of the Birchwood Super Club series is on Friday 25th August and, weather permitting, will be on the terrace overlooking the Flimwell Park woods. Seated on communal dining tables, the evening will be a glorious way to celebrate summer, starting with drinks from Birchwood’s extensive list of cocktails, wines, beers and soft drinks, before sitting down to a four-course dinner, made from the finest Kent and Sussex produce, cooked by Will Devlin, alongside head chef Nick Ryan and the team.

The late summer menu will include Sungold tomatoes, lovage salt; Rye sourdough, marigold flower butter; Barbecued Sussex beef rib, dill brined baby gem, fermented mushroom, triple cooked potatoes & Chop House butter sauce and for dessert, Brioche summer pudding and sweet woodruff cream.

Arrival from 7pm for drinks, to be seated at 7.30pm.
Priced £55 per person. Reservations are now live and seats are strictly limited

Wellness Day Retreat

The inaugural Day Retreat from Birchwood Studio will take place on Saturday 23rd September, from 10am-3.30pm, costing £165 per person. This unique and intimate day retreat will bring together movement, conscious connected breathwork and ice therapy, alongside a nutritious ginger shot drink, lunch, tea and snack. Led by breathwork practitioner Nicky Carter, the day will appeal to people of all ages who are looking to reset, rebalance and restore. Total beginners through to more experienced are all welcome.

Book here. 

About Birchwood

Sitting on the edge of 46-acres of birch and chestnut trees in rural East Sussex, Birchwood is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Part of Flimwell Park, a pioneering mixed-use centre of coppiced woodland, Birchwood offers an all-day menu for breakfast and lunch, and is open seven days a week, from 8am-4pm.

Much like The Small Holding, Will and Matt Devlin’s Michelin Green Starred restaurant, Birchwood is guided by the landscape, self-sufficiency and focused on flavour found in the natural world. Ingredients are local, seasonal, home-grown, and wild. Championing the artisan suppliers of Kent and Sussex, the menu plays host to local cheeses, dairy, wines, spirits, and beer, while many ingredients, such as mushrooms, brambles, elderberries, wood sorrel and birch sap come from the woods, on the steps of the restaurant. 

About Filmwell Park

Flimwell Park, a £6 million pioneering mixed use woodland development, is nearing completion after a decade of consultation, planning and construction. A collaboration between property developer Regalmain and architect Steve Johnson of The Architecture Ensemble and a core team of foresters, ecologists and permaculturists to re-purpose the land, the site has been transformed into an inspiring new model for a sustainable woodland community that blends living, working, recreation and learning. www.flimwellpark.com

Water Lane Harvest Festival Autumn Fair

​​Water Lane Harvest Festival

Celebrate the harvest at Water Lane over the weekend of 16th and 17th September with market stalls selling crafts, vintage, ceramics, candles, and jewellery from independent lifestyle stores for homes and gardens.

Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September
10am - 4pm
Free entry on foot or bike
£5 per car to park

Water Lane Walled Garden | Hawkhurst | Kent | TN18 5DH

The Water Lane Harvest Festival Autumn Fair will be held over the weekend of Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th September. The fair will bring together independent shops, producers and craftspeople, to sell their wares and will be set out across the site including the Carnation House and under the stretch awning on the terrace. Attending the fair will be The Natural Dyeworks, Raffman & Huckster, Flavell Trading, Norse Vintage, Bloom & Burn and many more. There will be hot food from the Water Lane kitchen team, and food to buy and take home from Water Lane Food Market regulars including Halstead Bakery, LAM and Zak's Kombucha. Bunches and buckets of cut flowers will be for sale, including dahlias and chrysanthemums, in the deep marmalade, russet and raspberry tones of early autumn.

-ends-

About Water Lane

Water Lane is a walled garden with a vinery and Victorian glasshouses on the Kent/Sussex borders, on what was once the Tongswood Estate. A long-term project over many years to come, led by custodians Ian James and Nick Selby, the site is being sympathetically transformed into a productive kitchen garden with vegetable beds, cut flowers, restored vinery, outside spaces and a pavilion for dining and events. The restaurant at Water Lane opened in early July 2021, alongside select garden plants for sale and a small shop. There is a weekly food market on Saturdays, workshops and events and seasonal fairs in Spring, Autumn and Christmas.