Cookery writer Winter menu series at Water Lane, Kent

Clam, haricot and green garlic at Water Lane, inspired by Claudia Roden

New Winter Series with menus inspired by the writings and recipes of some of Water Lane’s favourite food writers and cooks

Water Lane walled garden, Water Lane Hawkhurst, Kent, TN18 5DH
www.waterlane.net | @water.lane

Water Lane has launched a series of set lunch menus inspired by the writings and recipes of some of Head Chef Jed Wrobel’s favourite food writers and cooks. The series has launched with recipes from Egyptian-born British food writer, Claudia Roden. Best known for her Middle Eastern cookbooks including A Book of Middle Eastern Food and Arabesque - Sumptuous Food from Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon, Claudia’s food is full of warmth, sunshine and flavour. In the heated Carnation House at Water Lane, try Burnt leeks and cobnut tarator and Taramasalata, farinata and radishes before Clams, haricot and green garlic or mutton meatballs, kalettes and orzo. For pudding, blood orange flan and poached rhubarb or spiced rice pudding and butter baked bramley apple.

Next in the series is British food writer and chef Simon Hopkinson. Hailed as the ‘food writer’s food food writer’, Simon led the kitchen of Terence Conran’s Bibendum in the late 1980s, before leaving the restaurant trade to concentrate on cookery writing, notably Roast Chicken and Other Stories, which was declared ‘the most useful cookbook of all time’ by Waitrose magazine. Jed’s take on Hopkinson’s classic Southern French cooking includes dishes such as Beetroot dumplings with horseradish cream, Grilled pork belly and chicory gratin, Seabass and fennel a la Grecque and Junket pudding with rhubarb and vanilla. 

Two courses for £27
Three courses for £32
Lunch is served Wednesday to Sunday, 12-3pm.

About Water Lane
Water Lane is a walled garden with a vinery and Victorian glasshouses on the Kent and Sussex borders. A long-term project, the site is being sympathetically transformed into a working kitchen garden with vegetable beds, cut flowers, restored vinery, outside spaces and a pavilion for dining and events.

During the Winter months the restaurant is in the heated Carnation glasshouse. In the summer, it moves to the outside terrace, overlooking the vegetable and flower beds. The menu at Water Lane reflects its sense of place in the English countryside with a short and often-changing seasonal menu by head chef Jed Wrobel. Much of the restaurant produce is grown in Water Lane’s vegetable beds or sourced from organic and biodynamic farms. Meat is from pasture raised herds and day boat fish is from nearby Hastings and Rye. 

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Introducing The Square Peg, Kent

Mallard, Shallot Ketchup, Roast Onion and Consommé at The Square Peg, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

The Square Peg

The Square Peg is a 14-seat restaurant on Camden Road in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Owned by Head Chef Rob Marshall, who cooks solo in the kitchen, the site blurs the line between a fine-dining restaurant and supper club, serving an eight-course tasting menu, with one dinner sitting.

Originally from Zimbabwe, Rob came to the UK at the age of 22 having had previous careers including a brief stint in the British Army, with The Royal Engineers and attending Sandhurst. He came to cooking later in life but has been fascinated with food and the experience of eating out from a young age. Rob is a self-taught cook by way of a well-worn collection of cookbooks, and he jokes, ‘youtube’. He says, “I wanted to pursue something I loved doing and hadn’t found my niche elsewhere. A bit of a square peg, if you like. I cook the kinds of things I like to eat - dishes of what I hope are robust flavours with contrasting and complementary textures, temperatures, and tastes.”

Rob has been finalist and a semi- finalist in both the British Culinary Federation Chef of the Year and the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year competitions.

British culinary traditions and food culture weave their influence through the Square Peg menu, which stretches to include anywhere British food culture may have influenced or been influenced. This might translate to something as simple as a syllabub with Yorkshire rhubarb, or a hotpot alongside best end of Pevensey Salt Marsh lamb. Indian and Cantonese spices and flavours may be drawn on when the mood takes. The menu changes every 6-8 weeks and might include Oyster, Apple, Fennel and Caviar; Mallard, Shallot Ketchup, Roast Onion and Consommé; Ex-Dairy Cow, Beef fat sauce and Carrot; Pear, Honey, Hazelnut and Yoghurt, and Banana, Toffee and Milk sorbet. The set course menu is £79 and full flight of five paired wines is £45.

As a small, independent business, Rob actively seeks opportunities to support similar businesses, and the people behind them. Consequently, locality and seasonality feature strongly. The drinks list is almost exclusively British, featuring small, independent suppliers and producers. The list isn’t expansive but there is something for all tastes from still and sparkling English wine, cider, perry, beer, mead, and spirits.

The Square Peg | 46 Camden Road | Tunbridge Wells | Kent | TN1 2QD
info@thesquarepegtw.co.uk | 01892 514819 | @thesquarepegtw

Opening hours
Thursday: 19.30-23.00 
Friday: 19.30-23.00
Saturday: 19.30-23.00
Doors open at 19.30 for all guests to be seated by 19.45

“Fairy lights entwine with hop bines at this sweet little neighbourhood restaurant which seats just 14. Self-taught chef Rob cooks the type of food he himself would like to eat; classic British dishes with a modern feel, accompanied by a British wine list. The team are charming and the atmosphere, convivial.” Michelin Guide

The Stables by Mark Charker launches at The Bell in Ticehurst

Head Chef Mark Charker at The Bell in Ticehurst at the launch of The Stables

The Stables by Mark Charker launches at The Bell in Ticehurst

“The Stables tasting menu deserves a Michelin star or two - superb.” Guest, Autumn 2022

“The flavours were amazing, the presentation of the food was beautiful, an incredibly warm welcome from the team and service impeccable. Wonderful evening and experience, thank you.” Guest, Autumn 2022

The Stables by Mark Charker at The Bell in Ticehurst has been transformed into a fine-dining experience. Having launched for the first time in Autumn 2022, the menu has been created by Head Chef Mark Charker. Launching on Wednesday 8th February, and available on Wednesday - Saturday, the five-course tasting menu is offered alongside paired wines and bespoke cocktails.

This special occasion menu will take guests on a journey from the sea to the best lands in Sussex and the garden of England, including locally sourced meat, fantastic day boat fish, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and cheeses. It’s a surprise menu on the night but to whet the appetite, sample dishes might include Lamb with Jerusalem Artichoke and Hen of the Woods and Caramelised Milk Chocolate, Toffee and Fig Leaf Milk Sorbet. 

Suppliers include local crab, scallops and halibut from Chapmans, Wagyu Sussex beef from Trenchmore Farm, goat meat from Cabrito, free-range eggs from Spurs Farm and a bespoke chocolate made from scratch, using fresh cocoa beans, from J.Cocoa in West Sussex.

Hanging alongside The Stables is a limited edition signed print by Francis Bacon. A triptych in a riot of reds and oranges, the magnificent work is a guaranteed conversation starter.

The Stables tasting menu costs £65 for five courses and £35 for the wine flight pairing, per person. Reservations can be made via thebellinticehurst.com or by calling 01580 200300.

About The Bell
For centuries, The Bell has been at the very heart of Ticehurst village, geographically and emotionally. After closing in 2008, The Bell underwent painstaking renovation, opening in November 2011 welcoming locals and visitors from further afield.

The Bell’s design is eclectic in the truest sense of the word - the building looks as if an eccentric nobleman has travelled the world and filled his house full of curiosities from his travels. The result is quirky and utterly charming. The eleven guest rooms offer a highly individual design, with features including silver birch branches (a nod to the derivation of Ticehurst’s name, which is “the wooded hill where goats graze”), huge copper bathtubs, upside-down tiles and randomly placed light features. Eschewing room numbers, each of The Bell’s guest rooms has its own distinctive name, from “The Benefit of the Doubt” to “Smiles of Memories.”

Quirky touches continue in the public areas, from bowler hat lights and a floor-to-ceiling book pile in the main pub area, to mismatched vintage-style wallpaper and Wagner Tubas for urinals in the gents. Each room offers the curious visitor a feast of visual surprises, not least a fine collection of art by Tracey Emin, Henry Moore, Banksy, Graham Sutherland, and Picasso. The neon sign in the aptly named Stable with a Table, a dining room with a unique sunken oak table for groups of up to 18 feasting friends or family, fondly observes “I will always love you my friend”, summing up the sense of constancy yet originality awaiting visitors to The Bell.

Food
Head Chef, Mark Charker, cut his culinary teeth at Ockenden Manor Hotel, working under their Michelin Star chef. At just 23, he was the youngest successful candidate for the Roux Scholarship. Mark believes in cooking for the guest, not the chef, and promises a creative menu of essentially British cuisine with French influences at The Bell.

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Notes to editors

Room rates from £165 - £325, including breakfast

01580 200300 or www.thebellinticehurst.com @thebellinticehurst

The Bell in Ticehurst, High Street, Ticehurst, Wadhurst, East Sussex, TN5 7AS
Instagram: @thebellinticehurst

The Union Rye

Sharing feast at The Union, Rye

The Union, Rye

The Union is a restaurant and bar set in a beautiful 15th century building at the heart of Rye, with a menu made from seasonal produce that is primarily British and local to Rye and the East Sussex region. The small menu changes daily depending on what ingredients are best and what is available each day.

Taking pride in hand making as much as possible in house, such as ricotta, black pudding, crackers and ice creams, the team always source the very best ingredients they can. 

Head Chef Ben Dafforn’s career has taken him from London institutions J Sheekey and Simpsons on the Stand before honing his cooking style at The Union of unpretentious, simple and restrained food, believing the ingredients should speak for themselves.

Start with Colchester oysters and jalapeño relish and a glass of Westwell Pelegrim and scoop up house-made ricotta and Jerusalem artichoke, rosemary and Kentish honey with caraway crackers. Dishes that are ideal for sharing might include roast celeriac with oyster and shiitake mushrooms, tarragon and hazelnuts or crispy duck egg with smoked bacon and brussels sprouts. Main courses are still perfect to share, or just keep to yourself, such as whole partridge and house black pudding; wild venison, lardo and myrtle berry and for a real treat, a tranche of stunningly fresh wild halibut with brown crab bisque. For pudding try the apple & pear tart tatin and whiskey cream for two to share.

The Union’s sister restaurant, The Plough, is less than five miles away on the Udimore Road with views over the fields down to the sea. The Plough is a countryside destination pub with a menu of small and large plates and a selection of pub classics.

Sample menu
Colchester rock oysters, jalapeño relish each 3 half doz. 15
Roast celeriac, oyster & shiitake mushrooms, tarragon, hazelnuts (ve) 13
Butterbean hummus, pumpkin seeds (ve) 6
Charred hispi, caraway, chilli, lemon, almonds (ve) 8.5
House ricotta, Jerusalem artichoke, rosemary, Kentish honey (v) 8.5
Cured chalk stream trout, horseradish cream, capers 15
Crispy duck egg, smoked bacon, shallots, brussels sprouts 8.5
Mackerel, grain mustard & honey 14
Whole partridge, house black pudding 16 Wild venison, lardo, myrtle berry 23
Castle Farm bavette steak, smoked garlic & bone marrow butter 24
Wild halibut tranche, brown crab bisque for two to share 39.5

Sourdough, caramelised onion butter (v) 4
Sautéed potatoes, garlic, rosemary, thyme (ve) 6
Ratte potatoes, sorrel, walnut oil (ve) 5
Rainbow chard, roasted cobnuts (v) 7
Dressed autumnal leaves (ve) 6
Heritage beetroot, sweet wine reduction (ve) 6

Chocolate parfait, hazelnut, blackcurrant sorbet (ve) 8
Apple & pear tart tatin, whiskey cream for two to share (v) 14
Spiced parsnip cake, white chocolate ice cream, pistachio (v) 7.5
Buttermilk pudding, Medjool date, cinnamon crumb 7
Olde Sussex cheese, Eccles cake (v)

Kitchen opening times (bar open 12pm – 10pm daily)
Monday - Wednesday 12pm - 3pm / 530pm - 9pm
Thursday closed for lunch / 530pm - 9pm
Friday - Sunday 12pm - 3pm / 530pm - 9pm

8 East Street, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7JY
Tel: 01797 2229289 | www.theunionrye.co.uk | Instagram @theunionrye

Birchwood Studio Launches

Isobel Spence natural dye workshop at Birchwood Studio

Introducing Birchwood Studio

Feeding the mind, body, and spirit.

www.birchwoodrestaurant.com

Birchwood Studio is a new space at Flimwell Park in rural East Sussex. With offerings focusing on crafts, mindfulness, exercise, education, food and drink, Birchwood Studio hosts like-minded local brands and businesses for courses, events and workshops, with the primary aim of improving and nurturing our sense of self and well-being.

Birchwood Studio overlooks 46-acres of birch and chestnut woods with far reaching views over the High Weald and is part of the Acre group including Birchwood, a restaurant and private dining space, and The Small Holding, which has a Michelin Green Star for sustainability and gastronomy. The Acre group is led by brothers Matt and Will Devlin.

Saturday 4th and Saturday 25th February: ‘Functional Breathwork’ and ‘Conscious Connective Breathwork’ with Nina Carter
Bodywork therapist and energy practitioner, Nina Carter, works with clients who have reached a transitional time in their lives, whether that is feeling lost, restricted or maybe something much deeper. Within her embodied practice she uses science backed techniques combined with the art of breathwork to release and integrate, which can help bring people back to their most authentic and optimum self.

Saturday 11th and Saturday 18th February:
Yoga with Flock Yoga, 8.30-9.9.30am, £12 per session
Flock Yoga has been a certified and practicing yoga studio since 2018 blending lyengar, restorative, yin and vinyasa styles. These one-hour sessions in the Birchwood Studio are orientated towards alignment and flow yoga, breath work and mediation, in addition to stamina, strength and balance. There is limited availability for these classes.

Sunday 26th February: ‘Introduction to Plant Dyeing’ with Curious House
Working with forager Isobel Spence, this workshop will introduce how to dye fabric using colours extracted from local flora and fauna. The day will explore the joys of this slow, sustainable craft that results in a slightly different natural hue every time. Students will learn which plants and trees create what colours and how to prepare the cloth to absorb the dye and how to ensure it stays. At the end of the day, participants will go home with a beautiful naturally dyed silk scarf and the enthusiasm to carry on experimenting. The day is £135 per person, which includes refreshments, a light lunch and all materials.

Every Thursday: ‘Allergy Testing’ with In the Clear
Clinic with Adele Rogers for all well-being needs for allergies, anxieties and trauma for ultimate physical and mental health.

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Grow the Seasons - new courses at The Small Holding

Head Gardener Jenny Huddart and chef Will Devlin at The Small Holding at the launch of Grow the Seasons

Chef Will Devlin launches ‘Grow the Seasons’ courses at The Small Holding

Learn to ‘Grow the Seasons’ on a series of new horticultural courses at Will Devlin’s Michelin Green Starred farm and restaurant, The Small Holding, in Kilndown, Kent. 

The hands-on courses are led by Head Gardener Jenny Huddart and her team, for a behind-the-scenes experience. Each full-day course will include a mix of practical and theory learning, as guests discover and share in the team’s knowledge on seasonal vegetable growing, ‘No Dig’ principles and how to be sustainable in their own gardens. 

Each course will be relevant to the season, such as making the most of Harvest in August, reaping the rewards of your hard work and making organic compost and feeds. In November’s Winter Planning course learn how to make the most of the end of the season by mulching, lifting and dividing the perennial plants and the last chance to sow overwintering crops.

The full-day courses cost £125 per person and will run throughout the year, in tune with the four growing seasons and include a relaxed lunch, using ingredients from the farm.

Find out more and book now for February, May, August, and November 2023 www.growtheseasons.com.

About The Small Holding

Will Devlin, 34, is the chef owner of The Small Holding, a kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. The 34-cover restaurant has a Michelin Green Star and was voted the best restaurant in Kent at the Taste of Kent Awards. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with daily changing menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10ft from the kitchen.

www.thesmallholding.restaurant
@the_small_holding_

Ranters Lane | Kilndown | Kent | TN17 2SG

“A group of folk growing amazing things, then pulling them out of the ground, sometimes knobbly and lumpy, then cooking and serving them. It’s perfectly imperfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.” Grace Dent, The Guardian

“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

Chef’s Table launches at Tallow, Kent

Chef Rob Taylor at the new Chef’s Table at Tallow in Southborough, Kent

Chef’s Table launches at Tallow, Kent

Rob and Donna Taylor, chef owners of Tallow in Southborough, Kent, have launched a new Chef’s Table in the upstairs dining space of the restaurant. The bespoke chef’s station seats eight guests for a seven-course tasting menu cooked by Rob Taylor, in addition to snacks and a bread course, with the further option of a tailored wine flight. Prices for the full tasting menu start at £100 per person.

The intimate dining experience will appeal to those who love the theatre of cooking and enjoy watching and talking about food as it’s cooked in front of them. Currently the Chef’s Table experience is only available on Friday and Saturday evenings, with one sitting at 7.30pm.

The December launch menu is full of wintery and festive ingredients such as Jerusalem artichokes, confit duck, gingerbread, chocolate and clementine mousse, spiced fruit, and blue cheese.

‘This is my kind of fine dining’ Grace Dent, The Guardiantheguardian.com/food/2022/may/06/tallow-tunbridge-wells-kent-grace-dent-restaurant-review

About Tallow

Tallow launched in November 2021 and is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday. Sitting on a village green in Southborough, in the leafy surrounds of Tunbridge Wells, there are 26 covers downstairs in the main restaurant with space for a further eight upstairs at the Chef’s Table.

The menu showcases chef owner Rob’s unpretentious style where good ingredients are elevated with a sharp attention to detail, using modern techniques and bold flavours. The monthly changing menu has three starters, three main courses and three desserts. The menu is available as a la carte or as a tasting menu.

Notes to Editors

Prior to Tallow, Rob and Donna ran the award-winning Compasses Inn in Crundale, Kent, which had a Bib Gourmand and was in the top 10 ranking of the Top 50 Gastropubs for 8 years. After only a year of trading, Tallow has already achieved acclaim from national restaurant critics, visits from the Michelin Guide and was awarded 91st place in the National Restaurant Awards of the top 100 restaurants in the UK.

Website for reservationswww.tallowrestaurant.co.uk
Email info@tallowrestaurant.co.uk
Address 15a Church Road, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 0RX
Opening times Lunch and dinner Tuesday – Saturday

Christmas at Water Lane

Christmas Wreath at Water Lane designed by Bloom & Burn (photo credit Bloom & Burn)

Christmas at Water Lane

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

Christmas Market
Make a date for Water Lane’s Christmas Market on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th December, from 10am-4.30pm. All around the site and in the glasshouses will be stalls from craftspeople, makers, and artisan food producers. There will be festive food and hot mulled drinks, to keep the chill off, available throughout the day. Entry is free to people arriving on foot or bike or £5 per car to park.

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.

Stoneware ceramics hand made by Eleanor Torbati, Intricate botanical porcelain tea light holders and lamps by Chrissy Silver; Bold hand painted tableware and wool throws from Casa Cubista; Cosy knitwear made by Rove Knitwear; Candles and home fragrance from The Botanical Candle Co; Wax Atelier; Ethical and natural skincare by Dr Jacksons; Pelegrims; Norfolk Natural Living; Trusted Japanese gardening tools and accessories by Niwaki; Unique illustrated stationery from Hadley Paper Press; Harriet Watson; Studio Wald; Hand bound books by Seagull Bindery; Garden-inspired Italian silk scarves by Rory Hutton; A hand-picked selection of books and magazines on the garden, food, flowers and stories for children; Fine chocolates and treats made by The Chocolatier Aneesh Popat; Melrose and Morgan; Warming drinks from Prana Chai; Cold Blow Coffee; Postcard Teas.

There will also be Water Lane Kitchen mince pies, puddings, jams and chutneys for sale; Christmas cards, concertina garlands, recycled paper decorations, woollen stars, decorations, Christmas trees, festive foliage and wreaths made in association with floral styling studio, Bloom and Burn.

Water Lane is a proud member of 1% for the Planet | @1percentftp and the new Water Lane online shop, with nationwide shipping, is now receiving orders.

Winter dining and festive menus
The colder weather means that dining at Water Lane has moved from the outdoor terrace and into the heated Carnation House. Summer salads make way for heartier dishes such as bavette with celeriac gratin, chestnut soup or harissa roasted squash, cracked wheat, apricot and dukka. From 1st-24th December, private events, and parties of over eight guests will be offered our new festive menus, to be shared by the table. Plates might include duck rillettes and pickled prunes; radicchio, cranberries, winter chanterelles and stilton or venison braised in port and chocolate. And for dessert, the Water Lane Christmas Pudding, which will also be on sale in the shop, as individual puddings to take home.

Winter Wreath making courses
Bloom and Burn x Water Lane
1st, 9th, 10th & 11th December

Enjoy this morning session creating your own Christmas wreath in time for the festive season. Using dried flowers, seedheads and other fresh and foraged materials harvested from around the Water Lane garden, 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.

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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.

Discover Water Lane with Jo Thompson and Ian James

Dahlias and cosmos in the border designed by Jo Thompson at Water Lane, Hawkhurst, Kent (credit Maria Bell)

Discover Water Lane in Hawkhurst, Kent and spend a morning with Jo Thompson and Ian James

Saturday 5 November, 10am-12pm
Tickets are £10 and include a welcome drink and cookie
Book Tickets

On Saturday 5 November, garden and landscape designer Jo Thompson will be in conversation at Water Lane, in Hawkhurst, Kent. Listed by House and Garden and Country Life as one of the country’s top ten garden designers and plantswomen, Jo Thompson is one of the key partners working with the Water Lane team to develop the historic site into a garden for the 21st century.

Jo will be in conversation with Ian James, one of the custodians of Water Lane, as they explore Jo’s plans for the transformation of the two-acre walled garden. Their joint ambition is to create a garden for all, combining recreation, dining, experiences, and education. During the event on 5 November, Jo will share the approach she and her team have taken to the brief of ‘making the garden fit for the 21st century whilst respecting its history of being a productive garden’. She will also lead a tour of the garden, along with Ian James, to highlight how the changes to the garden will take effect over the coming years.

Ian James from Water Lane says, “We are thrilled to be working with Jo Thompson and her team. She brings a sympathetic and holistic vision that marries with our plans for Water Lane, slowly bringing back the garden to its original purpose of growing fruit and vegetables. Water Lane is not a pastiche of a Victorian walled garden. We are respecting its roots, but we want the garden to be accessible to all and have many different functions. Our aim is to create a democratic place where people can come and learn and where skilled teachers can share their knowledge around horticulture, floral design, any kind of artisan craft and food.”

Jo Thompson says, “The extensive and long-term restoration vision for Water Lane, led by Nick Selby and Ian James, is a garden designer’s absolute dream. I am excited to peel back the layers of this historic site and truly understand its history as a horticultural masterpiece.  This is not just any restored walled garden project but a chance to re-imagine Water Lane the ‘place’, respecting its past glory as well as making it an inspirational and welcoming garden for the 21st century and beyond.”

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Address: Water Lane Walled Garden, Water Lane, Hawkhurst, Kent, TN18 5DH
Instagram: @water.lane
www.waterlane.net

About Water Lane
Water Lane is a two-acre walled garden with a vinery and Victorian glasshouses. A long-term restoration project over many years to come, the site is being managed by custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, who previously created and ran Melrose and Morgan, a grocery store and kitchen in North-West London. The site of Water Lane is a historical horticultural masterpiece with 13 Grade II Victorian glasshouses dating back to the 1800s on what was once the Tongswood Estate. Working alongside Jo Thompson Garden Design and RX Architects, the whole site is being sympathetically transformed into a productive garden with 72 no-dig vegetable and cut flower beds for the restaurant and wholesale to local florists, stock and trial beds, restored vinery, outside spaces and a pavilion for dining and events.

The plans will progress in phases and will include a rose ‘orchard’ with bulb meadow; a quince tree avenue through the green gates of the pedestrian entrance; perennial and stock beds in the south quadrant; follies and wall borders, a fruit cage pergola; children’s natural play; a forest garden and sculpture trail, nuttery and educational spaces.

About Jo Thompson
Jo’s designs are wide ranging - from residential family gardens, historic landscapes, public spaces and country estates to restaurant roof gardens, rooftop terraces and urban boltholes. Other current projects include working with Iford Manor in Wiltshire and the restoration of Highgate Cemetery in London with Gustafson Porter + Bowman. Jo Thompson is a member of the RHS Gardens Committee and Garden Advisor for RHS Rosemoor, an RHS judge, as well as being a member of the RHS Show Gardens Selection Panel. She lectures both nationally and internationally and is a visiting tutor at the London College of Garden Design.

The Counter ~ pop up by chef Robin Read at Daily Bread, Rusthall

The Counter at Daily Bread (credit Key & Quill)

THE COUNTER

The Counter is a new pop-up residency by chef Robin Read at Daily Bread in Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells.

Launching on 20 October through to 24 December
From £60 per person
www.thecounterhomeedition.com | @the_counter_tw

The Counter is a pop-up residency by chef Robin Read to be hosted at the award-winning Daily Bread in Rusthall, near Tunbridge Wells. Each dinner service from 20 October to 24 December will offer guests a seasonal six-course tasting menu, using the best local, wild and foraged produce. 

Robin is a passionate supporter of artisan farmers, growers and producers and a strong advocate of naturally sourced produce, especially from the British Isles. He takes great pride in having met all his suppliers and ensures he visits the farm, river, warehouse, barn wherever across the country to make sure he has the best knowledge of the produce and its maker. The Counter menu is full of the best local products such as venison from Eridge Park and wild porcini mushrooms from the woods around Rusthall and Langton Green. Home-made sourdough bread, blackberries, scallops, Sussex cream and dairy all feature on the menu, and fish is caught off Rye harbour.

There will be one sitting for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays from 20 October 2022 to 24 December 2022. Some tables are communal, and others are twos and fours. Drinks from 7.30/7.45pm to sit for 8pm.

Price 
6 courses £60 per person 
6 glass wine flight £60 per person
3 glass wine flight £30 per person 
A small wine list is available

Opening Hours
Dinner only, Thursday – Saturday
20 October to 24 December 2022
Daily Bread, 27-29 High Street, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

About Robin Read
Langton Green based Read has been a chef for over 25 years. He trained and worked with some of the greats in the hospitality industry, including Albert and Michel Roux, Nico Ladenis and Marco Pierre White. For the last 16 years he was Group Executive Chef of the Firmdale Hotel Group in London, overseeing the Soho Hotel, Charlotte Street Hotel and Ham Yard Hotel, amongst others, and launched six new openings, a bakery and a chef’s academy. Robin hopes that one day The Counter will have a permanent bricks and mortar site in the Tunbridge Wells area. 

Sample menu
Porridge and Porter Sourdough, cultured butter
Rusthall foraged cep broth, Beal’s Farm pancetta, parsley oil  
Eridge Park venison tartare tart, egg yolk, pickled beet, Berkswell  
Cured line caught mackerel, autumn squash, white wine, yuzu and wild garlic capers
Champagne and seaweed poached brill, mussel, caviar, lemon butter  
45-day aged Sussex sirloin of beef, celeriac purée, roast onion, red wine sauce   
White Chocolate Parfait, mascarpone ice cream, pickled elderberries, fig leaf oil, honeycomb crumb
Sweet Treats

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@the_counter_tw
www.thecounterhomeedition.com

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

Autumn Equinox at Water Lane with SSAW Collective

Autumn Equinox at Water Lane with SSAW Collective

Water Lane x SSAW Collective
Autumn Equinox on 24th September

Autumn Equinox at Water Lane | SSAW COLLECTIVE

Saturday 24th September
10.30-4.30pm
£175 per person

On Saturday 24th September, SSAW Collective, a community of florists, growers and chefs who create experiences that celebrate seasonality, is hosting an event to celebrate the Autumn Equinox at Water Lane, Hawkhurst, in the High Weald of Kent.

The Autumn Equinox was traditionally marked to reflect on the past season and to pay thanks for a good harvest. It was a time when fruits, vegetables and meats were preserved to provide food for the cold months ahead. This event at Water Lane harks back to that spirit and looks at how the British flower growing season can be preserved by producing lasting creations. 

The day will be spent in the beautiful walled garden at Water Lane, learning and creating with Autumn's warm colour palette and celebrating the change in the air, as the nights start to get longer, and days grow shorter.

Guests will participate in a natural dye-making, bundle-drying and eco-printing workshop led by Ros Humphries from The Natural Dyeworks, and a floral workshop with SSAW Collective, learning to combine dried and fresh flowers straight from garden to make an Autumnal table centre piece to take home and preserve into winter. There will be light refreshments in the morning, followed by a delicious feasting lunch created by Water Lane’s head chef Jed Wrobel.

Lunch will be served to share with a menu of seasonal and provenance led dishes with most of the ingredients home grown in the Water Lane kitchen garden. The menu includes Sweetcorn, butterbean and black basil flatbreads, Beetroot, soft boiled eggs and crispy sage, Squash, radicchio, Pevensey Blue and walnuts, Gardener’s Pie with green bean chutney, Leek, broccoli and wild mushroom gratin and for pudding, Roast plums and muscovado meringues, and Hinxden Dairy whipped cream.

Timings:
10.30-45 arrival 
Workshops, followed by an autumnal sharing feast 
Approximate finish time: 16.30
Event Address: Water Lane, Hawkhurst, Kent TN18 5DH

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Wyatt & Jones, Broadstairs

Mediterranean inspired small plates cooked over coal (credit Saltwick Media)

Wyatt & Jones

Recommended in The Good Food Guide and Michelin Guide

Wyatt & Jones is a family-owned, independent restaurant on Viking Bay in Broadstairs, north Kent. Painted in a deep olive green with marble tabletops, counter seating and open kitchen, the 30-cover restaurant is situated under the historic York Gate, with views over the sea. The menu offers dishes of Mediterranean-influenced small plates, with a seafood bias, using meticulously sourced produce, cooked over fire in a state-of-the-art Harrison oven, made locally in Ramsgate.

Soon to be celebrating its tenth anniversary of trading, Wyatt & Jones is run by husband-and-wife team, Jan and Kat Wyatt, with head chef Ryan Whitlock in the kitchen. The trio work well together with a mutual philosophy of good ingredients cooked well. Citing restaurants such as Etxebarri in the foothills of Spanish Basque Country, Lennox Hastie at Sydney’s Firedoor and Australian chef and author of The Whole Fish Cookbook, Josh Niland, as inspirations, the kitchen works instinctively with fire in all its forms and seasonal ingredients. Fish and seafood is sourced from Wild Harbour, a Cornish based family run company of day boats specialising in wild, sustainable and ethically caught species on the South coast. The phenomenal, stop-you-in-your-tracks Galician ex-dairy beef and Mangalitza pork comes from Txuleta. Vegetables and fruit come from local North Kent farms. The team’s passion for wine is shown in the interesting and ever-changing list with a balance of New and Old World wines. Everything on the list is available by the glass.

Start lunch or dinner with a barrel aged negroni and grapefruit, or a glass of sparkling Pelegrim, from the nearby Westwell vineyard in the North Downs, alongside a plate of Maldon rock oysters, either natural or dressed with homemade strawberry siracha and Viking sourdough and smoked cultured butter. Sharing from the small plates’ menu try the monkfish crudo with shiso salsa; octopus tentacle with mojo rioja; squid, ink rice, sobrasada and tarragon; butterflied mackerel, xo sauce and burnt lime; Mangalitza pork chop with blackberries and tarragon; 42-day aged sirloin, ancho chilli and aged beef fat butter; stuffed romano pepper, garbanzo beans, romanesco, and feta; layered crispy potatoes, bravas and aioli. For pudding, try pineapple bake, coconut and lime sorbet and grilled pineapple or brioche doughnuts and miso dulce de leche.

Part of what was once three old fisherman’s cottages overlooking the sea, the building houses Wyatt and Jones and the newest addition to the family, Flotsam & Jetsam. What started as a pop up during successive lockdowns serving takeaway seafood, frites and cocktails from a hatch from the closed restaurant, is now a permanent site. An instant hit, bestsellers on the menu include cones of fritto misto, crab dumplings, fish tacos and monkfish scampi in squid ink batter, with 14 home made sauces to choose from such as lobster mayo, squid ink hot sauce and Korean chilli. The team’s hard work didn’t go unnoticed, and they were placed on The Good Food Guide’s Platinum List as one of the 18 restaurants chosen for their remarkable resilience and for thriving in the face of the shifting realities of hospitality during the pandemic.

23-27 Harbour Street, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 1EU

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Water Lane x Jo Thompson Garden Design

Jo Thompson (credit Rachel Warne)

Water Lane is partnering with Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design for the next phase of the historic walled garden

Water Lane, a Victorian two-acre walled garden near Hawkhurst in the High Weald of Kent, is partnering with RHS award-winning Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design, to further develop the historic site into a garden for the 21st century, combining recreation, dining, experiences, and education. Jo Thompson has established a worldwide reputation for creating beautiful and sustainable landscapes. Listed by House and Garden and Country Life as one of the country’s top ten garden designers and plantswomen, Jo has won four Gold and five Silver Gilt medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and in 2017 she won the People’s Choice award at the first RHS Chatsworth Flower Show.

Water Lane is a walled garden with a vinery and Victorian glasshouses. A long-term restoration project over many years to come, the site is being managed by custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, who previously created and ran Melrose and Morgan, a grocery store and kitchen in North-West London. The site of Water Lane is a historical horticultural masterpiece with 13 Grade II Victorian glasshouses dating back to the 1800s on what was once the Tongswood Estate. Working alongside Jo Thompson Garden Design and RX Architects, the whole site is being sympathetically transformed into a productive garden with 72 no-dig vegetable and cut flower beds for the restaurant and wholesale to local florists, stock and trial beds, restored vinery, outside spaces and a pavilion for dining and events.

Ian James from Water Lane says, “We are thrilled to be working with Jo Thompson and her team. She brings a sympathetic and holistic vision that marries with our plans for Water Lane, slowly bringing back the garden to its original purpose of growing fruit and vegetables. Water Lane is not a pastiche of a Victorian walled garden. We are respecting its roots, but we want the garden to be accessible to all and have many different functions. Our aim is to create a democratic place where people can come and learn things and where skilled teachers can share their knowledge around horticulture, floral design, any kind of artisan craft and food.”

The plans for Water Lane will progress in phases and will include a rose ‘orchard’ with bulb meadow; a quince tree avenue through the green gates of the pedestrian entrance; perennial and stock beds in the south quadrant; follies and wall borders, a fruit cage pergola; children’s natural play; a forest garden and sculpture trail, nuttery and educational spaces. This summer’s planting palette includes soft purples, pinks, raspberry and apricot tones from plants such Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Apricot Lemonade’; Dahlia ‘Penhill Watermelon’; Phlox drummondii ‘Crème Brulee’; Gladiolus papilo ‘Ruby’; Althea cannabina; Erigeron karvinskianus and Ammi visnaga.

Jo Thompson says, “The extensive and long-term restoration vision for Water Lane, led by Nick Selby and Ian James, is a garden designer’s absolute dream. I am excited to peel back the layers of this historic site and truly understand its history as a horticultural masterpiece.  This is not just any restored walled garden project but a chance to re-imagine Water Lane the ‘place’, respecting its past glory as well as making it an inspirational and welcoming garden for the 21st century and beyond.”

Tongswoods Gardens
Water Lane was previously known as ‘Tongswood Gardens’. It belonged to the Tongswood estate, its name deriving from the Old English ‘Twang’ or ‘Tang’ meaning ‘fork of water’ in reference to the two streams of the river Rother which ran through the estate. Having passed through many families, the estate was bought by Mr Charles Gunther in 1903. In its heyday the two-acre walled garden employed nine gardeners who tended the 13 Victorian greenhouses, including a vinery, peach house, melon house, fern house, fruit house and carnation house. The garden produced beautiful flowers, fruit and vegetables providing ample for the main house, the house in London and even a van of surplus for the local hospital.

Jo Thompson
Jo’s designs are wide ranging - from residential family gardens, historic landscapes, public spaces and country estates to restaurant roof gardens, rooftop terraces and urban boltholes. Other current projects include working with Iford Manor in Wiltshire and the restoration of Highgate Cemetery in London with Gustafson Porter + Bowman. Jo Thompson is a member of the RHS Gardens Committee and Garden Advisor for RHS Rosemoor, an RHS judge, as well as being a member of the RHS Show Gardens Selection Panel. She lectures both nationally and internationally and is a visiting tutor at the London College of Garden Design.

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Birchwood Supper Club series

Will Devlin on the Birchwood terrace at Flimwell Park (photography credit Key & Quill)

New supper club series launches at Birchwood, Flimwell Park, East Sussex

A new series of Birchwood Super Clubs is starting on 21 July. Seated on communal dining tables, the evening will be a glorious way to celebrate summer, starting with drinks on the terrace, overlooking the woods of Flimwell Park, before sitting down to dinner, made from the finest Kent and Sussex produce.

Join chef patron Will Devlin and head chef Nick Ryan for a five-course seasonal dinner of sourdough and miso butter, kimchi cured trout, rib of beef from Paley Farm and for pudding, Lower Ladysden Farm strawberries and white chocolate mousse. It wouldn’t be a feast without a cheese course, with Kingcott Dairy’s Kingcott Blue with truffle honey.

The next Birchwood Supper Club dates are on 16 September and 17 November, starting at 7pm.

Reservations are now live and strictly limited, £45 per person.

Birchwood Supper Club on 21 July, 7pm
Table Snacks
Sourdough Bread, Miso butter
Kimchi Cured Trout, Pickled Sea Herbs, Ponzu Sauce
Paley Farm Beef Rib Eye, Tomatoes, Pink Fir Potato
Ladysden Strawberries & White Chocolate Mousse
Kingcott Blue Cheese with Truffle Honey

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 Devlin’s first two restaurants The Small Holding and The Curlew, Birchwood is guided by the landscape and 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.

Many of the vegetables, fruit and herbs used at Birchwood comes from the one-acre farm at The Small Holding, less than five miles away in Kilndown, along with eggs, pork, lamb, hogget and mutton from free-range chickens, Berkshire pigs and Romney sheep, who live on site and at a nearby farm.

Environmental, social, and economic sustainability has been at the heart of the construction of Birchwood, with all timber sustainably sourced and weathering steel used for the window bay cladding. Onsite solar power is generated from 300 photo-voltaic cells located on building roofs, cladding, and canopies, with a grid of solar thermal units heating water directly from the sun. The car park SUDS system is made from local stone, geo-textile filtering layers and recycled plastic open-grid surfacing making up the Truck Pav system. Six Tesla charging points have been installed, with two more charging points available for other electric car brands. 

Inside Birchwood, guests have the feeling of the outdoors with a large silver birch tree installation, natural wood beams, smooth concrete floors and large black crittall windows looking out onto the woods, while the warm earth-coloured walls are painted in ‘Red Squirrel’ from Fenwick & Tilbrook. The day’s menu is projected onto the wall to avoid printing paper waste.

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Notes to editors

Birchwood | Flimwell Park | Hawkhurst Road | Filmwell | East Sussex | TN5 7FJ

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

Belly London at Compton Arms, Islington

Reece Moore at Belly London, Compton Arms, Islington

Belly London
Chef Reece Moore
Compton Arms, Islington, London

Reservations via Resy
Instagram @belly.london

Belly London is the concept of Reece Moore, the new kitchen in residence at the Compton Arms, Islington, after the hugely successful Four Legs residency ended.

Originally from Australia, Reece has cooked for over 12 years in restaurants around the world, drawing influence from each, including Dabbous, Bao London and stages at The Square with Phil Howard, Portland and Core by Clare Smyth. He was sous chef at Michelin-starred Texture under Andrew Wandless and Icelandic chef Agnar Sverrisson, where he worked with Raymond Blanc, as part of a collaboration. Reece also draws influence from the classic cooking styles of Marco Pierre White, Michel Roux and Japanese sushi master, Jiro Ono.

Passionate about highlighting simple flavours and working with seasonal produce, Reece’s ethos is to cook with purpose and simplicity; his philosophy is to let the ingredients speak for themselves. The Belly London menu has modern global influences from Italy to Thailand offering small and sharing plates using predominantly local, seasonal British produce, dayboat fish and native rare-breed meat. Favourite suppliers include Henderson Seafood, Swaledale Butchers and Shrub Provisions in Sussex. The daily-changing menu might include Grilled Harissa Octopus or Feta with Honey and Sesame; Thai-inspired dishes such as Crispy Beef, Puntarelle and Thai chilli dressing or Langoustine Larb, Mint, Red Onion and Rice Powder; and Italian-style plates like Risotto Milanese with Courgette or Fazzoletti with Lamb Ragu. There are also a few classic British pub classics such as Caesar Salad and Cheeseburger.

The Compton Arms, on a pretty back street of Islington, is famously known as one of former patron George Orwell’s three Canonbury pubs, chosen as inspiration for his perfect watering hole essay, The Moon Under Water. Now a freehouse, the pub has simple, Victorian-style wooden tables in the bar and dining room and a sunny courtyard garden. At the bar try the Compton’s house lager, or dip into the list of biodynamic wines and cocktails, including three different negronis.

Sample menu

Bread and Butter   4
Fried Potatoes, Aioli   4.5
Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Tzatziki, Sourdough   9
Asparagus, Egg, Lemon   12
Feta, Honey, Sesame Seeds   10
Caesar Salad   11
Cheeseburger   10
Mackerel Crudo, Blood Orange, Onion   13
Crispy Beef Salad, Punterelle   13
Whiting on Toast, Peas   10
Fazzoletti, Lamb Ragu, Parmigiana   15
Sea Bass, Courgette, Vinaigrette   19
Saffron Risotto, Langoustine   19
Bavette, Peppercorn Sauce, Dill Pickle   18

600g T-Bone Steak, New Potatoes   45
Tiramisu   7

Lunch by the Lakes

Jamie Daltrey and Will Devlin by the lake at Lakedown Brewing Co (credit Key & Quill)

LUNCH BY THE LAKES

Lakedown Brewing Co beers paired with tasting menu cooked by chef Will Devlin 

Saturday 13 August
Lakedown Brewing Co, Burwash, East Sussex

Reservation link: OpenTable - Choose a time for your experience

@the_curlew | @lakedownbrewingco

Will Devlin, chef and owner of The Curlew and Jamie Daltrey, co-founder of Lakedown Brewing Co. frequently enjoy each other’s cooking and brews, leading to the idea of a one-off collaboration being hashed out over a beer, celebrating local Sussex ingredients and enjoyed in the beautiful setting at Lakedown. 

Lakedown is the scenic, spring-fed lakes that Roger Daltrey of The Who built in the 1970s as a peaceful oasis to escape the mania of touring. It is the location that inspired the family-run, independent microbrewery Lakedown Brewing Co., and home to their taproom bar.

The lunchtime event will take place on the banks of the lakes on Saturday 13th August, with two sittings at 1pm and 5pm.

Chef Will Devlin from The Curlew has created a six-course menu of home-grown and local Sussex ingredients which will be paired with beers from Lakedown Brewing Co. The cost is £85 per person and can be booked via OpenTable - Choose a time for your experience

Dishes shall be based on seasonal produce, but example dishes could include:
Pork Belly Miso Skewers, paired with Lakedown’s tropical, sessionable Vermont Pale
Goudhurst Asparagus, Confit Egg Yolk, paired with Lakedown’s classic and beautifully refreshing Pilsner 
Lakedown Trout, Pickles & Sour Cream, paired with Lakedown’s aromatic Pale Ale
BBQ Monkfish, Fermented Chilli & Red Peppers, paired with Lakedown’s hazy and hoppy full-bodied NEIPA
Mutton, Wild Garlic, New Season Potato, paired with Lakedown’s rich, malty American Red 

Address:
Lakedown Brewing Co.
Swife Lane
Burwash
East Sussex
TN21 8UX

Nearest station: Stonegate

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About The Curlew

Set in picture-postcard Sussex countryside, The Curlew is a Grade II listed former coaching inn with white clapboard façade and views across the fields. The 46-cover restaurant is is part of The Acre Group, led by chef owner Will Devlin, including The Small Holding and Birchwood. Inspired by The Curlew’s countryside location, while only 10 miles to the South Coast, the menu offers seasonal small and sharing plates from land and sea with a Sunday Family Lunch and the entire wine list available by the glass. Ingredients are sourced hyper-locally from the best producers and fishermen or are grown or foraged at The Small Holding, just 8 miles away. www.thecurlew.restaurant

About Lakedown Brewing Co

Lakedown Brewing Co. is a family-run, independent microbrewery and taproom in rural East Sussex, creating modern and traditional beers in can, bottle, keg and cask.

Named after the scenic, spring-fed lakes that Roger Daltrey of The Who built in the 1970s as a peaceful oasis to escape the mania of touring, this rural family farm and fishery is at the heart of the brewery’s story, as the location that inspired Lakedown Brewing Co., and home to their taproom bar. In the ever-evolving world of craft beer, Lakedown Brewing Co. aims to create delicious, honest brews to go back to time and again. The range includes nine refreshing grain-to-glass beers that celebrate flavour, simplicity and quality of ingredients. The team brews with passion, and they brew for everyone.

www.lakedownbrewing.com

Quince launches in Westgate-on-Sea

Quince is the new restaurant by chefs Ben Hughes and Rafa Lopez, in Westgate on Sea, north Kent

Quince is the new restaurant from Goods Shed alumni Rafael Lopez and Ben Hughes opening in Westgate, north Kent, on 27 May

Reservations via www.quincewestgate.co.uk
Instagram @quince_westgate

Quince is the new restaurant by chefs and co-owners Ben Hughes and Rafael Lopez. Having spent years working together at The Goods Shed in Canterbury, this is the duo’s first restaurant launch.

Launching on Friday 27 May, Quince is on Westgate’s Station Road, just 10 minutes from the north Kent Coast and within 15 minutes of many of the restaurant’s produce suppliers. The bistro-style restaurant has 32 covers and will serve British ingredients, mostly from Kentish farms, with a southern Mediterranean flair, alongside a small list of English and other world-class wines, curated by Clive Barlow, Master of Wine.

Ben and Rafa have known each other for years, having spent the last five years working together at The Goods Shed, which under Rafa as its Head Chef for twenty years, became one of the pioneers of the farm to table movement in the UK. This market and ingredient led philosophy will continue at Quince, with the team working closely with day boat fisherman on the Kent and West Coast for seafood and fish, the Quex Estate Sussex beef and lamb, Longland Farm duck, sourdough from Staple Stores, and local farmers for vegetables and fruit.

The strong kitchen team are joined by Ben’s wife Portia heading up Front of House and by recruits in both back and front of house from The Goods Shed and Sargasso, in nearby Margate.

The menu is a happy marriage of north and south European ideals and food; Rafa will reach for the olive oil, while Ben the butter, resulting in a menu that feels comfortingly familiar and is full of Mediterranean warmth.

Sample launch menu

Oysters, rhubarb and dill
Staple Stores sourdough and butter

Braised cuttlefish, hazelnuts, lovage
Sevenscore asparagus, black truffle, hollandaise
Pork, wild garlic and liver terrine, toast, fermented wild garlic
Herb, beetroot and apple salad, crisp duck egg

______

Wild bass, fennel gratin, anchoïade
Longland Farm duck, cos lettuce, PX and lentils
Lamb, courgette, mint & aioli
St George mushroom gougère, asparagus and Lord of the Hundreds

_______
Raw cream, strawberry, elderflower & lemon balm
Valhrona chocolate mousse, raspberries, tuille
Goats curd parfait, honeycomb & rhubarb
Cote Hill Lindum, quince, crackers

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

Notes to editors

Opening hours:
Wednesday: 18.00 - 21.00
Thurs – Saturday: 12.00 -1500 and 18.00 - 21.00
Sunday: 12 -15.00

Reservations via www.quincewestgate.co.uk Instagram @quince_westgate

Will Devlin cooks at The Chef’s Table at Wilderness Festival 2022

Will Devlin from The Small Holding cooking at Wilderness 2022

Will Devlin cooks at The Chef’s Table at Wilderness Festival 2022

Tickets HERE.

Over the years, Wilderness has cemented its impeccable reputation for creating unique and memorable dining experiences filled with Michelin-starred heavyweights, globally renowned chefs, home-grown favourites, and the hottest, emerging talent on the food scene right now.

This year Wilderness presents an all-star line up of chefs who will showcase inspired menus that spotlights equality, zero waste, sustainability, seasonality and a whole platter of epicurean cuisines and styles critical to all diets and lifestyles.

Food For The Future – Zero Waste

Thursday: Will Devlin (The Small Holding)

Friday: Niklas Ekstedt (Ekstedt)

Saturday: Adam Handling (The Frog)

Sunday: Skye Gyngell (Spring)  

Overlooking the majestic Lake Superior, this year’s pioneering Chef’s Table focuses on food for the future, delivering a decadent menu whilst embracing a zero waste kitchen ethos in the field. It’s here, at The Chef’s Table, these innovative chefs will cook a 7 course tasting menu using the freshest ingredients before your eyes, at a spectacular intimate restaurant under canvas.  

Will Devlin, chef patron of The Small Holding, comments, "I'm really excited to be cooking at Chef's Table this year. The way we cook at all our restaurants in the acre group is about making the most of every part of the ingredient from nose to tail, root to flower. We rear our own animals and grow most of the vegetables and soft fruit we use at The Small Holding; when you've nurtured something from seed or bottle fed a sick lamb and put so much effort and graft in, it's impossible to even consider the tiniest wastage. Zero waste is in vogue, as it rightly should be, but for us it's just something we've always done out of sheer respect for the commitment it takes to put food on people's plates.”

Sussex Sparkling wine tasting dinner at The Curlew

Rathfinny Sussex Sparkling wine dinner at The Curlew

SUSSEX SPARKLING WINE TASTING AT THE CURLEW

The Curlew in Bodiam, East Sussex, is hosting a special wine dinner with Sussex vineyard Rathfinny on Thursday 23 June. Hosted by chef Will Devlin and Rathfinny’s brand ambassador, Richard James, the evening is part of English Wine Week (18-26 June) and will pair together Sussex ingredients with Sussex wines.

The evening will commence with a Rathfinny-inspired cocktail, followed by a four-course feast, perfectly paired with four Rathfinny sparkling wines. Brand Ambassador, Richard, will guide guests through the tasting notes of each wine and share an insight into the Rathfinny story.

The Rathfinny Feast costs £120 per person for all food, cocktail and four glasses of Rathfinny wine. The evening offers a chance to enjoy the best food and drink Sussex has to offer.

About The Curlew
Situated in Bodiam, an idyllic countryside village in East Sussex, The Curlew is an award-winning, Michelin-recommended restaurant by chef, Will Devlin. Inspired by The Curlew’s countryside location, while only 10 miles to the South Coast, the menu offers simple and seasonal small and sharing plates from land and sea. Ingredients are sourced hyper-locally from the best producers and fishermen or are grown or foraged at The Small Holding, just 8 miles away.

About Rathfinny
Established in 2010 by Mark and Sarah Driver, Rathfinny produces Traditional Method vintage Sussex Sparkling wines that are a true expression of their terroir. Produced from hand-harvested grapes that are whole-bunch pressed and patiently matured on lees and in bottle to develop rich, autolytic notes, with a low dosage that emphasises the purity of the fruit.

The Rathfinny Feast

Gooseberry & Tarragon Focaccia
Smoked Cod’s Roe Mousse
Croquettes, Fennel & Ham
Chimichurri Cured Monkfish
Chive Flower Oysters

Crispy Duck Leg, Farm Salad
BBQ Lamb Belly, Mint Sauce
Courgette Salad, Lardo
Offal Kebabs, Honey Glaze

Turbot, Sea Buckthorn & Sage
BBQ Monktail, Crispy Cheeks, Curry Sauce
New Season Potato, Anchovies
Globe Artichokes, Summer Savoury
Carrots, Prawn Floss & Nasturtium
Potato Terrine, Thyme & Chicken Skin

Strawberry & Meadowsweet Terrine
Sweet Treats

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For more information, press reviews and images please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Notes to editors

Address

The Curlew
Junction Road
Bodiam

East Sussex
TN32 5UY
www.thecurlew.restaurant

info@thecurlew.restaurant

Opening times

Wednesday 6-11.30pm (Dinner)
Thursday to Saturday 12-3pm (Lunch), 6-11.30pm (Dinner)

Sunday: 12-2.30pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

The Small Holding named Restaurant of the Year

Freshly harvested beetroot at The Small Holding (credit Key & Quill)

The Small Holding has been named Restaurant of the Year in the Taste of Kent Awards 2022

The Small Holding in Kilndown, Kent has been crowned Restaurant of the Year at the Taste of Kent Awards run by Produced in Kent. The restaurant, led by brothers Will and Matt Devlin was described by the judges as “an unforgettable rural delight”. The award is given to a restaurant actively using Kent produce where and when available and demonstrating this commitment in menus and marketing.

The Small Holding has retained its Michelin Green Star for the second year and was also listed at number 25 in the Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants.

Floortje Hoette, chief executive of Produced in Kent, said, “the judges and I were blown away by the exceptional food and drink we have in Kent, and it’s wonderful to see support for buying local hasn’t faded post pandemic. This year’s winners and finalists have shown innovation, diversification, sustainable practices and immense talent within their specialist fields.”

Will Devlin, chef owner of The Small Holding, commented, “We’re really thrilled. This award is for everyone on the team, in the kitchen, on the floor and on the farm who all work so hard and really deserve this, I’m so proud.”

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www.thesmallholding.restaurant

@the_small_holding_

Ranters Lane | Kilndown | Kent | TN17 2SG

About The Small Holding

Will Devlin is the chef owner of The Small Holding, a kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. The 38-cover restaurant is number 25 in Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants in the UK and has won best restaurant at the Taste of Kent Awards. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with daily changing menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10ft from the kitchen.

For more information, images, interview or to visit The Small Holding, please contact Hannah Blake hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk