Plough, Stalisfieldback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Went in for a swift pint to see what it was like having read about the change in licesee, Was not disappointed in any respect lthough I did not havea meal.
Back to how it used to be I am very pleased to say
lot14 - 24 Feb 2016 22:45 |
The Plough was just about our favourite pub of the day in Kent. Staff were friendly and cheerful. This seems to be a foodie pub. But they had a good selection of ales - Whitstable Winkle Picker & East India Pale Ale, Musket Dragon's Tail & Old Dairy Summer Top. Biddendens Bushells cider was also available from the fridge, although not too well promoted. Outdoors, there is a very large garden with well scattered tables. There is also a children's play area and a field for camping at the back. It's set high up in the North Downs in a small village, but well worth a visit.
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I certainly don't make a habit of reviewing every good pub I visit - hell; I'd be spending most of my time on sites like this! But I feel an exception may be made of The Plough, as it is a true gem of a country pub that majors both in well-kept traditional cask ale, and modern high-quality food in a smart yet characterful setting.
Apparently there has been a change pf licensee in the two years since I last dropped by, and was advised that while the beer remained as good, the menu might not be 'so fancy'. Well, happily I found that both were in splendid form, sampling some local(ish) Canterbury Ales in sound condition, alongside a perfectly-cooked and seasoned confit duck leg with cripsy potatoes, shitake mushrooms and chorizo in a tasty sweet/sour jus. My friend gave the similarly-sumptuous looking lamb dish a good going-over and for a man who seldom eats meat he managed to polish it off with gusto I've rarely seen. Service was efficient and friendly by the young staff - not clear if either were the new incumbents but in any case, decent front of house. Others seemed suitably happy with their choices of victuals and beverages as well as the general ambience on a Friday lunchtime.
Best wishes to you folks and despite always having many pubby fish to fry, I hope to be back before long.
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Dropped in for a quick pint this afternoon, warm welcome, friendly atmosphere, excellent beer - very well recommended.
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Ordinarily I don't repeat-review without good reason, such as a change in ownership etc, but having revisited a year after my maiden appearance I felt I had to write down my appreciation over again! Still superb, interesting locales, which licensee Bob is plainly passionate about. All in excellent form and showing what Kent's micros can do. Food-wise, equal passion was on display, as the grub was splendid - fresh as a daisy and well-cooked. Sadly the chef is leaving soon, but Bob has confidence in the replacement, who is rumoured to be of a Michelin-aspiring standard. Time will tell. But the lamb dish was so tempting that my mate opted for it - after 13 years of abstaining through a thoroughly well-intentioned, but ultimately foolish move to vegetarianism as a student! Quite momentous. All the excess was washed down by much banter and bonhommie from Bob, who welcomes everyone like a long-lost chum of old. Really, I can't see how anyone could go wrong here if up for good beer, cheer, comfort and fine dining.
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Visited this gem of a pub and what a pub!!!
Gorgeous pint of Whitstable Oyster Stout and the food was stunning- absolutely stunning. All locally sourced. Best beef burger Ive ever had- bacon on top was more like a small piece of gammon (yum), even the tomato sauce was locally made and truly fantastic
Pub itself was gorgeous- lots of nice old oak beams and the smiles and chat from behind the bar was a welcome change to the welcome you can sometimes get at other establishment
And a friendly resident cat too.....
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My wife and I came across this country pub in the good beer guide and decided to give it a go. Our original plan was to go and taste the fine Kentish ales which were on offer, however when we entered the establishment we quickly changed our minds due to a read of the Sunday lunch menu. We were greeted by pleasant smiles and placed next to an open fire which was perfect for the cold winters day. For our meal my wife had a pork roast and I had a rump steak. The roast was excellent not only was it a filling size but it came with all the trimmings (which the waitress kindly gave extra) and a nice spoon full of apple sauce. The rump in my opinion was cooked just to my liking as I am abit fussy when it comes to steak and appreciate a place that truly does know how to cook to the customer specification. We then decided to have a break before continuing to desserts which we could not miss. During this break we began a conversation with a local resident who turned out to be the local cattle farmer, who produces the meat for the pub. I found this simply brilliant, many restaurants claim to source locally but to have the actual producer sitting in front of you having a pint I find very refreshing in this day and age. Over all I found my experience marvellous, good food, good drink and good people I shall 100% be returning in the near future, especially as I left my glasses behind and it gives me a good excuses to have another meal.
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Awful! Avoid! Booked for Sunday lunch as an alternative to our normal haunts. Place looked great with good beers and wines � but then it all went wrong. Fresh mussels were obviously not cooked from live (or very overcooked), Childs main course arrived with adult starters (apparently what the chef prefers but we were not asked), the bread and oil ordered arrived after the starters. The steaks arrived overcooked and were returned � waitress then requested our definition of rare & medium rare as apparently the Chef was of the opinion that it varies(!?). Roast potatoes hard in the middle and meat overcooked. When asked if everything was �okay� our dissatisfaction was explained to the waitress who proceeded to walk off as we were speaking. Manager tried her best and offered steaks FOC but all in all a ruined Sunday lunch. Apparently the owners were away on holiday!!
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I had been advised by my old friend and partner-in-quaff Sir CJ of G that this pub universally scores very highly on all measures of performance. As much as I delight in proving the old bugger wrong, there was no hope of that materialising here, for the Plough is indeed a byword for excellence on all levels. For a start, let's set the record straight on SilkTork's rather patronising suggestion that this is "moderately charming". To my, and I'll confidently state most others' mind, this is utterly charming, and isn't deserving of damning with faint praise. The key features of the building are dealt with below, but I should add that the landlord - incidentally a thoroughly affable and generous soul who is plainly passionate about his pub and beer - intends to remove the clunky unloveliness of the patio and restore it to a more natural layout. On the matter of ale, a respectable 4 are offered; all Kentish, and all in exceptional form. The Old Dairy Blue Top was simply sublime, while the Whitstable Pearl of Kent and the Faversham Creek also excelled. Food-wise, there are equal pleasures for the palate. All locally-sourced and prepared on site by the chef, we opted for the fish and chips - a routine dish for many but here a genuine tower of strength: fresh-as-a-daisy haddock in light batter, proper chips, superior mushy peas (the secret is the use of 2 types and shallots mixed in), home-made ketchup... Need I continue? The meals come at a price, but not exceptional in the current climate and by my reckoning, worth the sacrifice. Regarding facilities, space, atmosphere et al, have no fears; all appear to be comfortably intact! This has many creditable attributes, and shows just what can be achieved at a rural pub in the appropriate hands. Quite simply, keep it up!
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Quite simply a corker. A fine old Wealden Hall House which has been a pub for over two hundred years. It's roots as a farmhouse are clearly evident in the myriad interior walls and beams in a gloriously cosy - but smart - interior. On my visit on Saturday night the place was packed out with diners, but there were a good number of people sitting around the bar drinking. The food is - of course - superb, but be prepared to wait. Ale wise I was treated to four corking Kentish choices: Wantsum 1381 (a new brewery on the old colliery site at Hersden); Westerham Finchcocks; Hopdaemon Incubus; and, Whitstable Native. The 1381 in particular was superb: crisp, refreshing, moreish. With a selection like that it edges the nearby Bell as the best pub in the area.
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Four casks - 2 Hopdaemon, Spitfire and one other which had finished on our visit.
We stopped here during the 2008 Shepherd Neame Charity Walk. It's a very pleasant rural pub. Well kept, and with some attractive ceiling beams. It's a decent sized place with a lot of bare wood. Moderately charming.
Meals around �9 - including veggie.
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Four local ales and friendly service. Beautiful surroundings, and just the right distance from the railway for a decent walk there and back.
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Fantastic rural pub selling well looked after local real ales. The food is local, fresh and cooked on the premises.
rlloyd - 9 Jan 2007 16:34 |
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