The kitchen is led by head chef James Dench, who runs the pub alongside his wife Hope. Together, they have shaped a menu that champions local sourcing and well executed, familiar dishes, delivered with care rather than embellishment.
Small plates range from baked camembert with bread and onion chutney to venison and nduja Scotch egg with red pepper mayo, while mains lean confidently into pub classics.
Highlights include Whitstable Bay beer battered fish and chips, homemade pie of the day with creamed mash, pig in blanket toad in the hole, and roasted chalk stream trout with lentils, samphire and red pepper purée.
The steak offering is particularly strong, with Ightham beef, including sirloin and côte de boeuf cuts, cooked for sharing and served with traditional accompaniments.
It is a pub that balances comfort and quality, offering food that feels generous, honest and firmly grounded in its rural Kent setting.
