© Lucy Mohr
THE MAN BEHIND THE SPORTSMAN , CHEF STEPHEN HARRIS THE FERRY HOUSE INN
Reads Restaurant , Faversham
Owned and run by acclaimed chef , David Pitchford , who won a Michelin star in 1992 , which he retained for a consecutive 20 years , becoming the second longest holder of the accolade in Britain . Read ’ s is also – arguably – the first restaurant in Kent to seriously base their menu on the produce they grow themselves . Their ethos is that they blend the herbs and produce from their kitchen garden to create their seasonal dishes and judging by their success , it ’ s paid off .
The food is classic French cuisine with British influence . Think Kentish lamb served with buttery asparagus and garden vegetables ; ham and pea mousse ; slow baked beetroot ; desiree potato shortcrust pastry , purple sprouting broccoli and rocket pesto . Each dish comes with its own quote from someone in history ; my recent favourite being Winston Churchill ’ s “ Remember gentlemen , it ’ s not just France we are fighting for its Champagne .”
www . reads . com
The Sportsman , Seasalter
21 years ago , Stephen Harris , the man behind the humble triumph that is The Sportsman , said to his first head chef as a joke , ‘ I ’ m going to make this the best restaurant in the country .” Little did he know that he was going to do something of the sort . The restaurant that repels pretentiousness in both its appearance and attitude holds a Michelin star , has a 6-month waiting list to get a table and has won the Top 50 Gastropubs 5 times and the National Restaurant Award twice . Stephen cites his kitchen
garden , which is surrounded by a 1000 year old farm once farmed by the monks and which also served as the kitchen garden to Canterbury Cathedral , as a central part to his success . Stephen tells me , “ I feel like I like to cook what surrounds me . I feel a connection to the landscape here and it ’ s filled with food . The food I serve in my restaurant is me trying to describe the land around me and our location here is a very special place for food .”
The kitchen garden for the Sportsman is an acre in size and now has two polytunnels alongside it . Stephen says it has always been about creating food that blows people ’ s minds ; never about the arguable smokes and mirrors of fancy interiors and stuffy service . “ Everything we do comes back to what we grow ,'' he tells me , “ it is about picking from the kitchen garden and serving it within a few hours .” Stephen talks passionately about the sap from a runner bean . How when you squeeze it , sap is excreted and its zingy taste is just something that you don ’ t get unless you ’ ve been able to grow and pick it in the way that they are doing . “ Here in Kent ,'' he says , “ we live in the larder of England .”
www . thesportsmanseasalter . co . uk
The Ferry Inn , Leysdown
Set in a beautiful 16th century pub and run by the Burden family , a third generation of farmers whose farm is at the heart of everything they produce . The pub is run by husband and wife , Alex and Victoria Burden alongside their dedicated team of staff . “ The family farm is where it all began – after all , no one knows how to cook a good honest meal like a farmer ' s wife !” Victoria says . From humble beginnings in
2000 , they have grown hugely and now have an amazing team , including talented chefs and passionate gardeners who have made the Ferry House a very special place . Menus showcase their family-farmed beef and lamb , home-reared freerange game birds and the veggies , fruit and herbs grown in their extensive kitchen gardens .
Their kitchen garden started in 2013 as a one lettuce bed , and is now nearly 1.5 acres . Everything is grown on site from seed or cuttings and nurtured from start to finish . They know exactly where everything comes from and produce is picked every morning so ends up on the plate within hours of picking . The difficulties of growing your own produce is the constant battle with their resident rabbits , partridge , pheasant and pigeons . They are also on an exposed site so can suffer wind / cold damage and in summer have to plan well as they can to avoid crops bolt due to the heat .
The head gardener , Natalie , tries to companion plant whenever possible using tagetes , nasturtiums , chives , borage , hyssop etc . to eliminate the use of pesticides . They also grow a lot of annual flowers to encourage pollinators . The orchard is kept wild helping them to create a good biodiversity throughout the gardens and the kitchen garden comprises vegetable , herb and flower beds ( including edible flowers ), three mature asparagus beds , an orchard , poly tunnel , and a large fruit cage . Guests can walk the garden , which is by the Swale river estuary and is utterly beautiful .
www . theferryhouseinn . co . uk
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