What do you like most about Kent and what unique opportunities does the county present when it comes to cooking and running the restaurant ?
Kent : The Garden of England ! We are so lucky to live in a county that offers an abundance of incredible local produce . As a chef , myself and my team feel very privileged to have the very best fruit and vegetables on our doorstep , alongside the beautiful Kent coast that provides some quality seafood . This is the key inspiration behind our menus . Another thing I love about Kent is its up-and-coming food scene , it ' s great to be a part of that .
If there was one thing you would like our readers to know about you and your venture , what would it be ?
It ’ s true we have achieved a lot at both The Fordwich Arms and The Bridge Arms , but if there ’ s one thing I want people to know , it ’ s that we couldn ’ t have achieved this success without our incredible team . At the Fordwich Arms we have kept the majority of the team since we opened almost five years ago and hope to have the same experience with The Bridge Arms . Our main focus is of course the food - great food and great service is our ethos . Our dream was always to create amazing food but within a pub setting ; we want our customers to feel as relaxed as possible .
Tell us a little bit about working together ; what ’ s crucial to being such a good team ?
We believe that the team is the most important part of any restaurant . We are a family run business and because of that a lot of care is invested . As a couple running our venues , we are always on site along with our little boy Lorcan who knows all the team and the locals . We care passionately about the team and the community ; without the support of our customers , our ventures and their success would simply not be possible .
Tell us a little bit about the moments you found out you were to be receiving your first and second Michelin stars .
With both of the Michelin stars , we were incredibly excited . This was heightened even more as the businesses were both so young . With The Fordwich Arms ’ Michelin star , the entire team got together to watch the ceremony and celebrated as one . That was a really special moment for me . The Bridge Arms ’ Michelin star was a little more low key due to Covid restrictions , but that meant we got to break the news to the team ourselves , so it was just as special and memorable as the first . They really are a true testament to everyone ’ s hard work and dedication .
What are your greatest inspirations when it comes to creating the menus and coming up with the concepts of the restaurants ?
Our kitchens are run by our head chefs , Kieran and Josh . When they ' re designing the menu , our dishes are driven by the seasons . This means we look carefully at what produce is growing at the time and what fruits and vegetables at their very best . Once we establish that , we take these ingredients and build and design the dishes from there . We only use day boat fish too , so that part of the menu is really dependent on what the fisherman ' s catch is that morning .
What are your plans for the future of your ventures / careers ?
The Bridge Arms is still quite a young restaurant , therefore our main focus for now is maintaining and developing what we have already achieved . It takes a while for a restaurant to become fully established , so our main priority is making sure standards are consistently maintained at both sites .
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