FOOD + DRINK
BRUNCH AT
THE LAMP ROOM,
BETTSHANGER PARK BY SAMANTHA READY
Perhaps its the acres of parkland home to forest schools, cycle trails, assault courses and more, or perhaps its the industrial clean lines of the black clad double-height buildings that herald your arrival; either way, there’ s something about a morning at Bettshanger Park that feels restoratively fulfilling before you’ ve even taken your first sip of coffee. The air here is fresher, edged with a justout-of-town stillness, and the big skies over the former colliery seem to stretch forever, noted in jest by a hungry iK quartet feeling like we were on a little Kentish staycation all of our own, rather than just a mid-morning office escape for a working brunch. It’ s fitting then that Bettshanger’ s The Lamp Room is the kind of setting that makes dining at any time feel like a proper occasion.
Set in a light-filled contemporary building with vast floor-to-ceiling windows that frame views of the park’ s open greenery beyond, The Lamp Room feels welcoming from the moment you step inside, although, mid-heatwave, there are plentiful outdoor tables too. There’ s an easy hum of conversation, a gentle hiss of the coffee machine( brewing local Lost Sheep beans) and the comforting clink of cutlery meeting plates. It’ s airy but cosy thanks to the warm natural wood tones and subtle nods to the site’ s mining heritage, as well as some quirky additions such as an old-fashioned delivery bike suspended on the wall. Everything feels like a reminder of the park’ s roots without ever feeling like a museum piece.
Open for all-day( though not dinner) dining, there have been some clever additions of summer BBQ plates and sharing platters, while their soon to be legendary Sunday roast sharing boards are set to make a seasonal autumnal return. Yet one standout reason to visit is for the well-conceived breakfast menu that can be enjoyed seven days a week and which covers every breakfast connoisseur’ s persuasion.
Arriving with the kind of appetite that brunch demands, the iK team were soon hard at work making their menu choices from the list that felt reassuringly familiar, but with just enough Lamp Room flair to feel interesting.
Reminiscent of a certain golden arches staple, Mia opted for the sausage muffin which was packed with two sausage patties, American cheese and a perfect fried egg that oozed out over the toasted bread at first bite before dunking wonderfully in a homemade BBQ sauce. Jerry’ s eggs Benedict was offered three ways, her pick arriving laden with Kentish ham and two perfectly poached eggs slathered in a rich creamy hollandaise. Never one to turn down a smashed avo opportunity, Adam’ s heaving dish( more heaving with the customisable add-ons of two poached eggs and a mountain of The Lamp Room’ s own house-smoked salmon) offered thick slices of seedy toast, slick with smashed avocado and topped with chilli chickpeas, mojo verde and overnight-roasted tomato. Ever the traditionalist, my breakfast- The Lamp Room Grill Up- was as generous as it was well-executed: eggs cooked exactly to order( in my case, poached until the yolks give just enough resistance before spilling gold across the plate), a meaty sausage with proper snap, crisp-edged bacon, buttery mushroom, more of those overnight tomatoes and the most deliciously crisp hash brown.
There are also picks for the sweeter tooth too, with buttermilk pancakes and fresh waffles available in three different( and ever-changing) flavour combos. Entirely for review purposes and not because we were a greedy bunch, we opted for a post breakfast‘ dessert’, sharing the caramelised banana, chocolate and toasted almond Belgium waffles and the strawberry shortcake pancake stack laden with macerated strawberry compote, a cloud of whipped cream and smashed shortcake biscuits. Necessary? Perhaps not. Indulgently rewarding? Absolutely.
What really sets The Lamp Room apart though is the atmosphere. It’ s not just a place to refuel before heading into the park, although it handles that adeptly, it’ s somewhere that you actually want to linger. The staff are friendly without being overbearing, topping up coffees and checking in with the kind of warmth that makes you feel instantly at home.
Perfectly situated, The Lamp Room really is a multifaceted refuel. Heading to explore the acres of park, it works as a grab‘ n’ go pitstop or a post-explore reward. If you’ re dining with energetic kids in tow, they can play across the vast outdoor play park in full view of the outdoor tables, and yet it also works for corporate meets, too. The vast events space is great for meetings and the cycle hire and assault course perfect for team building- all fuelled by a big team breakfast / brunch beforehand, of course.
By the time we left, the park outside was coming to life- families heading off for bike rides, walkers setting off on trails and that Kentish sky bright with sunshine- and for us, it was truly a delicious start to the day.
betteshanger-park. co. uk thelamproombcp
106 • www. insidekent. co. uk