insideKENT Magazine Issue 49 - April 2016 | Page 43

FOOD+DRINK

THE CORNER HOUSE
by Donna Martin

WHETHER OR NOT YOU’VE TAKEN THE PLUNGE TO START OR RUN A SMALL BUSINESS,
YOU’LL KNOW THAT STAYING AFLOAT THESE DAYS, IN ANY SECTOR, IS NO EASY FEAT.
STARTING A FOOD-BASED ENDEAVOUR? EVEN HARDER. ESTABLISHING A THRIVING
RESTAURANT AMONGST STIFF COMPETITION AND CONSISTENTLY IMPRESSING EACH
AND EVERY CUSTOMER? PROBABLY THE MOST DIFFICULT OF ALL – BUT MATT SWORDER
AND HIS TEAM HAVE DONE JUST THAT AT THE CORNER HOUSE, MINSTER.

Founded only three years ago by London-trained
chef Matt Sworder, The Corner House has already
seen its fair share of accolades, including the
2015 Taste of Kent Award for Best Restaurant
(quite a bragging point for the new kid on the
block), plus recommendations in the 2016
Michelin Guide and the 2016 Waitrose Good
Food Guide.
The Corner House is tucked away in quaint
Minster in Thanet, and is both a lively village
establishment full of loyal diners who are proud
to call it their ‘local’, as well as a fine dining venue
that visitors from Kent, and beyond, would be
happy to travel to. I fall into the latter category,
and merrily drove about an hour to experience
the restaurant that everyone’s talking about.
Having scheduled a 6pm dinner slot, my guest
and I walked into a thoroughly empty restaurant,
and wondered if it was because of our early
booking, or heaven forbid, because it wasn’t as
good as we’d heard. Let me note it was also a
Thursday – not the most popular night for dining
out – so I made a silent assumption that perhaps
we’d be nearly alone for the night. Oh, how
wrong I was.
After sipping on a glass of Biddenden’s Ortega
and indulging in some of The Corner House’s
homemade freshly baked bread, our neighbouring

tables started to fill. Before I knew it, the restaurant
was brimming with hungry guests, ready to
sample the award-winning cuisine on the everchanging menu.
It seems The Corner House has written the book
on how to serve locally sourced produce – and
how to serve it well. Most of the dishes include
a local twist, whether it’s the Bethersden beef,
or the homemade lemongrass ice cream. The
beetroot-cured salmon with Anno Gin (from
nearby Marden) and tonic granita with samphire,
was delicate and delicious, and a wonderful
example of incorporating Kentish ingredients
with foods from further afield.
Following my starter, I indulged in a Corner House
signature flat iron steak with homemade tomato
and mushroom ketchup, partnered with triplecooked chips (so naughty and so good) and my
extra side of a super salad – you know, to ease
my guilty conscience after eating all of the chips
(and a few of my dining companion’s). Everything
was flavoursome and cooked to perfection, and
though I could have left after my main fully
satisfied, I couldn’t possibly say no to one of my
favourite desserts on the menu: peanut butter
parfait.
The combination of