insideKENT Magazine Issue 68 - November 2017 | Page 93

FOOD+DRINK
WINTER Warmer PUBS cont.
The Poet at Matfield
The Poet at Matfield MATFIELD
www.thepoetatmatfield.co.uk
If you like gin, you’ll love visiting The Poet at
Matfield. There are 27 different types of gin
available here, and although you (probably)
won’t want to try them all in one go, that does
give you the perfect reason to return to this
most delightful of cosy pubs. The Poet at
Matfield was recently awarded the Muddy
Stilettos award for best destination pub in Kent;
it’s fairly hidden away, and you may not come
across it if you don’t know it’s there – once
you do know, however, you’ll want to return
again and again. The building is Grade II listed,
so you know it’s going to be stunning before
you even step foot inside and you wouldn’t
be wrong. This is the picture-perfect country
pub for a freezing cold winter’s day, with its
dark wooden beams and exposed brickwork.
There is, of course, an open fire (no self
respecting pub in these parts would be seen
without one) to sit by and warm your chilled
bones after a bracing countryside walk.
The Chaser Inn SHIPBOURNE
www.thechaser.co.uk
Whether you come to The Chaser Inn in
Shipbourne for a meal, or just to sit and sip
something festive, it is always going to offer
you a warm welcome, an even warmer
atmosphere and a gorgeous setting. This is
where you can find epic Sunday roasts and
walk on polished wooden floorboards covered
in lush rugs. It is luxury in a local setting –
you can look out over the village green and
church – and the food is hearty and
substantial; great for filling up after a long walk
in the country. The dining room itself is large
enough so that you won’t feel cramped (the
ceiling is timber vaulted), but not so large that
it loses its cosy appeal.
The Cricketers Inn MEOPHAM
www.thecricketersinn.co.uk
Since Kentish cricket is said to have originated
in Meopham in 1776, it seems only right that
this most central of village pubs is named after
the sport. The bar’s red ceiling really does bring
home the cosiness on a nippy winter’s day,
and when the evening rolls around it seems
to bring out something rather festive, even if
Christmas is too far away to think about, or
has been and gone for another year. The log
fire is slightly raised, which is a nice touch as
it means that no matter