insideKENT Magazine Issue 86 - May 2019 | Page 112

FOOD+DRINK
THE BULL HOTEL
A MASTERCLASS IN TECHNIQUE AND FLAVOUR
WITH A PASSION FOR TASTE, A COMMITMENT TO INGREDIENTS AND A MISSION TO NEVER
RUSH GOOD FOOD, THE BULL HOTEL’S SMOKEHOUSE MENU IS ALL ABOUT HIGH-QUALITY MEAT
COOKED TO PERFECTION USING TRADITIONAL SMOKING AND BARBECUE TECHNIQUES. THE
insideKENT TEAM WERE MORE THAN KEEN TO LEARN ALL ABOUT IT. BY SAMANTHA READY
Just off of the M26 en route to Sevenoaks, The Bull
Hotel is as charming as it is easy to find. A bright
red bull insignia hangs resplendently above the
beautiful white facade of the coaching inn that has
been catering for the needs of passing travellers and
locals since the 14th century.
Keen to continue that tradition, current owner
Martin Deadman and his partner Lygia have
embarked on a painstaking journey not only to
restore the building and to showcase its beautiful
original features, but also to add yet more to this
inn’s already impressive roster of 11 recently
refurbished cosy en-suite bedrooms and a relaxed
and attractive wedding package.
At the heart of all things at The Bull Hotel is an
unwavering commitment and an unparalleled
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passion for flavour and quality. This underpins not
just the welcoming bar that boasts a great selection
of craft and artisan ales, wines and spirits, but
the acclaimed restaurant too with its inspired
Smokehouse menu.
Everything in the kitchen at The Bull is prepared
from scratch using the highest quality seasonal
produce from a host of renowned local Kentish
producers including Harvel House, Winterdale
Cheesemakers and Kentdown Mushrooms, but also
from internationally acclaimed suppliers.
All of their carefully selected premium cuts are aged,
rubbed, brushed and marinated before hitting The
Bull’s self-proclaimed pièce de résistance, its Ole
Hickory Pits smoker. All beef, meat, chicken and
delicacies such as venison go into the wood-burning
smoker – a Stateside find and the only one in
Kent – where carefully selected wood chips are used
to deliver flavour-packed, butter-soft dishes. Fruit
woods like apple, peach, cherry and pear are subtle
enough for poultry, fish and sometimes pork. In
the middle of the spectrum are hickory, maple,
pecan and oak, which are great with pork and
strong enough to stand up to beef and game meats.
Mesquite, the strongest of all, is used as though chilli
peppers would be.
After smoking, the meat is cooked over fire using
top-quality charcoal in the kitchen’s Big Green Egg
barbeque, which locks in moisture and intensifies
the flavour before it finally hits the menu in a series
of inspired BBQ dishes.