insideKENT Magazine Issue 96 - March 2020 | Page 69

FOOD+DRINK DESSERT DIVAS, SWEET STICKLERS, PUD PICKERS, AFTERS AFICIONADOS - THERE IS ONLY ONE COURSE THAT MATTERS! CELEBRATE IT IN STYLE AT PUDDING NIGHT AT THE SECRET GARDEN BY SAMANTHA READY I ACTUALLY HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE I DINE, I WILL ALWAYS, WITHOUT QUESTION, READ THE DESSERT MENU BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. BEFORE I’VE CHOSEN MY MAIN, PONDERED OVER A STARTER OR EVEN SLURPED MY APERITIF, I WILL GAZE LONGINGLY AT THE LIST OF SWEET TEMPTATIONS ON OFFER. I GUESS THIS IS NOT SO MUCH A CONFESSION, MORE A DECLARATION. A DECLARATION TO MY COMMITMENT TO PUDDINGS EVERYWHERE. So of course Secret Garden’s acclaimed Pudding Night, like many other dessert-aficionados, is my go-to indulgent night out pick. Set in the beautiful, rustic and welcoming dining room at the Secret Garden in Mersham-Le-Hatch (nr Ashford), Pudding Nights are special evenings dedicated to all things pudding! The excited rabble of dessert devotees arrive en- masse, having snared one of the limited dining spaces at the now monthly shindig. Tables are a combination of cosy couples, celebratory parties and gaggles of friends; and whilst the evening’s main course is delicious, flavoursome and hearty, focus is quite rightly on dessert. Like most arrivees, the insideKENT crew began our evening sampling the cocktail menu, choosing another sweet treat; a freshly mixed peach bellini, full of fruit and flavour; mixed up with the sour twist of a rhubarb gin and tonic; before taking our primely situated table for four in the centre of the dining room. There are no menus - in fact there is just one main course on offer, which on our visit was a pleasant dish of roasted pork loin with green beans, crushed potatoes and madeira jus; - and the table is laid simply with water, cutlery and the legendary quiz sheet! The mix of general knowledge, song, film and famous faces questions changes theme with the season, and is perfect for filling that pre-dessert interlude... Dishes cleared, quiz answers debated and IT WAS TIME. Pudding here is the main event, beginning with a majestic ‘Parade of the Puddings’. Tasty dish after tasty dish is triumphantly introduced to each and every table, before being laid at one of two ultimate dessert-buffet stations - complete with heaving jugs of custard and pouring cream. And then it’s free reign - would you opt for the delicate crisp meringue of the passionfruit pavlova; the sharp notes of the classic lemon meringue pie; the layered lure of the black forest gateaux; the rich citrus twist of the orange sponge; the subtle indulgence of the white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake; the deep flavours of the giant tiramisu; or the rich hug-in-a-bowl - and the night’s ‘Queen of Puddings’ winner (guests vote for their favourite dish of the night!) - the Baileys bread and butter pudding? quizmaster Maz’s announcement that we had only gone and won* the quiz! (*This is from our dubious knowledge of love-related songs and film lines, no special treatment honest, Maz was as shocked as us!). Before we knew it three hours of pudding indulgence, laughs and chatting had passed. Dishes had been demolished, faves declared and we all had vowed to return - now we just need to get booked before it sells out again! Pudding Night, with unlimited-until-it's-gone pudding, costs £30pp. Pre-booking is essential. Secret Garden Mersham-le-Hatch Hythe Road Ashford TN25 6NH 01233 501586 [email protected] www.secretgardenkent.co.uk secretgardkent Worry not, unlike most dessert choices you don’t need to choose just one! Be like us, we went up for seconds, and thirds, and would have been there licking the plates had we not been distracted by secretgardenkent secretgardenkent 69