Eachcourse will be paired with a drink using Hepple Spirits
The Counter by Robin Read partners with Hepple Spirits for exclusive dinner
www.thecountertw.com | @the_counter_tw | @robin__read
The Counter | 77 Calverley Road | Tunbridge Wells | Kent | TN1 2UY
Chef Robin Read is partnering with Hepple Spirits for an exclusive one-off dinner at The Counter, Tunbridge Wells, on Thursday 25th September.
The seven-course specially paired menu will highlight the botanicals used in Hepple’s artisan Gin and Vodka including douglas fir, bog myrtle, lovage and blackcurrant leaves, sourced from the Northumbrian landscape.
Hepple Spirits have been on The Counter’s menu since the restaurant’s launch to local and national acclaim in April 2024 and the continuing partnership is testament to a shared commitment of values seeking quality and sustainability. Hepple’s innovative approach to distillation and commitment to preserving the natural beauty of Northumberland sits well with Robin’s love of classic technique with elegant and unique flavours.
On the night, Robin will be joined by Luke Comer from Hepple Spirits to talk through and offer tastings of the individual botanical distillates. Beginning with First Bites and an aperitif of either a Hepple Gin & Tonic or a Hepple Douglas Fir Martini, the menu showcases key botanicals in the Hepple gin used in dishes and drinks, including Lemon Peel, Fennel Seeds, Douglas Fir, Lovage, Juniper and Blackcurrant Leaf. Diners will enjoy Orkney hand-dived scallop with artichoke, celeriac ragu and douglas fir oil paired with a Hepple Douglas Fir Sour, a refreshing short cocktail made with Hepple Douglas Fir Vodka, dry vermouth, Somerset cider brandy, elderflower cordial and lemon juice; and for dessert a caramelised apple tart with sweet-pickled blackcurrants and blackcurrant leaf ice cream, paired with Curlew Calling, a herbaceous cocktail with notes of sweetness from blackcurrant jam made with Hepple Gin and Lillet Rose, garnished with a sprig of lemon thyme.
Reservations are open from 1st September and cost £135 per person including drinks pairing.
The Counter x Hepple Spirits Menu
First Bites
Douglas Fir Martini
Hepple Gin & Tonic
Bread, Butter & Broth
Lemon Peel & Fennel Seeds
Kohlrabi Rosette, Seaweed, Fennel Seed & Herb Dressing
Classic French 75
Douglas Fir
Orkney Hand dived Scallop, Artichoke, Celeriac Ragu, Douglas Fir Oil
Douglas Fir Sour
Lovage
North Sea Cod, Toasted Pearl Barley & Lovage Orzotto
Pouilly Fume, Domaine les Ormousseaux
Juniper
Eridge Estate Venison Loin, Juniper Braised Beets, Foraged Cep & Kale
Barbera d’Alba ‘Trevigne’, Viette
Blackcurrant Leaf
Caramelised Apple Tart, Sweet Pickled Blackcurrants, Blackcurrant Leaf Ice Cream
Curlew Calling
The Sweet Treat Tower
-ends-
About The Counter
The Counter is the debut restaurant of Chef Robin Read in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, which launched in April 2024 with menus created from a love of classical cookery and a curious mind for new techniques. Together with his wife Greta Boccia, The Counter is in a 200-year-old Georgian building in the heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells, which includes the main restaurant, private dining room, small wine bar and courtyard garden, with raised beds and pots growing herbs, salads, and brassicas. Offering a choice of tasting menus, Robin’s vision of a modern-day restaurant is that of a responsible and sustainable one with seasonal cooking, few food miles and using every part of an ingredient. He seeks out and nurtures a strong network of small, independent farmers, growers, and producers from farm to sea.
The wine programme is headed up by Greta Boccia and is a curated edit of English and European wines alongside several English spirits, such as Hepple gin and vodka and Vault vermouth and botanical spirits, on the list.
www.thecountertw.com | @the_counter_tw | @robin__read
The Counter | 77 Calverley Road | Tunbridge Wells | Kent | TN1 2UY
No 69 Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants
No 97 Square Meal’s Top 100 Restaurants
Michelin Guide 2025
Open days and hours:
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: Lunch 12:00 – 14:30, Dinner 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00
About Hepple Spirits
Hepple Spirits distillery sits at the foot of the wild moors on the Hepple estate in Northumberland, making gin differently from all other distilleries using cutting edge technology that combines the use of copper pot and vacuum distillation with supercritical extraction. This equipment allows Hepple to capture the full breadth and depth of flavour of botanicals, specifically focusing on their own green juniper.
Hepple’s ethos is to restore nature to its original and powerful best. Wetlands have been created to aid and encourage wildlife. Fences have been removed to allow ponies and native cattle to roam free. Rare birds call Hepple home and rear their young, while juniper trees have been planted in their hundreds next to their ancient relatives. hepplespirits.com