The terrace at Water Lane opens for the summer on 5th June

The summer restaurant terrace at Water Lane

The terrace at Water Lane opens for the summer on 5th June

The summer restaurant on the terrace at Water Lane will open for the season on 5th June.  The covered terrace, under a huge stretch awning looks out on to the walled garden in front of the vegetable and cut flower beds. The idyllic setting is the perfect spot for a long lunch and ice-cold aperitifs, taking in the sensory pleasure of the garden in full bloom with the scent of sweet peas and roses in the air, mingled with woodsmoke from the Portuguese wood oven. On Head Chef Jed Wrobel’s sample menu are fresh peas in their pods and aioli; flatbreads lightly charred in the wood oven and topped with crushed peas, mint and goats’ curd; cucumber, brown shrimp and chervil; wood-fired mackerel and gooseberries; slow roast salt marsh lamb in ras el hanout. While there is another month or so for the soft berries and stone fruit to arrive, Jed is filling the seasonal gap with epic Knickerbocker Glories.

Visitors coming for lunch from further afield will also find Water Lane’s shop with a curated collection of practical and beautiful things for the home and garden, plus chutneys, jams and pickles from the Water Lane Pantry. There is also a small collection of potted herbs and garden plants, freshly cut flowers from the cutting garden and a collection of antique and vintage garden pieces, including time-worn French iron tables and chairs, hand-woven basketry, galvanised planters, and a collection of eastern mediterranean pots and urns, which have been sourced exclusively for Water Lane by Rye-based collectors Soap & Salvation.

“A contender for one of the most charming eateries in Kent, it’s impossible to resist the lure of this restaurant tucked away in a delightful walled garden.” The Good Food Guide

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About Water Lane

Water Lane is a walled garden on what was once the Tongswood Estate in Hawkhurst, in the High Weald of Kent. A long-term restoration project, led by custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, there is a restaurant, a large and productive garden growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and cut flowers, a small shop of useful and beautiful pieces for the home and garden, select garden plants for sale and event spaces for workshops and private celebrations.

Water Lane Walled Garden | Hawkhurst | Kent | TN18 5DH
www.waterlane.net | @water.lane

Senior hire at The Small Holding

New Restaurant Manager Suzi-Mona Milne at The Small Holding

SUZI-MONA MILNE JOINS THE SMALL HOLDING AS NEW RESTAURANT MANAGER

THE SMALL HOLDING
Ranters Lane | Kilndown | Kent | TN17 2SG
www.smallholdingrestaurant.com

Suzi-Mona Milne has joined The Small Holding, Will and Matt Devlin’s Green Michelin star restaurant in Kent, as Restaurant Manager. The appointment further strengthens the senior management team with Suzi bringing her commitment to outstanding levels of service for guests, and her passion for wine training and education to The Small Holding; she is currently completing her WSET Level 4 Diploma.

Reporting directly to Will and Matt Devlin, Suzi’s role at The Small Holding includes the smooth running of restaurant operations, in addition to managing budgets, hiring, team development and profit control.

Having studied Applied Linguistics at the University of Portsmouth, Suzi’s career in hospitality began working at high street chains Patisserie Valerie and Cote Brasserie, before progressing to General Manager of the Cirencester site, and then moving to The King’s Arms in Prestbury, a 200-capapcity brasserie and village pub and part of the Raymond Blanc Company estate, as General Manager. In 2021, Suzi’s interest in wine took her to Tofino, Canada to The Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn, a Relais and Chateaux property. She joined the resort as Restaurant Manager, at what was her first foray into fine dining. Taking over several outlets in the Inn, Suzi was responsible for a team of 46 with her role including recruitment, scheduling, budgeting, labour control, developing the team and standards and ensuring guests were accommodated for in any capacity needed.

About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a Michelin green-starred kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. Run by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, as Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of Acre, which also includes Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex.

The 36-cover restaurant and farm are set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Growing, foraging, and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing Full Acre and Half Acre tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

March at The Small Holding

Will Devlin picks wild garlic at The Small Holding

March at The Small Holding

The transition from winter to spring is the longest wait, but with the beginning of March, the seasonal shift is clear to see. Daffodils and primroses line the banks of the entrance up to The Small Holding, but for all the optimism in the air and a hint of warmth in the sun, March is the ‘hunger gap’ in the kitchen. The winter produce is almost gone, and ingredients associated with Spring aren’t ready to harvest yet.

In many ways the Full and Half Acre March menus at The Small Holding are some of the most exciting of the year, as Owner Will Devlin and Head Chef James Chatfield call on the well-stocked pantry of preserved, pickled, and fermented foods, while looking to nature herself for wild food. The team makes use of the previous summer and autumn gluts, especially when there is an almost empty natural larder. The clocks will soon change, the evening light will linger just a little longer and wild food such as young nettles and the first wild garlic shoots can be found. Come April and May there will also be wild rocket, sorrel, and elderflower – all of which will be on the menu.

On the March menu snacks plate are the first English asparagus, served with raw scallop in a croustade of smoked crème fraiche, lime kosho and coal oil dressing, smoked roe, and primrose flowers, while the new season tender wild garlic leaves are pureed with buttermilk for fried chicken nuggets and hot honey, made with fermented chilies from the farm. March calls for creativity from the pastry team while waiting for seasonal fruit. One of the desserts this month is an incredible sorbet of fermented Crown Prince pumpkin, sea buckthorn, chicory root crumble and pumpkin seed oil.

The March Full Acre menu at The Small Holding

Snacks, Sourdough and Hinxden Butter

Lion’s Mane, Horseradish, Sourdough
Potato, Onion, Three-cornered Leek

Cuttlefish, Barley, Fennel
Halibut, Mushroom, Purple Sprouting

Lamb, Wild Garlic, Raw Yoghurt
Pork, Cabbage, Apple

Pumpkin, Sea Buckthorn, Chicory Root
Rhubarb, Raw Buttermilk, Honey

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The Small Holding is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £85 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £75 per person, with the option of a wine flight. The drinks list also includes housemade soft drinks, kombucha and non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits.

From April, the price per person of the Full Acre and Half Acre menus will increase to £95 and £75, respectively. This price increase reflects rising prices from the producers and suppliers we work with and our commitment to always pay a fair price to farmers to help protect their livelihoods, while continuing to produce outstanding quality ingredients.

About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a Michelin green-starred kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. Run by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, as Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of Acre, which also includes Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex. The 36-cover restaurant and farm is set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

The menu is defined by the farm’s own produce. Vegetables and fruits are harvested within hours of guests arriving; while charcuterie, sourdough and cultured butter and zero waste animal cookery from the farm’s own livestock, are made on site. The kitchen team works directly with growers, farmers and fishermen who share the same core values, and the team forage in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

“Growing our own produce on the farm brings an understanding and honesty back to the kitchen, and vital freshness. Making the most of our harvests when the ingredients are at their prime - whilst also preserving and conserving them to use throughout the year, keeps us concentrated on the natural cycle of the land and helps us to create full flavoured and imaginative dishes.” Will Devlin

January at The Small Holding

THE SMALL HOLDING

Green Michelin Star 2021/22/23
Number 69, Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants
Number 10, Square Meal’s Top 100 Restaurants
Good Food Guide 2023

January

Despite the bitterly cold weather, there is something deeply cleansing and restorative about January; the thin, cold blue light, frozen ground and the beauty of skeleton trees huddled on the horizon. And of course, the food. While the farm is cold and quiet, it’s a hotbed of activity in The Small Holding kitchen. New Head Chef James Chatfield and the team make full use of the summer and autumn gluts and are constantly inventing and experimenting when there’s such a diminished natural larder. There’s fermented wild garlic stored to add deep umami funk to dishes, and pickled summer currants to add some welcome acidity.

The Full Acre menu at The Small Holding:

Snacks, Bread & Butter

Kale, Sea Beet, Cheese
Potato, Girolle, Leek

Scallop, Gooseberry, XO
Trout, Celeriac, Butter

Game Sausage, Quince, Chilli
Partridge, Parsnip, Plum

Rhubarb, Yoghurt, Sweet Cicely
Chocolate, Cherry, Meadowsweet

The Small Holding is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £85 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £65 per person, with the option of a wine flight. The drinks list also includes housemade soft drinks, kombucha and non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits.

Grow the Seasons at The Small Holding

Now is a great time to get out into the garden and learn some of the fundamentals about soil health, the principles of ‘No Dig’ and planning for the growing year ahead. Learn to ‘Grow the Seasons’, a series of horticultural courses held on The Small Holding’s farm. The day-long courses are for people of all skills and ages who are interested in gardening, growing and understanding more about how food goes from plot to plate, as well as giving a behind-the-scenes experience of the day-to-day running of a Michelin green-starred restaurant.

Find out more and book for February, May, August, and November 2024 www.growtheseasons.com

About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a Michelin green-starred kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. Run by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, as Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of Acre, which also includes Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex.

The 36-cover restaurant and farm is set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

The menu is defined by the farm’s own produce. Vegetables and fruits are harvested within hours of guests arriving; while charcuterie, sourdough and cultured butter and zero waste animal cookery from the farm’s own livestock, are made on site. The kitchen team works directly with growers, farmers and fishermen who share the same core values, and the team forage in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

The Michelin Green Star for sustainable gastronomy recognises restaurants with a focus on environmental practices; it encompasses everything about The Small Holding and the teams’ drive for sustainability.

December at The Small Holding

Halibut, salisfy, white asparagus on December menu at The Small Holding

DECEMBER AT THE SMALL HOLDING

The farm sleeps. This is an important time as the soil, every inch of which is maximised for nine months of the year, rests, and recovers. While there are still plenty of hardy winter cropping vegetables, such as brassicas and roots, most of the ground is fallow. There is, however, solace to be found in the bright, clean flavours of the season’s produce, cranberries, brussels sprouts, and red cabbage provide a burst of invigorating colour, taste and texture. There is plenty to brighten the cold, thin days before Spring returns.

As winter tightens his grip, the menu at The Small Holding moves from ‘just picked on the farm’ to the delights of the pantry. Cherries have been steeping for months in brandy, the hedgerow sloes and damsons have been transformed with vodka or gin, sugar, and the most important ingredient, time, into inky dark liqueurs to use in cocktails, marinades or to make into cherry ketchup for the December turkey main course. Bronze turkeys come from farmer John Howe in nearby Biddenden, which have been traditionally slow-reared with a life spent outside, freely pecking, and roaming. On the Full Acre menu is Kentucky fried turkey, wild garlic mayo, pickled walnut ketchup followed by Turkey breast, sprouts, chestnuts, pig cheek and cherry ketchup. Turkey certainly isn’t just for Christmas Day.

December Menu at The Small Holding

Snacks, Sourdough & Hinxden Dairy Butter

Squash, Kimchi, Yogurt
Artichoke, Cheese, Pickles

Scallop, Pumpkin, Sea Buckthorn
Halibut, Salsify, White Asparagus

Turkey leg, Black Garlic, Chilli
Turkey breast, Sprouts, Pork Cheek

Milk, Honey, Pollen
Chocolate, Cep, Shitake 

The Small Holding is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £85 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £65 per person, with the option of a wine flight. The drinks list also includes housemade soft drinks, kombucha and non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits.

About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a Michelin green-starred kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. Run by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, as Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of the Acre Group which also includes Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex. 

The 36-cover restaurant and farm is set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

The menu is defined by the farm’s own produce. Vegetables and fruits are harvested within hours of guests arriving; while charcuterie, sourdough and cultured butter and zero waste animal cookery from the farm’s own livestock, are made on site. The kitchen team works directly with growers, farmers and fishermen who share the same core values, and the team forage in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

The Michelin Green Star for sustainable gastronomy recognises restaurants with a focus on environmental practices; it encompasses everything about The Small Holding and the teams’ drive for sustainability.

“Growing our own produce on the farm brings an understanding and honesty back to the kitchen, and vital freshness. Making the most of our harvests when the ingredients are at their prime - whilst also preserving and conserving them to use throughout the year, keeps us concentrated on the natural cycle of the land and helps us to create full flavoured and imaginative dishes.” Will Devlin 

The Cloudberry, Cranbrook

Set custard, plum and lemon madeleines at The Cloudberry (credit Saltwick Media)

THE CLOUDBERRY

Set in a Georgian townhouse with high ceilings, original wooden floors and tall sash windows, The Cloudberry sits at the end of a stretch of small independent shops, pubs, and cafes in the historic High Weald town of Cranbrook, Kent. Outside and to the right of its handsome façade pokes a windmill from weather boarded houses, and to the left, the line of shops disappears towards the church.  

Run by husband-and-wife team Toby and Beverley Welfare, who run the kitchen and front of house respectively, The Cloudberry is a tiny 16-seat restaurant, inspired by the bistros of Provence and the osterias of Tuscany. Drawing on a varied and informed palette, flavours on the menu also come from Spain, Scandinavia and Asia, and is a homage to a lifetime’s love affair with food, cooking and eating. The pair are well-travelled, well-fed and well-read, with inspiration coming by way of Simon Hopkinson, Richard Olney, Le Manoir and The Silver Spoon.

Toby and Beverley Welfare at The Cloudberry (credit Saltwick Media)

The Cloudberry has taken shape over 14 years, from being just a dream to becoming a reality. Both Toby and Beverley walked away from well-paid careers in London television jobs, with Toby working in restaurants to gain experience. The couple finally left the city for the south coast where Toby’s passion for cooking was persistent enough to take on roles in kitchens, including St Clements in St Leonards on Sea,  before becoming Head Chef at Alistair Hendy’s eponymous Homeware Store’s seafood restaurant, in Hastings.

Toby cooks The Cloudberry’s short, focussed menu solo, while Beverley runs front of house, giving a warm and personal service. The four-course menu is £45 per person, with a choice of four starters and main courses, which change regularly and seasonally. Dinner starts with an amuse bouche, such as potato soup with Jerusalem Artichoke crostini, followed by starters such as mackerel, beetroot & apple puree, horseradish, pickled cucumber & kohlrabi or wood pigeon, chicken liver parfait on toast with spiced pears. Main courses might include sea bass with mussels, potatoes and fennel in a crab bisque or roast pork belly, baked apple, raisin & cider sauce and braised lentils. Vegetarian options might include chive gnocchi, goats’ cheese and leek, roast beetroot, kale & salsa verde. A choice of one pudding or cheese is offered such as set custard, plum compote, ginger crumb & lemon madeleine or a plate of Kentish and Sussex cheeses, crackers, and chutney, alongside a small and considered wine list of mainly English, Italian and French wines.

Head chef and owner Toby Welfare, comments, “The seed of The Cloudberry was first sown when, as a five-year-old, I sat at a restaurant table and wondered how I could possibly recreate the food I’d just eaten. A question that nagged then resulted in years of hot kitchens and long days honing my skills as a chef. A persistent hunger for cooking that has remained since and led to opening this restaurant.”

The Cloudberry is named after the Nordic plant which has small and tart yellow-orange berries, that grows in harsh conditions, but still manages to bear fruit. “What the plucky little Cloudberry has taught me” says Toby, ‘is that small can be beautiful.”

Guinea fowl, fondant potato and black pudding at The Cloudberry (credit Saltwick Media)

Customer reviews

‘Exceptional food in a cosy, relaxed atmosphere with an engaging host who was friendly. The perfect spot for a special occasion - my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening at The Cloudberry and will tell anyone who will listen about this gem of a restaurant.’ TripAdvisor 5 stars

‘Really enjoyable dinner at the Cloudberry. Everything we had was delicious - can’t wait to return!  A gem of a restaurant to have in Cranbrook.’ TripAdvisor 5 stars

‘This is a charming, intimate restaurant with lovely service and very good competitively priced food. It’s well worth a visit and we will return for sure.’ TripAdvisor 5 stars

‘My absolute favourite restaurant! Every dish is special and tastes fabulous. Lovely little touch with their amuse-bouche. Outstanding value for money.’ TripAdvisor 5 stars

‘Book a table now... It is a most welcome different offering to the local food scene... This is a chef that understands food and clearly loves what he does. We will be back soon.’ TripAdvisor 5 Stars

‘The food is wonderful, the room atmospheric and it made for a really memorable evening. Highly recommended.’ TripAdvisor 5 stars

For more information about The Cloudberry, interviews, images or press visits, please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

The Cloudberry, Stone Street, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 3HE
Tel: 01580 712 336
www.thecloudberryrestaurant.com

October at The Small Holding

October at The Small Holding

October is a month we instinctively start to retreat, and crave warmth and comfort. The smell of woodsmoke is in the air and toffee-coloured leaves crunch underfoot, while root vegetables, wild mushrooms, new season mutton, plump scallops and milky cobnuts, arrive on the menu.

The October Full Acre and Half Acre tasting menus at The Small Holding welcomes the new seasons’ ingredients, and starts to look inward to the larder and pantry for preserved oils, vinegars and pickled ingredients, providing points of light and shade on the menu. Scallop, Apple, Gooseberry features a raw Orkney scallop dressed in reduced apple and fennel vinegar with Bramley apple butter, preserved gooseberry and nasturtium oil; while Blackcurrant Leaf, Buckwheat, Elderberry is a sorbet made from preserved blackcurrant leaves, with toasted buckwheat crumble and finished with elderberry balsamic vinegar.

Each month on the menu there is a special focus on one meat, using different cuts in different dishes. This is to showcase excellent meat, but also to reduce any waste across the carcass. Romney Marsh mutton, from nearby Paley Farm, is at its prime in October, after two summers on open grass and pasture, ensuring a rich, full-flavoured sweet and tender meat. On the menu is Mutton ribs, Onion, Wild garlic of slow cooked ribs, wild garlic mayonnaise and pickled onions, before Mutton Loin, Kohlrabi, Tomato with barbecued loin, pickled and fermented tomatoes, black garlic ketchup and creamed savoy cabbage.

October Menu at The Small Holding

Snacks, Sourdough & Hinxden Dairy Butter
Cep, Walnut, Thyme
Potato, Leek, Cheese
Scallop, Apple, Gooseberry
Halibut, Celeriac, Cobnut
Mutton ribs, Onion, Wild Garlic
Mutton Loin, Kohlrabi, Tomato
Blackcurrant Leaf, Buckwheat, Elderberry
Beetroot, Chocolate, Cream Cheese

The Small Holding is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £85 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £65 per person, with the option of a wine flight. The drinks list also includes housemade soft drinks, kombucha and non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits.

About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a Michelin green-starred kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. Run by brothers Will and Matt Devlin, as Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of the Acre Group which also includes Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex. 

For more information and images for The Small Holding, Will Devlin and The Acre Group,
please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room 07730 039361 | hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Autumn events at Birchwood

Autumn events at Birchwood, Flimwell.

Autumn events at Birchwood

Autumn is here and so is the new season of events at Birchwood, Will and Matt Devlin’s restaurant in Flimwell, East Sussex. The drinks list at Birchwood is curated as carefully as the food menus and the team always work with producers who celebrate flavour, simplicity, and quality of ingredients.

Brewer’s Spotlight
Lakedown Brewing Co.
Thursday, 19th October 2023
6pm arrival for a 6.30pm start
£35 per person

Brewer’s Spotlight is an evening of specially selected craft beers, charcuterie and cheese plates and a chance to meet the brewer. In this new series, beer maker Jamie Daltrey from Lakedown Brewing Co, a family-run, independent microbrewery, and taproom in nearby Burwash, who make grain-to glass beers, will join the team at Birchwood for a tasting of six Lakedown beers.

On the night, there will be tastings of Silverlake Pilsner, Off the Hook American Pale Ale, Zoot Suit New England IPA, Sussex Pale English Pale Ale and Kicking Donkey Best Better. Included in the ticket price is a half pint of each of the six Lakedown beers and platters of local cheese, charcuterie, nuts, and crisps.

Chapel Down | Wine Dinner
Friday 17th November
7pm arrival for a 7.30pm start
£85 per person

The East Sussex estate of Chapel Down is one of the biggest and best producers of English wine with a multi-award-winning collection of still and sparkling wine. This exclusive wine dinner event at Birchwood offers the chance to try wines that are usually only available to the trade, including the rich and complex Grand Reserve Brut 2018 with notes of ripe apple, fresh red berries, and toasted brioche, to the fresh and elegant Rosé Reserve 2020 with notes of strawberry, cherry, and redcurrant.

The evening will be hosted by Chapel Down’s James McClean with a tasting of four Chapel Down wines, served with a three-course paired menu by chefs Will Devlin and Nick Ryan. Individual bottle and cases of the wines sampled on the night will be available to buy to take home.

About Birchwood

Birchwood in Flimwell, East Sussex is owned and run by chef Will Devlin and is part of the Acre Group, alongside The Small Holding, which was awarded a Michelin Green Star in 2021.

Sitting on the edge of 46-acres of birch and chestnut trees in rural East Sussex, Birchwood is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Part of Flimwell Park, a pioneering mixed-use centre of coppiced woodland, Birchwood offers an all-day menu for breakfast and lunch, and is open seven days a week, from 8am-4pm.

Environmental, social, and economic sustainability has been at the heart of the construction of Birchwood, with all timber sustainably sourced and weathering steel used for the window bay cladding. Onsite solar power is generated from 300 photo-voltaic cells located on building roofs, cladding, and canopies, with a grid of solar thermal units heating water directly from the sun. The car park SUDS system is made from local stone, geo-textile filtering layers and recycled plastic open-grid surfacing making up the Truck Pav system. Six Tesla charging points have been installed, with two more charging points available for other electric car brands. 

About Filmwell Park

Flimwell Park, a £6 million pioneering mixed use woodland development, is nearing completion after a decade of consultation, planning and construction. A collaboration between property developer Regalmain and architect Steve Johnson of The Architecture Ensemble and a core team of foresters, ecologists and permaculturists to re-purpose the land, the site has been transformed into an inspiring new model for a sustainable woodland community that blends living, working, recreation and learning. www.flimwellpark.com

Forge, Fire & Food at The Small Holding

Alex Pole at the forge (credit Tim Booth)

FORGE, FIRE & FOOD

Alex Pole Blacksmith x The Small Holding
Sunday 3rd September, 12.30-15.30
£70 pp including knife making demonstration, cocktail and lunch
Reservation link here.

Blacksmith Alex Pole will join executive chef Will Devlin and guests at The Small Holding for an exclusive ‘Forge, Fire & Food’ event on Sunday 3rd September.

Alex Pole has worked as a blacksmith for over 30 years and founded Forge Kitchenware in 2015, making traditionally hand-forged kitchenware and cooking utensils, made in the fires of his Dorset workshop. Forging is the ancient art of shaping metal by heating it by fire and hammering. It is a highly skilled art full of tradition and folklore, and with infinite modern applications.

Alex makes pieces for home kitchens, outdoor cooking and bespoke pieces for chefs and restaurants including The Small Holding, L’enclume and Ikoyi. One of Alex’s primary aims is to promote blacksmithing and traditional crafts to show their importance in the 21st century.

This one-off event at The Small Holding will begin with a knife making demonstration from Alex and his senior assistant Jack Pardoe. Each piece of Forge Kitchenware, be it a knife, skillet or coffee scoop, starts as a simple bar of steel, which is heated and repeatedly hit on the blacksmiths’ anvil, until it is the correct size, shape and style. Some pieces can take hundreds of strikes before it is right. Alex will offer insight into the ancient traditions and techniques of European knife making and the creation of pieces that are beautiful and tactile, yet wholly functional.  

Throughout the demonstration Will and Alex will be talking about his craft and how he became involved in the food world, along with serving snacks and negronis, created with The Small Holding’s own house made Campari-style liqueur, made with foraged bitter botanicals. This will be followed by a fire-cooked family style feast of Paley Farm mutton and produce from The Small Holding’s farm, using Alex Pole’s cast iron skillets.

Will Devlin says, “Alex is a true craftsman and artist and it’s a joy to use his hand-forged pieces in both the kitchen and as part of our tableware service. His pieces combine beauty and function and will last a life-time if treated well and looked after. These values of craft, design and sustainability are fundamental to us at The Small Holding, and combined with food and fire is irresistible.”

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About The Small Holding

The Small Holding is a 36-cover restaurant and farm set in one acre of land, on a country lane in the village of Kilndown, on the Kent and East Sussex borders. The farm is less than 10 ft from the kitchen, growing nearly 200 varieties of vegetables, fruit and herbs, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Native breed Large Black pigs, chickens and ducks roam the farm and sheep for hogget and mutton graze less than half a mile away. The Small Holding was awarded a Michelin Green Star in 2021, and was one of the first seven restaurants in the country to be recognised for its commitment to sustainability in gastronomy and low-impact environmental practices. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing ‘Full Acre’ and ‘Half Acre’ tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm and foraged in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

Run by brothers Will And Matt Devlin, as Executive Chef and Head of Operations, respectively, The Small Holding is part of the Acre Group which also includes Birchwood in nearby Flimwell, East Sussex.

June at Water Lane

Elderflower custard, strawberries and madeleines at Water Lane

June in the garden of England at Water Lane, Kent

Sit under the tented awning on the Water Lane terrace overlooking the walled garden with rows and rows of vegetables, roses, delphiniums, cosmos, orchard fruit trees grown espalier against the walls, and scented sweet pea tunnel. Head chef Jed Wrobel’s new June menu captures the beauty of the season with fennel, strawberries, elderflower, tomatoes, hogget, and mackerel.

12.00 pm - 3.00 pm (weekdays)
12.30 - 3.00 (weekends)

Reservations via www.waterlane.net

June menu

Whilst you’re waiting

Water Lane garden pickles
Marcona Almonds
Gordal olives
Ricotta, chilli, almond and shaved asparagus flatbread
A glass of gazpacho

To start

Padron peppers, mangetout, rocket and romesco
Seabass ceviche, fennel, green strawberry, nasturtium 
A little chicken Caesar

Followed by

Asparagus, crushed butter beans and dukkah
Butterflied mackerel, tomatoes, lovage and spring garlic aioli
Spiced hogget skewer, coleslaw, broad bean tapenade  

With

Punched pink fir with hard herbs
Garden leaves with soft herbs  

To finish

Chocolate soft serve with hazelnut crumb
Elderflower custard with madeleines and strawberries
Ragstone, beetroot chutney and polenta crackers

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About Water Lane

Water Lane is a walled garden on what was once the Tongswood Estate in Hawkhurst, in the High Weald of Kent. A long-term restoration project, led by custodians Nick Selby and Ian James, there is a restaurant, a small shop of useful and beautiful pieces for the home and garden, select garden plants for sale, a calendar of workshops, talks and events, bi-monthly food markets, seasonal fairs in the Spring, Summer and at Christmas, and a large and productive garden growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and cut flowers.

For more news of Water Lane’s calendar of workshops, talks, and events this season, visit www.waterlane.net or sign up to the newsletter to be kept up to date.

Water Lane Walled Garden | Water Lane | Hawkhurst | Kent | TN18 5DH
@water.lane

June at The Small Holding, Kent

June menu at The Small Holding (credit Key & Quill)

JUNE AT THE SMALL HOLDING

Green Michelin Star 2021/22/23
Number 25, Harden’s Top 100 Restaurant
Number 10, Square Meal’s Top 100 Restaurants
Good Food Guide 2023

“Will Devlin’s restaurant shows no sign of slowing down, ‘a truly sensational experience’ is one fan’s heartfelt comment. The level of ingenuity generated by a kitchen on turbo drive, fuelled by its own small holding, hen coop and piggery is prodigious.” The Good Food Guide

June Menu
Snacks, Bread & Butter
Farm Salad, Goats Cheese, Preserves
Asparagus, Scallop Roe, Dukkah
Oyster, Chive Flower - Full Acre
John Dory, White Crab, Broad Beans
Duck Leg, Tortilla, Green Sauce - Full Acre
Duck Breast, Cabbage, Cherry
Lemon Balm, Linseed - Full Acre
Strawberry, Elderflower, Woodruff
Cheese - 15pp supplement

Half Acre Menu 65
Full Acre Menu 85

The 36-cover restaurant and farm are set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between the land and table. Growing, foraging, and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with monthly changing tasting menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10 feet from the kitchen.

Vegetables and fruits from the farm, harvested within hours of guests arriving; charcuterie, sourdough and cultured butter and zero waste animal cookery from the farm’s own livestock are key. Will also works directly with growers, farmers and fishermen who share the same core values, and the kitchen team forage in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

The restaurant is open Wednesday to Sunday with an eight-course Full Acre menu costing £85 per person and a five-course Half Acre menu costing £65 per person, with the option of a wine flight and non-alcoholic pairings. 

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Lunch by the tulips at The Bell in Ticehurst

Spring tulips at The Bell in Ticehurst (credit Saltwick Media)

The Bell in Ticehurst, East Sussex, has arguably one of the finest pub gardens in the land. Designed by RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medal garden designer Jo Thompson, who lives in the village, there is year-round interest, which is particularly splendid right now with the Spring bulbs.  Before or after lunch, why not take a walk around the Bell’s garden to admire the tulips. A riot of colour, texture and form, the garden sings with jewel-bright colours from magenta and violet to buttery yellows and acid greens with Tulip Menton, Tulip Merlot, Fritillaria Imperialis, Narcissi, Anenome and Allium Miami.

The longer and increasingly warmer days bring a new, lighter menu to The Bell in Ticehurst. The seasonal menus created by Head Chef Mark Charker have been designed to celebrate the start of British Summer time with new season English Asparagus, Jersey Royals, young cheeses, and soft herbs. The rich and varied produce from Sussex suppliers include Burwash Rose cheese, Spurs Farm free-range eggs, Fletchers Flock lamb and Maynard’s berries.

Launching on 26th May is The Bell’s Garden Kitchen BBQ. Come for alfresco delights on the grill every Friday and Saturday throughout the summer, until 28th August.

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For further press information please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room PR on hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk | 07730 039361

About The Bell

For centuries, The Bell has been at the very heart of Ticehurst village, geographically and emotionally. After closing in 2008, The Bell underwent painstaking renovation, opening in November 2011 welcoming locals and visitors from further afield.

The Bell’s design is eclectic in the truest sense of the word - the building looks as if an eccentric nobleman has travelled the world and filled his house full of curiosities from his travels. The result is quirky and utterly charming. The eleven guest rooms offer a highly individual design, with features, including silver birch branches (a nod to the derivation of Ticehurst’s name, which is “the wooded hill where goats graze”), huge copper bathtubs, upside-down tiles and randomly placed light features. Eschewing room numbers, each of The Bell’s guest rooms has its own distinctive name, from “The Benefit of the Doubt” to “Smiles of Memories.”

Quirky touches continue in the public areas, from bowler hat lights and a floor-to-ceiling book pile in the main pub area, to mismatched vintage-style wallpaper and Wagner Tubas for urinals in the gents. Each room offers the curious visitor a feast of visual surprises, not least a fine collection of art by Tracey Emin, Henry Moore, Banksy, Graham Sutherland, and Picasso. The neon sign in the aptly named Stable with a Table, a dining room with a unique sunken oak table for groups of up to 18 feasting friends or family, fondly observes “I will always love you my friend”, summing up the sense of constancy yet originality awaiting visitors to The Bell.

March at The Small Holding

March at The Small Holding

Green Michelin star restaurant in Kent
Chef owner Will Devlin

Ranters Lane, Kilndown, Kent
www.thesmallholding.restaurant
@the_small_holding_

Green Michelin Star 2021/22 | Number 25 in Harden’s Top 100 UK Restaurants, 2022 | Number 10 in Square Meal’s UK’s Top 100, 2022 | Good Food Guide 2023 | Kent Chef of the Year 2022 | Best Restaurant in Taste of Kent Awards 2022

”Will Devlin’s restaurant shows no sign of slowing down, ‘a truly sensational experience’ is one fan’s heartfelt comment. The level of ingenuity generated by a kitchen on turbo drive, fuelled by its own small holding, hen coop and piggery is prodigious.” The Good Food Guide

The March menu

Snacks
Parsnip, Cured Egg Yolk, Nasturtium
Cheese & Onion Tart
Rosti, 100-day-old aged Beef Tartare

Bread & Broth
Sourdough bread and butter
Potato, asparagus, wild garlic

Farm
Beetroot, kohlrabi, sumac

Fish
Squid, seaweed, lemongrass
Monkfish, rhubarb, spring onion

Meat
Hogget, tomato, sea radish

Sweet
Barley, plum, milk
Chocolate, Mushroom, Caramel

Cheese
Cornish Yarg, Eccles Cake, Chutney

Sweet Treat
Apple and Cobnut Cake

Named ‘Chef to Watch’ in The Good Food Guide 2020 and awarded a Green Michelin Star in 2021 and 2022, Will Devlin, is chef owner of The Small Holding, a kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders.  The Small Holding is part of the Acre Group including Birchwood in Flimwell. The Small Holding opened in April 2018. As a former pub, the site had been run down and neglected, before being transformed into an open kitchen and bar with a large-decked terrace looking out over the farm and views of the Weald of Kent.

The 36-cover restaurant was voted the best restaurant in Kent at the Taste of Kent Awards and is set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between farm and table. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with daily changing menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10ft from the kitchen.

Over 180 varieties of vegetables and fruits are grown including Broccoli ‘Red Blaze’, Cauliflower ‘Graffiti’, Cucumber ‘Passandra’, Radish ‘Viola’, Runner Beans ‘Scarlet Emperor’ and Courgette ‘Midnight’.  Native breed Large Black pigs, chickens and ducks roam the farm and sheep for hogget and mutton graze less than half a mile away.

The menu is defined by hyper-seasonal ingredients with a focus on the farm’s own produce, but undefined by the number of courses or choice. There is no formal menu at The Small Holding. Instead, guests are offered a multi-taste dining experience featuring the best ingredients on that day from the farm and local suppliers. Vegetables and fruits from the farm, harvested within hours of guests arriving, homemade charcuterie and zero waste animal cookery from the farm’s own livestock is the focus. The Small Holding works directly with growers, farmers and fishermen and the kitchen team forage in the nearby hedgerows and woodland.

The Michelin Green Star for sustainable gastronomy recognises restaurants with a focus on environmental practices. The Green Star encompasses everything about The Small Holding and the teams’ drive for sustainability.

The restaurant is open Wednesday to Saturday for dinner costing £85 per head and for lunch, with a shorter menu, on Saturday and Sunday, costing £65 per head. 

Eating at The Small Holding

Everything is home-made at The Small Holding, or sourced hyper-locally, except fish and seafood which comes from the South Coast or Scotland. Ingredients are picked less than 10ft from the kitchen and when there’s a glut, the kitchen preserves, pickles and jars.

The menu starts with home-made kombucha or broth and breads and sourdough and fresh butter, made on site with the rich yellow cream from a local herd of pedigree Guernsey and Holstein Friesian cows in nearby Benenden.

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Spring Fair at Water Lane

Spring Fair at Water Lane on 1st and 2nd April, Hawkhurst, Kent

Spring Fair at Water Lane

Saturday 1st April and Sunday 2nd April
10am - 4.30pm
Water Lane Walled Garden, Water Lane, Hawkhurst, Kent, TN18 5DH
Free entry on foot or bike, or £5 per car

Water Lane is hosting its first fair of 2023 on Saturday 1st April and Sunday 2nd April.  There will be great shopping from independent makers and producers, spring plants, ceramics and gardening accessories and takeaway food from the sea container or a light lunch in the Carnation House.

The fair will be spread across the whole Water Lane site. Underneath the open awning on the terrace of the walled garden, creatives and makers will set up stalls selling their original, handmade, and vintage items for the house and garden, that are both functional and beautiful. Elsewhere on site is the Water Lane shop in the Vinery, the Pelargonium House will be full of crafts, art and ceramics while Craft in the Field will be painting Easter eggs with children.

The fair has been co-curated with Sussex based Gina Portman, a former costume designer, who now runs workshops, produces homeware collections, and puts on art sales. Stall holders include Two Sticks Forge who make Japanese inspired knives from their studio in Ashdown Forest; organic natural skincare from Wilder Botanics, natural dyed fabrics and homewares by The Natural Dyeworks, everyday workwear clothing from Pajotten, traditional and contemporary willow baskets and designs from Sussex Willow and curated finds by Norse Vintage from visits to French Brocantes. Regular stallholders at the Water Lane food markets, Blackwood Cheese, Tillingham Wines and LAM, selling pasture raised meat and free- range eggs will also be at the Fair. There will be bunches of spring flowers from the Water Lane cutting garden, potted plants, garden accessories from Japanese brand Niwaki, and seasonal jams and preserves from the Water Lane Pantry.

Notes to editors

Water Lane is a productive garden, restaurant, shop and pantry within a Victorian walled garden in Hawkhurst on the Kent and East Sussex border.

It is an ongoing restoration project in the hands of custodians Nick Selby and Ian James who bring with them a wealth of food and horticultural passion. A long-term project over many years to come, Water Lane is being sympathetically transformed into a working kitchen garden with vegetable beds, cut flowers, restored vinery, outside spaces and a pavilion for dining and events.

Opening Hours: Wednesday - Saturdays 8am - 5pm | Sunday 10am – 4.30pm | Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Cookery writer Winter menu series at Water Lane, Kent

Clam, haricot and green garlic at Water Lane, inspired by Claudia Roden

New Winter Series with menus inspired by the writings and recipes of some of Water Lane’s favourite food writers and cooks

Water Lane walled garden, Water Lane Hawkhurst, Kent, TN18 5DH
www.waterlane.net | @water.lane

Water Lane has launched a series of set lunch menus inspired by the writings and recipes of some of Head Chef Jed Wrobel’s favourite food writers and cooks. The series has launched with recipes from Egyptian-born British food writer, Claudia Roden. Best known for her Middle Eastern cookbooks including A Book of Middle Eastern Food and Arabesque - Sumptuous Food from Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon, Claudia’s food is full of warmth, sunshine and flavour. In the heated Carnation House at Water Lane, try Burnt leeks and cobnut tarator and Taramasalata, farinata and radishes before Clams, haricot and green garlic or mutton meatballs, kalettes and orzo. For pudding, blood orange flan and poached rhubarb or spiced rice pudding and butter baked bramley apple.

Next in the series is British food writer and chef Simon Hopkinson. Hailed as the ‘food writer’s food food writer’, Simon led the kitchen of Terence Conran’s Bibendum in the late 1980s, before leaving the restaurant trade to concentrate on cookery writing, notably Roast Chicken and Other Stories, which was declared ‘the most useful cookbook of all time’ by Waitrose magazine. Jed’s take on Hopkinson’s classic Southern French cooking includes dishes such as Beetroot dumplings with horseradish cream, Grilled pork belly and chicory gratin, Seabass and fennel a la Grecque and Junket pudding with rhubarb and vanilla. 

Two courses for £27
Three courses for £32
Lunch is served Wednesday to Sunday, 12-3pm.

About Water Lane
Water Lane is a walled garden with a vinery and Victorian glasshouses on the Kent and Sussex borders. A long-term project, the site is being sympathetically transformed into a working kitchen garden with vegetable beds, cut flowers, restored vinery, outside spaces and a pavilion for dining and events.

During the Winter months the restaurant is in the heated Carnation glasshouse. In the summer, it moves to the outside terrace, overlooking the vegetable and flower beds. The menu at Water Lane reflects its sense of place in the English countryside with a short and often-changing seasonal menu by head chef Jed Wrobel. Much of the restaurant produce is grown in Water Lane’s vegetable beds or sourced from organic and biodynamic farms. Meat is from pasture raised herds and day boat fish is from nearby Hastings and Rye. 

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The Stables by Mark Charker launches at The Bell in Ticehurst

Head Chef Mark Charker at The Bell in Ticehurst at the launch of The Stables

The Stables by Mark Charker launches at The Bell in Ticehurst

“The Stables tasting menu deserves a Michelin star or two - superb.” Guest, Autumn 2022

“The flavours were amazing, the presentation of the food was beautiful, an incredibly warm welcome from the team and service impeccable. Wonderful evening and experience, thank you.” Guest, Autumn 2022

The Stables by Mark Charker at The Bell in Ticehurst has been transformed into a fine-dining experience. Having launched for the first time in Autumn 2022, the menu has been created by Head Chef Mark Charker. Launching on Wednesday 8th February, and available on Wednesday - Saturday, the five-course tasting menu is offered alongside paired wines and bespoke cocktails.

This special occasion menu will take guests on a journey from the sea to the best lands in Sussex and the garden of England, including locally sourced meat, fantastic day boat fish, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and cheeses. It’s a surprise menu on the night but to whet the appetite, sample dishes might include Lamb with Jerusalem Artichoke and Hen of the Woods and Caramelised Milk Chocolate, Toffee and Fig Leaf Milk Sorbet. 

Suppliers include local crab, scallops and halibut from Chapmans, Wagyu Sussex beef from Trenchmore Farm, goat meat from Cabrito, free-range eggs from Spurs Farm and a bespoke chocolate made from scratch, using fresh cocoa beans, from J.Cocoa in West Sussex.

Hanging alongside The Stables is a limited edition signed print by Francis Bacon. A triptych in a riot of reds and oranges, the magnificent work is a guaranteed conversation starter.

The Stables tasting menu costs £65 for five courses and £35 for the wine flight pairing, per person. Reservations can be made via thebellinticehurst.com or by calling 01580 200300.

About The Bell
For centuries, The Bell has been at the very heart of Ticehurst village, geographically and emotionally. After closing in 2008, The Bell underwent painstaking renovation, opening in November 2011 welcoming locals and visitors from further afield.

The Bell’s design is eclectic in the truest sense of the word - the building looks as if an eccentric nobleman has travelled the world and filled his house full of curiosities from his travels. The result is quirky and utterly charming. The eleven guest rooms offer a highly individual design, with features including silver birch branches (a nod to the derivation of Ticehurst’s name, which is “the wooded hill where goats graze”), huge copper bathtubs, upside-down tiles and randomly placed light features. Eschewing room numbers, each of The Bell’s guest rooms has its own distinctive name, from “The Benefit of the Doubt” to “Smiles of Memories.”

Quirky touches continue in the public areas, from bowler hat lights and a floor-to-ceiling book pile in the main pub area, to mismatched vintage-style wallpaper and Wagner Tubas for urinals in the gents. Each room offers the curious visitor a feast of visual surprises, not least a fine collection of art by Tracey Emin, Henry Moore, Banksy, Graham Sutherland, and Picasso. The neon sign in the aptly named Stable with a Table, a dining room with a unique sunken oak table for groups of up to 18 feasting friends or family, fondly observes “I will always love you my friend”, summing up the sense of constancy yet originality awaiting visitors to The Bell.

Food
Head Chef, Mark Charker, cut his culinary teeth at Ockenden Manor Hotel, working under their Michelin Star chef. At just 23, he was the youngest successful candidate for the Roux Scholarship. Mark believes in cooking for the guest, not the chef, and promises a creative menu of essentially British cuisine with French influences at The Bell.

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Notes to editors

Room rates from £165 - £325, including breakfast

01580 200300 or www.thebellinticehurst.com @thebellinticehurst

The Bell in Ticehurst, High Street, Ticehurst, Wadhurst, East Sussex, TN5 7AS
Instagram: @thebellinticehurst

Birchwood Studio Launches

Isobel Spence natural dye workshop at Birchwood Studio

Introducing Birchwood Studio

Feeding the mind, body, and spirit.

www.birchwoodrestaurant.com

Birchwood Studio is a new space at Flimwell Park in rural East Sussex. With offerings focusing on crafts, mindfulness, exercise, education, food and drink, Birchwood Studio hosts like-minded local brands and businesses for courses, events and workshops, with the primary aim of improving and nurturing our sense of self and well-being.

Birchwood Studio overlooks 46-acres of birch and chestnut woods with far reaching views over the High Weald and is part of the Acre group including Birchwood, a restaurant and private dining space, and The Small Holding, which has a Michelin Green Star for sustainability and gastronomy. The Acre group is led by brothers Matt and Will Devlin.

Saturday 4th and Saturday 25th February: ‘Functional Breathwork’ and ‘Conscious Connective Breathwork’ with Nina Carter
Bodywork therapist and energy practitioner, Nina Carter, works with clients who have reached a transitional time in their lives, whether that is feeling lost, restricted or maybe something much deeper. Within her embodied practice she uses science backed techniques combined with the art of breathwork to release and integrate, which can help bring people back to their most authentic and optimum self.

Saturday 11th and Saturday 18th February:
Yoga with Flock Yoga, 8.30-9.9.30am, £12 per session
Flock Yoga has been a certified and practicing yoga studio since 2018 blending lyengar, restorative, yin and vinyasa styles. These one-hour sessions in the Birchwood Studio are orientated towards alignment and flow yoga, breath work and mediation, in addition to stamina, strength and balance. There is limited availability for these classes.

Sunday 26th February: ‘Introduction to Plant Dyeing’ with Curious House
Working with forager Isobel Spence, this workshop will introduce how to dye fabric using colours extracted from local flora and fauna. The day will explore the joys of this slow, sustainable craft that results in a slightly different natural hue every time. Students will learn which plants and trees create what colours and how to prepare the cloth to absorb the dye and how to ensure it stays. At the end of the day, participants will go home with a beautiful naturally dyed silk scarf and the enthusiasm to carry on experimenting. The day is £135 per person, which includes refreshments, a light lunch and all materials.

Every Thursday: ‘Allergy Testing’ with In the Clear
Clinic with Adele Rogers for all well-being needs for allergies, anxieties and trauma for ultimate physical and mental health.

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Grow the Seasons - new courses at The Small Holding

Head Gardener Jenny Huddart and chef Will Devlin at The Small Holding at the launch of Grow the Seasons

Chef Will Devlin launches ‘Grow the Seasons’ courses at The Small Holding

Learn to ‘Grow the Seasons’ on a series of new horticultural courses at Will Devlin’s Michelin Green Starred farm and restaurant, The Small Holding, in Kilndown, Kent. 

The hands-on courses are led by Head Gardener Jenny Huddart and her team, for a behind-the-scenes experience. Each full-day course will include a mix of practical and theory learning, as guests discover and share in the team’s knowledge on seasonal vegetable growing, ‘No Dig’ principles and how to be sustainable in their own gardens. 

Each course will be relevant to the season, such as making the most of Harvest in August, reaping the rewards of your hard work and making organic compost and feeds. In November’s Winter Planning course learn how to make the most of the end of the season by mulching, lifting and dividing the perennial plants and the last chance to sow overwintering crops.

The full-day courses cost £125 per person and will run throughout the year, in tune with the four growing seasons and include a relaxed lunch, using ingredients from the farm.

Find out more and book now for February, May, August, and November 2023 www.growtheseasons.com.

About The Small Holding

Will Devlin, 34, is the chef owner of The Small Holding, a kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. The 34-cover restaurant has a Michelin Green Star and was voted the best restaurant in Kent at the Taste of Kent Awards. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with daily changing menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10ft from the kitchen.

www.thesmallholding.restaurant
@the_small_holding_

Ranters Lane | Kilndown | Kent | TN17 2SG

“A group of folk growing amazing things, then pulling them out of the ground, sometimes knobbly and lumpy, then cooking and serving them. It’s perfectly imperfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.” Grace Dent, The Guardian

“The menu reads like a list of all that is good in a British Larder. Self-sufficiency, careful sourcing, purity of intent and an absolute focus on flavour. It’s easy to fall in love with The Small Holding for the warmth of the staff, its good intent and deft execution.” Tony Turnbull, The Times

Meet the Makers at Water Lane Christmas Market

Meet the makers at the Water Lane Christmas Market

Saturday 3rd December and Sunday 4th December
10am - 4.30pm
Water Lane Walled Garden, Water Lane, Hawkhurst, Kent, TN18 5DH
Free entry on foot or bike, or £5 per car

@water.lane | www.waterlane.net

The Water Lane Christmas Market is on the first weekend of December and will showcase a diverse and eclectic range of items for the house, garden and kitchen that are original, handmade or vintage, including ceramics, clothing, jewellery, wooden and willow crafts, bread, cheese and wine. The stalls have been carefully curated valuing quality over quantity, function and beauty, with a slower paced and small production ethos.

In addition to the home and garden stalls are some of Water Lane’s favourite food producers selling artisan breads, cheese, eggs, charcuterie and handmade chocolates, natural wines and Water Lane’s own produce table laden with local vegetables, honey, jams, chutneys and preserves, olive oil and sauces, shrubs and cordials, apple juice, Pump Street Chocolate and Christmas puddings. Christmas trees from Hole Park will also be on sale at the Market, which go on sale from Saturday 26th November.

The stalls

Norse Vintage | Rae Lifestyle | Torsten van Elten | Jumping Mouse Goods | Bloom & Burn | Sughanda | Melanie Ostler | Bear and Born | Phoebe Connolly | Josephine Doolan |
Running Stitches | Glass House | Havelock Studios | Common Clay | Sussex Willow | Craft Basketry | Kitty Clogs | Evie May Adams

Food stalls

Tillingham | Blackwood Cheese | L.A.M | Indi Farmer
To the Rise Bakery | Rowdy and Fancy Chocolate

@water.lane | www.waterlane.net

Meet the makers

The Water Lane Christmas Market will showcase a diverse and eclectic range of items for the house and garden that are original, handmade or vintage. Visitors will be able to browse and buy from stalls offering ceramics, clothing, artisan food and wine and vintage homeware. Read on to find out more about some of the stall holders.

LAM Food & Fibre will be bringing their eggs, meat and sheep skin rugs to the Market. LAM is a project established by a farmer and fashion designer to create a regenerative food, fibre and fashion system on their small-scale, mixed farm in the AONB North Downs of Kent, rearing native breeds of cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. They are making the link between farming and fashion, utilising the whole animal to produce meat and eggs, as well as wool fibre for that is yarn dyed with flower pigments.

To the Rise Bakery is an artisan and European style bakery in Eastbourne. Founded by three sisters they specialise in 100% sourdough bread using carefully sourced, organic and local ingredients. Get to the market early because these baked goods, such as sourdough loaves, sausage rolls, focaccia, almond croissants, stollen and pear and frangipane tarts, will sell out fast!

Rowdy and Fancy handmade chocolates are our new favourite treat. Based in their Forest Row workshop, the team are passionate about top quality ingredients, unique and delicious flavours – and keeping our planet green. The chocolates are hand-tempered and hand-wrapped in Rowdy and Fancy’s unique Adam and Eve packaging.

Rae Lifestyle is a bricks and mortar store in our favourite town of Rye. Alexa has curated a beautiful collection of homewares sourced in the UK and Europe, for the home and daily life. At the heart of Rae’s collection are rustic vintage interior pieces, complemented by a selection of modern independent maker collections, as well as Rae's own in-house label. All brands are carefully selected with Rae’s focus on ethical and sustainable products as well as loving what they do. 

Jumping Mouse Goods is a maker of bespoke leather goods and will be coming all the way from Devon to the Market. Designed and made by Adam Kelsake these everyday use leather goods, such as satchels and day bags, are simple yet beautiful.

Running Stitches sells an extensive range of vintage kantha quilts and homewares. Based in mid-Wales, Tanya’s love of fabric started with training in textiles, before travel to India ignited a life-long love affair with Kantha. Each item is unique and responsibly and sustainably sourced, offering the very best in quality and craftsmanship.

Melanie Ostler is a Sussex based jewellery designer. After a career in commercial jewellery buying, Melanie is now settled in the South Downs, where she designs and makes her own pieces. Drawing inspiration from an eclectic mix of ancient jewellery, and textures found in nature and everyday objects, Melanie loves to work with silver and gold, often combining the two in the same piece along with precious and semi-precious stones to create simple yet beautiful jewellery.

Havelock Studios is the design practice in Kent of Jack Havelock Bailey, specialising in high quality furniture, products and objects rooted in concept and purpose. Jack believes that the enjoyment of life can be improved with simple, beautiful and functional design and uses both traditional and modern manufacturing techniques, embracing and developing manual crafts as well as digital. He will be bringing turned wooden pieces, such as bowls, plates, chopping and serving boards to the Market.

The Counter ~ pop up by chef Robin Read at Daily Bread, Rusthall

The Counter at Daily Bread (credit Key & Quill)

THE COUNTER

The Counter is a new pop-up residency by chef Robin Read at Daily Bread in Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells.

Launching on 20 October through to 24 December
From £60 per person
www.thecounterhomeedition.com | @the_counter_tw

The Counter is a pop-up residency by chef Robin Read to be hosted at the award-winning Daily Bread in Rusthall, near Tunbridge Wells. Each dinner service from 20 October to 24 December will offer guests a seasonal six-course tasting menu, using the best local, wild and foraged produce. 

Robin is a passionate supporter of artisan farmers, growers and producers and a strong advocate of naturally sourced produce, especially from the British Isles. He takes great pride in having met all his suppliers and ensures he visits the farm, river, warehouse, barn wherever across the country to make sure he has the best knowledge of the produce and its maker. The Counter menu is full of the best local products such as venison from Eridge Park and wild porcini mushrooms from the woods around Rusthall and Langton Green. Home-made sourdough bread, blackberries, scallops, Sussex cream and dairy all feature on the menu, and fish is caught off Rye harbour.

There will be one sitting for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays from 20 October 2022 to 24 December 2022. Some tables are communal, and others are twos and fours. Drinks from 7.30/7.45pm to sit for 8pm.

Price 
6 courses £60 per person 
6 glass wine flight £60 per person
3 glass wine flight £30 per person 
A small wine list is available

Opening Hours
Dinner only, Thursday – Saturday
20 October to 24 December 2022
Daily Bread, 27-29 High Street, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

About Robin Read
Langton Green based Read has been a chef for over 25 years. He trained and worked with some of the greats in the hospitality industry, including Albert and Michel Roux, Nico Ladenis and Marco Pierre White. For the last 16 years he was Group Executive Chef of the Firmdale Hotel Group in London, overseeing the Soho Hotel, Charlotte Street Hotel and Ham Yard Hotel, amongst others, and launched six new openings, a bakery and a chef’s academy. Robin hopes that one day The Counter will have a permanent bricks and mortar site in the Tunbridge Wells area. 

Sample menu
Porridge and Porter Sourdough, cultured butter
Rusthall foraged cep broth, Beal’s Farm pancetta, parsley oil  
Eridge Park venison tartare tart, egg yolk, pickled beet, Berkswell  
Cured line caught mackerel, autumn squash, white wine, yuzu and wild garlic capers
Champagne and seaweed poached brill, mussel, caviar, lemon butter  
45-day aged Sussex sirloin of beef, celeriac purée, roast onion, red wine sauce   
White Chocolate Parfait, mascarpone ice cream, pickled elderberries, fig leaf oil, honeycomb crumb
Sweet Treats

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@the_counter_tw
www.thecounterhomeedition.com

For more information about The Counter or Robin Read, please contact Hannah Blake at
The Dining Room on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk