The Small Holding named Restaurant of the Year

Freshly harvested beetroot at The Small Holding (credit Key & Quill)

The Small Holding has been named Restaurant of the Year in the Taste of Kent Awards 2022

The Small Holding in Kilndown, Kent has been crowned Restaurant of the Year at the Taste of Kent Awards run by Produced in Kent. The restaurant, led by brothers Will and Matt Devlin was described by the judges as “an unforgettable rural delight”. The award is given to a restaurant actively using Kent produce where and when available and demonstrating this commitment in menus and marketing.

The Small Holding has retained its Michelin Green Star for the second year and was also listed at number 25 in the Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants.

Floortje Hoette, chief executive of Produced in Kent, said, “the judges and I were blown away by the exceptional food and drink we have in Kent, and it’s wonderful to see support for buying local hasn’t faded post pandemic. This year’s winners and finalists have shown innovation, diversification, sustainable practices and immense talent within their specialist fields.”

Will Devlin, chef owner of The Small Holding, commented, “We’re really thrilled. This award is for everyone on the team, in the kitchen, on the floor and on the farm who all work so hard and really deserve this, I’m so proud.”

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www.thesmallholding.restaurant

@the_small_holding_

Ranters Lane | Kilndown | Kent | TN17 2SG

About The Small Holding

Will Devlin 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 38-cover restaurant is number 25 in Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants in the UK and has won best restaurant 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.

For more information, images, interview or to visit The Small Holding, please contact Hannah Blake hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

August at The Small Holding

Trout, cucumber and horseradish on the August menu at The Small Holding

The Small Holding​ is​​ a kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. The 26-cover restaurant was voted the best restaurant in Kent at the Taste of Kent Awards and is set in one acre of land​ with raised beds, poly tunnels, pigs, ducks and chickens less than 10ft away from the kitchen. The restaurant’s own sheep, for hogget and mutton, graze less than half a mile away. The beds are heaving with lettuces, chard, beans and ​peas​, tomatoes, courgettes, raspberries​ and​ blackcurrants​.

Everything is home-made at The Small Holding​ for the Full Acre and Half Acre tasting menus​, including bread and butter, yoghurt and ricotta or sourced hyper-locally such as Hinxden Cream which has a herd of pedigree Guernsey and Holstein Friesian cows in nearby Benenden. Ingredients are picked fresh before service and when there’s a glut, the kitchen preserves, pickles and jars. 

The August Full Acre sample menu is below, with full vegetarian and vegan menus available and costs £60 per person with an optional 4 glass wine pairing at £40 and 6 glass wine pairing at £60. The Half Acre menu is £30 per person.

[Images by Clare Winfield]

Cuttlefish, cauliflower, wild garlic
Courgette, yoghurt, chilli
Liver, onion, bacon
Trout, cucumber, horseradish
Oyster, kale, purslane
Tomato, ricotta, yarrow
Mutton, lettuce, potato
Buttermilk, bay, blackcurrant
Meadowsweet, raspberry, apricot
Cherry, fennel, woodruff

Cherry, fennel and woodruff; Liver, onion and bacon; tomato, ricotta and yarrow on the August menu at The Small Holding