The Goudhurst Inn

Overview

Balfour Winery's pub with rooms stands beside the A262 on the edge of Goudhurst, a short walk village centre and just a 10-minute drive from the high-tech Winery for tours and tastings.

Step inside the rustic-comfortable bar to find big rugs on wood floors, a long bar dispensing Jake's cider and Session IPA, brews from local Cellar Head brewery, and old leather chairs and sofas fronting blazing wood-burning stoves in winter. Bag a table here or head next door to the more formal barn/conservatory dining room. On warmer days, enjoy the sun-trap rear terrace for delicious pizzas from the garden shack, and great views across the Weald of Kent.

Four upstairs rooms offer modern and spaces for a relaxing break away and seasonal menus highlight pub classics alongside more innovative dishes. Local cultural highlights include Bedgebury Pinetum and Forest (walking & cycling), the National Trust's renowned Sissinghurst Castle Gardens, and Tunbridge Wells for those in need of some retail therapy. The scenic High Weald Landscape Trail passes through Goudhurst - walk to Cranbook and get the bus back.

Rooms from:

4 doubles: £109

Good to know

Major credit cards accepted (not Amex)

Disabled access

Alfresco & private dining

Pizza shack

Parking available

Dog stay: £10

Balfour Winery tours

Set on a 400-acre family-owned estate in Marden, the modern winery offers informative tours and tastings, and is famous for producing Balfour Brut Rosé, one of the most iconic and exclusive English sparkling wines, using traditional Champagne methods and grape varieties.

Anno Gin, Marden

Artisan gin distillery producing Anno Kent Dry Gin in a small batch copper pot still called Patience, using a blend of traditional botanicals with local hops, lavender from Downderry Nursery, samphire from Romney Marsh and wild flowers. Book a distillery tour and tutored tasting.

Rooms

The four upstairs bedrooms provide an excellent base for a weekend of wine tasting at the Balfour Winery (just 10 minutes away) and some wonderful walking around Goudhurst.

Freshly spruced up in 2021, rooms are named after members of the Balfour family, with the spacious Hush Heath Suite taking its name from the country estate where the Vineyard and Winery are located. Expect soothing neutral colours, big gilt framed mirrors, a mix of antique and contemporary furnishings, easy chairs and modern tiled bathrooms - the Suite has a deep tub and walk-in rain shower in a quirky and bold open-to-view set up with low wall and glass screens. Equally comfortable and well furnished are the two Superior doubles and the smaller Deluxe double - a couple of the rooms are close to the road and do experience some traffic noise at peak times.

Creature comforts include decent beds with crisp cotton linen, sumptuous feather bedding and colourful blanket throws, Smart TVs, Nespresso machines, Joe's tea and homemade biscuits, and Isle of Arran soaps and lotions.

Restaurant & bar

The kitchen team deliver a fresh, innovative seasonal menu, showcasing local produce and some unusual ingredients, alongside excellent sourdough pizzas from the wood-fired oven.

A well-balanced autumn menu impressed at inspection - sampled dishes included delicious lamb rump (cooked pink) served with pistachio, pommes Anna, cavolo nero, pickled elderflower, squash and lamb jus; perfectly cooked sea bass with potato pave, crab, coriander, vanilla cream, squash and radicchio; and an excellent pizza topped with pulled Middle Eastern Lamb, mozzarella, hazelnut and walnut dukkha, and minted yoghurt. There are good pub classics too - Jake's beer battered fish and chips.

Stay on a Friday and make the most of steak night, think dry-aged Tomahawk or a Chateaubriand to share for £60, including sides, sauces and a bottle of house Balfour wine. On Thursday's, enjoy homemade sourdough pizzas with either a bottle of Balfour 1503 Cuveé or Rosé for only £40 for two people to share.

Balfour pioneers both English traditional sparkling wines and world class red, white and rose wines and a good selection are available by the glass and bottle - do try one of the wine tasting flights (3 fizz & 3 still) to get a real flavour of the Balfour Collection. There are over 20 wines by the glass, in addition to Jake's Session IPA and Kentish Cider, also made at the winery 5 miles away in Marden.

Things to do

The National Pinetum at Bedgebury is home to a world leading collection of conifers and is a centre for International conservation. It also provides a beautiful setting for peaceful walks and picnics. Bedgebury Forest features an adventure play trail, Go Ape, and miles of trails for family cycling, mountain-biking, walking, and running. The café at the Visitor Centre café enjoys panoramic views across the Pinetum.

As well as its own superb smoked fish, meats and cheeses, the award-winning Weald Smokery just off the A21 carries a huge range of local, British and international fine foods including pastas, chocolates and wines. There's also the Kiln Room brasserie serving light lunches, coffees and afternoon teas.

Sissinghurst Castle's wonderful garden is the enduring legacy of Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson who laboured long and hard to complete this horticultural work of art. Don't miss Vita's tower writing room and explore the nearby lakes and bluebell woods.