The Plough Inn, Stalisfield Green, Kent

Overview

A striking, 15th-century Kentish hall house lost down lanes high up on the North Downs; it enjoys a sleepy hamlet setting beside a green and enjoys far-reaching view across the Swale estuary and the Isle of Sheppey.

Cosy, well-maintained beamed bars and dining rooms are furnished with a comfortable mix of old and new pine and warmed by two blazing log fires in winter. There's a light and airy garden room with access to a peaceful patio and side garden with rustic tables and benches..

Worth finding for the relaxing, traditional pub atmosphere, the genuine welcome from owners Marianne and Richard Baker, and the interesting, locally sourced food. Following the addition of five stylish rooms in a new-build barn in the garden, it's now also a tranquil place to stay, close to Canterbury, Whitstable and the North Kent coast, with wonderful walking from the front door.

Rooms from

5 suites: £140-£220

Good to know

Major credit cards accepted (not Amex)
Disabled access
Alfresco dining
Parking available/Electric Charging Points
Dogs welcome overnight

Scenic and serene

Lost down lanes in a serene North Downs setting with far-reaching views across the Swale estuary to the Isle of Sheppey from the front terrace and rooms barn.

Outdoor adventures

Footpaths radiate from the front door, so strike out across rolling fields and through unspoilt woodland to enjoy the best of the North Downs countryside.

Quiet romance

Spacious, split-level suites are located in a secluded barn; the best has an upstairs bedroom with picture-window views across fields. Breakfast is brought to your room; enjoy on the terrace on sunny mornings.

Rooms

Adding the barn rooms proved to be an inspired business decision for Marianne and Richard - they have transformed the Plough into busy destination inn for stylish rooms and good food.

Making the most of the rural views towards the North Kent coast, the five split-level rooms are named after local woodlands and decorated in a relaxed country style with plenty of natural wood (floors, bespoke headboards and furnishings) and muted earthy hues.

All are split-level, with bedroom and bathroom downstairs and a lounge/dining area with sofa bed upstairs, both with Smart TV, however, the suite has an upstairs bedroom with pastoral views across fields through a picture window. Expect too, coffee machines, books, DVDs, smart bathrooms with baths and walk-in showers and Noble Isle soaps, not to mention the breakfast hamper (full English…!) brought to your room at a time to suit you.

Restaurant & bar

Chef-patron Richard's changing chalkboard menu evolves with the seasons and champions Kentish producers and artisan suppliers.

Dishes combine traditional pub classics - proper pies, fish and chips, rib-eye steak - with more inventive choices, perhaps seared scallops, crisp gurnard escabeche and saffron aioli, followed by local venison Wellington with huntsman pie, or potato gnocchi, wild mushrooms, spinach, and parmesan veloute, leaving room for likes of spiced quince tarte Tatin, vanilla ice cream and rum caramel. Roast 28-day dry-aged beef (with all the trimmings) on Sundays draws an appreciative local crowd.

Sourcing local extends to the hand-pulled ales, with beers from Westerham, Old Dairy and Hopdaemon artisan brewers, and Kentish ciders from Balfour and Biddenden. There are wines from local Chapel Down and Balfour Wineries and a raft of 30 craft gins and 13 rums on the groaning back bar.

Things to do

Hidden away deep in the Kent countryside near Marden, Balfour Winery comprises apple orchards, ancient oak woodlands and beautifully manicured vineyards, the latter producing the award-winning English sparkling wine, Balfour Brut Rose. Wine lovers can visit the winery, stroll through the estate and taste the wine and cider produced on the estate. Guided and tutored tasting tours available.

One of Kent's best farmers' markets is held on the green by the post office in Wye every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month - 9am to 12 noon. Expect to find an array of local artisan producers and to take away some fantastic produce.

Not far from Cranbrook on the Weald of Kent, Sissinghurst'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. There's a lot to see at Sissinghurst, including Vita's tower writing room and nearby lakes and woodland.