One pub’s run by a ‘name’ chef, the other’s more a labour of love. No prizes for guessing which one our critic prefers
This is a tale of two pubs. On the surface, very similar: both deep in the chocolate-box depths of the Kentish countryside, a landscape dotted with thatches, weathered brick and wonky, mullioned windows, where fat bumblebees drone and the air is fragranced with freshly-cut grass. Both in historic buildings, both aiming to provide more than the basic country pub beer and scratchings. But they couldn’t be more different if they tried.
The first, the Duke William in Ickham, comes from a big-name chef. Mark Sargeant is ex-Ramsay and, like so many of the sweary one’s alumni, has set about empire building. Sticking to his Kentish roots, here he is with his own local: the fantasy gig for many a man d’un certain âge. It’s been Farrow & Balled to within an inch of its life, dark grey cocoons the interior, fur throws are scattered over wooden settles, there are numerous “quirky” touches (filament lightbulbs, decorative trays, mini Etch-a-Sketches).
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