THE LOCATION

Sitting on a quiet lane in the quintessentially English village of Trottiscliffe (fun Kent fact for you as it is pronounced Trosley), Bowley’s at The Plough continues to be one of our firm foodie favourites in Kent.

Once there, you are also within easy reach of the delights of West Malling and its’ amazing selection of independent shops, yet within a lovely rural setting, so it’s the best of both worlds.

THE LOWDOWN

You are going to love this place even before you have sat down due to its very charming back story. The Plough history dates to 1483 and its community rallied to save it from property developers in 2017, purchasing it for £450,000 and refurbishing it with the help of 127 villagers.

It’s a true family affair with husband-and-wife team, Alex and Grace Yates at the helm who took it on at the grand old age of 19 and 20 in 2019, which was of course promptly followed by lockdown. Luckily for us, youth and creative energy are on their side, so they have kept the business alive with endless ideas on how to keep inspiring their punters to come back.

Not least helped by the fact that the food is exceptional plus there is a genuine hospitable welcome here. A tasty Bar menu has recently been launched designed to inspire punters to pop in just for a drink and keep that community spirit alive. Why wouldn’t you want to linger longer when Duck Parfait on Toasted Foccacia, Welsh Rarebit, Slow Cooked Beef Brisket on Smoked Mash is on the offering, or you could just settle in for the night with Maldon Oysters and Champagne?

The Yates family’s history with food and drink goes back many generations, beginning with William Bowley Jnr in the mid-1800s, one of the founders of the Bowley and Bristow United Brewery. Alex’s father spent 26 years running bars across London before working at Balls Brothers sourcing and buying wines as a Wine Merchant, so he has also played a big part in Bowley’s success.

And if it was good enough for the Queen, it is good enough for us. Alex trained at Westminster Kingsway College before spending two years working in the kitchens of the Michelin Star ‘Goring’ restaurant under Shay Cooper, and whilst there, cooked for Her Majesty. Alex understandably quotes it as one of his career highlights, but we are sure that there are many more illustrious moments to come.

THE VIBE

From the outside, you probably wouldn’t give The Plough much of a second glance as it is an unassuming pub but therein lies the magic behind it as this is a pub with a real foodie punch.

What is particularly charming about Bowley’s is the fact that even though you can expect Michelin-esque food with exquisite attention to detail, there is still an incredibly laid-back feel to the pub.

The décor is muted with soft tones, old-fashioned prints of the Yates family are on the walls and nice touches such as lavender pots are used as decoration in the window.

It is the kind of place that you would like to settle in for a seriously good food sesh or a cosy drink and catch-up with family or friends since the pub part accommodates the locals for a drink on a regular basis with people flocking, far and wide, for the foodie show.

SCOFF AND QUAFF

Please come hungry so you don’t leave wishing you had not licked that last mouthful of food off your plate. There is an A La Carte menu but if you can stretch your purse strings and waistband, we urge you to take things up a notch with the five course Tasting Menu and there’s a Vegan one too that was very tempting indeed.

Alex’s mission is to serve dishes that are ‘local and playful’ so he can ‘take away the pompous side of dining’ and with five chefs in the kitchen, they have the capacity to deliver it.

There is a zero-waste policy so you will find that every inch of the ingredients is used to make that meal with case in point being the Dorset Crab beautifully served in its shell. The Bouillabaisse is made from the stock, the white carcass is served with Cox Apple cut into miniscule pieces and the brown meat fashioned into a very fancy tuille on top. It’s sustainable foodie theatre at its finest.

Nettle Risotto, sourced from the village, is another mouthwatering example of how you don’t have to go far to produce exquisite dishes with the remaining nettles compressed into a nettle oil and all beautifully served with capers, dill and preserved lemon.

Their allotment and polytunnels also provides many of the key ingredients you will find throughout the meal as well as the garnishes. We may have wept a little in pleasure over their homemade smoked butter, that is cooked over vines, if we weren’t mopping our eyes in wonder at the Garlic aioli butter served with the honey and thyme roll. In fact, the bread course should be classed as a separate item on the menu as it is THAT good.

Our Heritage Tomato dish, served with a buckwheat olive tuile, used all aspects of the tomato as the tomato consommé surrounding the dish, is made by straining the tomato juices through a muslin cloth. It also comes as a perfect pit stop in the meal as works very well as a palate cleanser.

And just when you thought life couldn’t get any better – in walks the Beef Wellington with English Asparagus plus a Glazed Short Rib which has been cooked in Malbec for six hours.

But there’s always room for pudding and the Kentish Willy Wonka (Sharps) chocolate torte, miso ice cream and honey tuille is a big crowd pleaser with a nod to local sweet factory, Sharps which closed in 2000 after 128 years in business so this dessert is homage to them.

The White Meadow Fennel, Violet, Cardamom option served with white chocolate crumble is magical – not least by the fact that we said we wouldn’t be able to finish it but after a few mouthfuls, it magically disappeared.

As you can imagine, with a former Balls Brother Wine Merchant in charge, the wine list is extensive and impressive. We were recommended a glass of Yotes Court Pinot Gris (Loose Reins 2022), a local wine producer, with our Nettle Risotto which we managed to elongate throughout the meal as the school run beckoned.

Mocktails are GOOD though so don’t despair if you can’t work your way through the wine list. They are created from local foraging by the team with ingredients also picked from Bowley’s polytunnels so the team can create different syrups, oils and juices to make refreshing, and intricate non-alcoholic drinks linking back to the location. It’s all in the detail.

ANYTHING ELSE?

There is not a dedicated kids’ menu BUT Alex and the team are happy to put together a bespoke kids’ menu if you are booking for a large group – there’s a real can-do attitude around here which is really refreshing in this industry.

Make sure you keep a keen eye on their What’s On pages which are packed full of foodie-led events designed to keep luring you back – as if we needed any excuse. Their Tiger Who Came to Tea event, was unsurprisingly a sell-out as it offered children a chance to learn more about the journey of food from farm to plate in a playful manner, linking back to that nostalgic childhood story, with a tasting menu highlighting hyper-seasonal produce sourced from small-scale farmers and locally foraged food. Every dish is a celebration of mindful dining, emphasizing minimal waste and maximum flavour e.g. say no to beige food.

Plus, we are already licking our lips about their Fruits de Mer event taking place on Weds 7 – Sat 10 Aug! Featuring a sumptuous selection of seafood from Kent. Whether you’re a seafood aficionado or just looking for a delicious summer dining experience, their Fruits de Mer is not to be missed.

They will also be launching experience days where you can go shooting with team followed by a game tasting menu as well as Tasting Menus with 7 courses of Kentish produce or the ambitious 12 course menu using food from across the British Isles. We told you that they were a creative bunch.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

GOOD FOR? Obviously, this is a no-brainer for foodies – go with the girls for lunch or take a group for one of their foodie events. You can also guarantee that you will never run out of conversation for date night as each dish is such a talking point.

NOT FOR? It is not cheap but considering the calibre of each dish, you are really getting bang for your buck.

THE DAMAGE

Our tasting menu was £90 per person with an additional option of the cheese course for £10 and £40 for matched wines.

Bowley’s Restaurant at The Plough, The Plough Inn, Taylors Lane, West Malling, Kent ME19 5DR, www.theploughkent.com

Review: Bowley’s at The Plough, Trottiscliffe

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