Review: The Small Holding, Kilndown

Let The Small Holding do a little dance on your taste buds by exploring its award-winning tasting menu. There’s a reason it’s just retained its Michelin Green Star for the fourth year in a row – let us tell you about it.

THE LOCATION

You’ll find The Small Holding tucked down a country lane in Kilndown, which sits between Lamberhurst and Cranbrook. It’s off the beaten track yet easy enough to get to, not being far from the A21. There’s plenty of parking too which is a bit of a yawn topic to mention but these little factors all contribute to your overall dining experience.

The nearest station is Marden or the DFL’s come down to Paddock Wood and taxi from there. Once you have absorbed at least one of the dishes on offer, you will understand that it is well worth the ride.

Formerly a pub, you’ll now find simple Scandi interiors within the restaurant which is situated in one acre of a biodiverse farm packed full of fresh produce not forgetting chicken and ducks squawking around you. The mission is to grow, rear and forage as much of the food that is presented on your plate, encapsulating their farm-to-table ethos, without compromising on taste one iota.

THE LOWDOWN

The journey began with brothers Matt and Will Devlin who started the business as a pop-up in 2017 and the appetite quickly grew for a more permanent offering, thus The Small Holding was officially born.

This was followed by the launch of their sustainable dining restaurant, Birchwood, in September 2021, just over the border in Sussex in a place called Flimwell Park – a 46 acre pioneering sustainable woodland community blending living, working and recreation. Well-loved for its’ brunches as well as supper clubs, one should feel very fortunate that the Devlin brothers set up shop in our corner of the world.

There is a newcomer in their midst (which we secretly hope is freeing up Will’s time to source new Kent locations) as James Chatfield is now the Head Chef at The Small Holding working alongside Will in the kitchen.

James is no stranger to Kent as he has worked in and around the county in restaurants including Gravetye Manor, Restaurant Tristram, 64 Degrees and Murmur with his most recent role as Senior Chef de Partie at Tommy Banks’ Michelin star restaurant The Black Swan so together with his wife, Gabby, as Front of House, The Small Holding is in very safe hands.

And as if you needed any other incentive to visit, did you know that The Small Holding is one of a few dining destinations in the UK to receive a Michelin Green Star? The award highlights restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices and there are only two restaurants in Kent to have won this coveted prize.

And the accolades don’t stop there as our Muddy readers have also voted for The Small Holding as the Best Restaurant in Kent in our Muddy Stilettos Awards time and time again plus it is ranked in Harden’s Top 100 Restaurants in the UK and once you have read on, it will not be hard to see why…

THE VIBE

We absolutely loved the laid-back vibe of The Small Holding – with a husband-and-wife team in charge, you almost feel that you are entering someone’s home as it has an understated earthy appeal with very welcoming staff who can talk to you about their passion for food and foraging for as long as you want.

Log burners were being stoked as we arrived, sheepskin rugs draped over chairs for that additional warmth, dried flowers hung decoratively throughout, plus kiln jars full of pickled preserves were dotted around as colourful talking points. You will also find farm equipment stacked against walls to drive that farm-to-table message home as well as cooking and gardening books stacked around the restaurant to give the restaurant that lived-in feel. But it’s not cluttered, it’s all very charming and cosy.

The garden is a hub of activity with two permanent gardeners putting in 100 hours per week with a sunny decked area overlooking the smallholding at the front. It’s perfect for weekend walkers who are welcome to come for a drink which is another reason to love this place. They want everyone to embrace the restaurant and its approach towards sustainable food, so everybody is made to feel very at home.

SCOFF AND QUAFF

As you may have guessed, their food is defined by hyper-seasonal ingredients, responsibly sourced. There is no traditional menu, instead, guests are offered a multi-course dining experience with the best ingredients harvested that day. James and the team work with the seasons, foraging and preserving throughout the year so each visit will be entirely different. Every dish has been designed to ‘tell a story’ with sustainability at the heart of the matter.

Let us just warn you that we will run out of superlatives to describe each course as we were bowled over each time by the intricacy and artistry of each stage of our Full Acre Tasting Menu which consisted of ten courses of utter food heaven. If that feels too much of a stretch, there is the Half Acre menu with a more whistlestop tour of six courses which still give your taste buds a thorough run for their money.

They will tell you that the first part of the menu includes ‘Snacks’ – well we ain’t talking some pork scratchings and a bowl of olives whilst you sip your drinks as we were swiftly presented with three canape bites- one Trenchmore Sussex Wagyu Beef tartare croustade with BBQ padrons, the other a Salt cod fish cake, with their own togarashi (made with smoked scallop roe and dried fermented chilli), oyster emulsion and crispy sea lettuce and a Crispy Jerusalem artichoke served with egg yolk puree and pickled walnut ketchup. You see what I mean?

We won’t run through each course to avoid disappointment in case that dish is not there to greet you (and chances are it won’t as the menu changes every four weeks) but significant highlights included the Kale, Sea Beet & Cheese whereby the Sea Beet had been foraged by James and his wife on their day-off which gives you a measure of their dedication and passion for sourcing sustainable and local ingredients.

The Scallop has also have also been reminisced with a misty eye since our visit. Hand dived from Orkney and lightly barbecued, it was served with chopped fermented gooseberries from the farm (of course) with a XO sauce made with their dried scallop roes, smoked mackerel bones, preserved chilli, lacto plum skins and trim from their charcuterie proving that every inch of every ingredient is utilized in the cooking and presentation process.

If you want to hear one tiny chink in the armour, we favoured the vegetarian and fish dishes over the meat choices on the day as the game sausage and Partridge were richer in taste than their predecessors. But let’s not forget that we had eaten five courses by this point, so waistbands were starting to buckle, whilst still eyeing up puddings being escorted to the next-door table.

Puddings are also knock-out with a glorious pop of pink coming from their Rhubarb sorbet with Rhubarb compote, Hinxden yoghurt and Sweet cicely sourced from the farm made into a crunchy crumble and topped with Sweet cicely powder. A true pudding finisher was the Pump St chocolate tart with a pickled cherry and cherry brandy compote served with cultured Hinxden cream very lightly whipped and seasoned with meadowsweet which had been foraged to give that distinct almond and vanilla flavour.

When it comes to quaffing – they have you covered. Not drinking? No problem, how about one of MANY options including local and much loved Zak’s Kombucha made using forest-friendly Thai tea and seasonal local produce, harvested, foraged and gathered by the team in Kent so a perfect marriage for The Small Holding as Zak and his team pride themselves on using ‘waste’ ingredients.

Or you can try one The Small Holding’s homemade syrups served with the best-looking ice cube I have ever seen and a Verbena leaf.

But don’t you worry, there is a treat of a wine list to dive into handpicked by their sommelier Susie which is boutique in size as they partner with small vineyards that farm using low intervention winemaking methods. You will find some local Kent players as well as a recent Muddy favourite found further afield, Babylonstoren. one of the oldest Cape Dutch farms in the Franschhoek wine valley which (fun fact) it is owned and run by the team behind The Newt in Somerset. 

Or let it just flow and follow their lead by going for their wine pairing at £60.

OUT AND ABOUT

Nearby Scotney Castle is a popular choice for diners to work off some steam before their meal as there’s over 770 acres to explore, plus there’s a country house and more formal gardens to admire if you are after a cultural daytrip.

If you want to linger on in this part of Kent, we recommend staying at The Three Chimneys, just nine miles away, which pretty much typifies everything you would expect from a traditional Kentish pub and much more. They have bedrooms in a separate building across the pub gardens – giving added peace and privacy – with views directly onto open countryside and sliding doors.

ANYTHING ELSE?

It’s not just PR puff, you can join the team for their Grow the Seasons courses where they open the Farm for a truly behind-the-scenes experience. They will teach you all about seasonal growing – from No Dig methods to how to be sustainable in your own garden.

It’s not just for fair-weather gardeners as the courses run throughout the year, working from mulching the beds to sowing seeds, harvesting and preserving.

The course is a full day but thankfully does include a relaxed lunch, cooked by their chefs using ingredients from the farm. The restaurant is closed for the day, so you can take your time to chat with the team and explore.

We hear it’s also been a good activity to do with older children as sustainability is something that has been rightfully drilled into them from an early age, so they are keen to learn more and discover more about the provenance of their food.

THE MUDDY VERDICT  

GOOD FOR? Foodies. Obviously. Most likely, it will be on their hit-list anyhow. It’s the perfect date-day if you can squeeze in a walk and some culture beforehand. And if you have friends who think you are mad for leaving London in favour of the sticks, take them here. They will soon be eating their words…

NOT FOR? Kids are welcome but the surroundings and menu are fairly grown up so we would urge you to wait until they are a little bit older to fully appreciate the wonder of the meal in front of them.

THE DAMAGE  

The Half Acre tasting menu is £65 per person and the Full Acre tasting menu is £85 per person with a Wine Pairing option at £60 per person.

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