Under new management!
Under new management!
This is quite exciting! Havet is the first place that I am returning to as Eat Around Tonbridge….I know there are still some places that I haven’t reviewed but I’m a little proud that the blog has survived this long and I’m now returning to places. Once again, Havet kindly invited me so they generously paid for our meal – just for the record that doesn’t mean I’m biased towards them but I have to let you know.
The Cook Book Trail!
If you had forgotten (ah-hem), I have been involved in creating The Cook Book Sevenoaks Tonbridge Tunbridge Wells which has been published and is available to buy now (list of stockists at the end). It is a beautiful book, full of wonderful recipes and, actually, it also serves as a great guide to eating out in west Kent.
December is nearly upon us and I’m going to run 12 Days of Feastmas again – whoop whoop I hear you shout! I know! I’m excited too! If you follow me on Instagram (@eat_tonbridge) you’ll know that I ran a poll on my stories a while ago about whether to run it in January instead of December – January is such a dull month for many of us that I thought it would be a great pick-me-up. But, the lovely team at Chasing Connor’s Cure are running a raffle in January and I didn’t want to get in the way of that – such a great charity and they all work really hard to raise funds to end Duchenne. So it’s happening in December.
I met with the general manager of The Beer Seller this week, a new pub coming to Tonbridge High Street, to be situated on the site of John Angell jewellers, and due to open mid December. Jamie and the team are busy refurbishing the inside – it’s going to be unlike anywhere else we have already! – and sourcing quality libation.
We were greeted with a lovely welcome at El Mariachi, Tonbridge’s very own Mexican restaurant, when I visited with a friend a couple of Fridays ago. This restaurant was in the first wave of those dipping their toe in the Tonbridge dining scene and they’ve stood the test of time; this is no mean feat considering their location too, tucked away down Avebury Avenue.
I love new year’s eve! I know I’m odd because most people really don’t like it but I think it’s a very special night, very poignant. As a result, I love to go out on NYE and celebrate with friends and family and this year, there’s a really special party happening right on the High Street on 31 December.
This blog started out almost as a dare to myself: after years of being employed and becoming a parent, could I do something on my own? Well I did back in April 2016 and little did I know of the exciting journey ahead of me. I’ve met and interviewed some great local foodies, broken the news of places opening in Tonbridge, been nominated for an award thanks to all of you, been interviewed by new cooking app developers on the eating and shopping habits of the average Brit (true fact!), co-founded a successful, local foodie networking club and last and definitely not least, today I’m thrilled that it’s publication day for a cook book that I have helped to bring to reality! Whoop! Whoop!
I have been so excited about writing this review and sharing with you my really lovely evening at Garfo Douro. My friend and I were very kindly invited by chef Jose and the Garfo Douro marketing manager Zoe to come and see and, of course, taste what all the fuss is about. If you haven’t heard, it’s very popular.
How are we all? Still enjoying summer? Well, a sign that summer is coming to an end and that TV producers expect us to start staying in and watching TV is the advent of the autumn schedules. There is a glut of cooking programmes on at the moment. Who watched local chef Scott Goss of The Twenty Six on Great British Menu? There’s Celebrity Masterchef too and starting next week is the Great British Bake-Off! Whether you’re a cake baker or not, we seem to be intrigued by confectionery creations, baking blunders and sensational show-stoppers.
If you follow me on Instagram (@eat_tonbridge) and have been observing my recent stories, you’ll know that I have been teasing you all about an exciting project which has involved some interesting meetings with local businesses. Well the wait is finally over and all can be revealed!
