I am always working hard to bring you the breaking gastronomic news of Tonbridge and the local area. And let’s focus on the word news – I usually like to check my facts and tell you the definitive ‘word on the street’ about new places popping up but in this post, I have to admit that some of it is rumour. Quite well-founded rumour but as yet I haven’t been able to obtain the facts that I so need! So here goes, in no particular order …..
Tag: CAFE
Tonbridge Foodie News!
Thanks for all your help over the weekend with my Mediterranean veg soup question – look out for the next review so see what that’s all about! I have been very quiet I know but I am still trying to bring you news of the foodie goings on in Tonbridge – some of the news I’m not allowed to disclose yet (so hard!!) and others, I’m just waiting to hear final details.
Eat that frog! A blog about Basil, Tonbridge.
No this isn’t an announcement that Basil is branching out into French food! This command refers to a book called “Eat that Frog” by Brian Tracy which is all about tackling challenging tasks. And this blog feels like a challenge because I really want to like Basil on Tonbridge High Street but there’s always something that niggles. This blog has been ‘pending’ for quite some time….
Nancy’s Tea Rooms, Lambert’s Yard, Tonbridge, 22 September 2016
Nancy’s Tea Room opened in August, after teasing us with its makeover for quite some time (previously there were some public loos there!). It’s a quaint looking bright white, timber building near the river, Tonbridge Park and the High Street. The signage is traditional and the overall effect is one of nostalgia for tea rooms of my childhood, before the arrival of the coffee chains. Katie, the owner – the tea room is named after her daughter – offers a simple menu of jacket potatoes, sandwiches, paninis and the like, and of course, home made cakes. My friends and I sat upstairs, which is larger than it looks, and ordered sandwiches and a cream tea. Cheese and pickle The service was very prompt and attentive and the sandwiches didn’t take long at all to arrive. I ordered one of my childhood faves of cheese and pickle and I was not disappointed. The sandwiches were very generously filled (my friend’s tuna mayo sandwich was too) and really tasty. I appreciate it’s hard to go wrong with a cheese and pickle sandwich but some places do, providing limp, sparsely filled offerings where the cheese is sliced and not grated…little things like that matter. The cream tea came with plenty of cream and jam; I had recently tasted a bad scone (overwhelming margarine taste) so my taste buds were piqued with anticipation but there was nothing to worry about, this one was fine. Always forget to take the pics! Red velvet, chocolate fudge, orange and lemon cakes were on offer and I plumped for a slice of lemon and a slice of orange to takeaway (to share with my children I hasten to add). The cakes were moist, although I think the orange and lemon flavours could have been a little stronger so that you really experience a citrus hit. They were perfectly decorated with just the right amount of icing, adorned with a candied orange/lemon slice. We thoroughly enjoyed them! Nancy’s has found a niche in Tonbridge I think and has differentiated itself from some of the other cafes gracing the High Street with its simplicity and nod to a bygone era – these qualities make it feel easy, welcoming and homely. I will definitely return.
Ticking a lot of boxes – The Bakehouse at 124, Tonbridge
The deadline to nominate for the Kent Life & Kent on Sunday Food & Drink Awards is looming – 7 August. So far I’ve covered the categories ‘Newcomer of the Year’ and ‘Café of the Year’ as Tonbridge has plenty of potential nominees for these categories. On or around Tonbridge High Street we have some lovely independent shops doing their bit to promote food & drink too. ‘Gorgeous George’ sells wines & spirits and would be eligible for ‘Independent Food or Drink Retailer of the Year’, as would Ian Chatfield The Butchers, a reliable & very friendly source of good quality meat with its accompanying deli counter. Next year, we may be nominating Favola, the new artisan ice cream parlour. This week I’d like to highlight a venue that is eligible for both ‘Independent Food or Drink Retailer’ and ‘Food Producer’, as well as ‘Café of the Year’ & the newcomer award – quite a feat: The Bakehouse at 124. The owner, Clare, & her team would love to win an award from Kent Life & Kent on Sunday, “Kent Life covers the whole county…to win an award is amazing customer feedback.” The story behind The Bakehouse is about a passion for food and in particular food education: Clare is allergic to many foods and she found it frustrating when staff didn’t know the origins or the ingredients of the food they were serving. Educating others about food was important to Clare but she decided to focus on herself first, training as an artisan baker. 124 High Street, a bakery in the first half of the 1900s, is one of the oldest buildings in Tonbridge & listed. Its size lends itself well to the café and open kitchens. Clare has lovingly restored it, maintaining the quirks of a building with history. Education comes in the shape of a ‘viewing bench’ for anyone who wants to watch the bakers kneading away; a little bit of calm is available on sofas upstairs; and tranquility can be found with a view of the castle outside in the walled garden. So what is ‘artisan’ bakery, and what makes it different from what I might try at home after watching ‘The Great British Bake Off’? “Artisan means that you are making a product from start to finish, using the best ingredients and making it in its simplest form, be it ice cream, chocolate, bread etc….,” says Clare, “At The Bakehouse we use flour, water & salt, we don’t even use yeast in most of our breads as we use sour dough.” Clare’s training means that she understands the science behind the bake and also the results achieved by using different flours. Artisan is different to ‘craft’ bakery and, of course, a world away from the sliced loaf you buy at the supermarket. The Bakehouse is a café offering a wide variety of artisan baked goods to suit appetites from breakfast to afternoon tea & cake, & it sells its on-site baked loaves too – there’s a ‘loaf timetable’ so that customers know when their favourites are available. We discussed that bread often gets a bad press, people thinking that bread doesn’t ‘agree’ with them but, Clare explains that she has converted quite a few customers. I have tried in the past to make bread by hand, inspired by Mr Hollywood and the GBBO contestants but have failed miserably. I like to know the origins of my food and to be able to see it being made in front of my very eyes, certainly ticks that box. Clare has converted me. If you’d like to nominate The Bakehouse or anywhere else in Kent (preferably Tonbridge!), you can do so here.