If like me you have been involved in Dry January, you may well be looking forward to this weekend.* Well done you did it – enjoy a drink if the fancy takes you. Listen up, though, I’m not advocating everyone who’s been alcohol free in January go out on a huge bender as that’s just not sensible but I would recommend that you try Tonbridge’s first Beer Weekend!
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.
Warning! This blog is not for the cynical – it’s very positive! Community spirit, creative people, generous businesses. But it does all start with a sad story.
The Tonbridge scene continues to grow with the revival of The Rose Revived at the weekend & the arrival of The Clockhouse (hoping for March), Fuggles (summer opening) and Creams Factory (also planning to open in March) this year. Creams Factory at 160 High Street If you want to become a part of it, why not apply for one of the jobs on the Eat Around Tonbridge job board? Click here to see what’s available. Good luck and let me know how you get on!
Wow! What a 24 hours! If you’re still reeling, I promise there’ll be no mention of that election & especially not that man! Instead I’d like to introduce you to the Greensand Ridge brand, currently building a reputation for its gin. This gin has only been around for a few weeks but it’s already being talked about. Will Edge and his family have set up home in a beautiful 19th century coach house in Shipbourne with spectacular views over the Greensand Ridge. The stables have been transformed into part science lab, part bottling production line whilst maintaining some of their original character and, as the saying goes, ‘this is where the magic happens.’ The beautiful view from the courtyard over the Greensand Ridge. Will, originally from Sevenoaks, left the area in his youth to find his fortune but after working in London for quite a while, he decided that sitting behind a desk was for him no longer. He turned a hobby into something more by enrolling in a master’s degree in Brewing and Distilling after years of home brews and cider making. Now, let me tell you about the gin. I was served it neat and was, quite frankly, blown away, and I don’t mean by the alcohol content. It was amazing, the best gin I’ve ever tasted. (Listening to the interview, it’s quite amusing to hear my emphatic ‘WOW!’ when I taste it for the first time.) It’s made with eight botanicals that grow within a mile of the distillery including cobnuts, oak moss & gorse and seven traditional gin botanicals, including the essential juniper. It’s drinkable with a mixer or neat, unlike lots of other gins on the market (responsibly, of course!). There is a growing appetite for consumers to understand the provenance of their food and drink alongside an industry & consumer mission to reduce waste and the Greensand Ridge Distillery is keen to embrace both of these things. Like the spirits he creates, Will wants his brand to be transparent. “I’m trying to build an honest brand so that consumers know what they’re getting,” he tells me, “and I can do that as I have the still [the distilling apparatus], I don’t need to outsource anything.” He not only distills in-house but he also bottles, labels and distributes. He’s proud to be able to say that the only non-recyclable waste from his production line is the backing of the stickers that adorn the bottles – pretty impressive hey? And that isn’t the only way he recycles: ‘sustainability’ is a word that you hear Will use a lot and he is keen to support local farmers who have to contend with price squeezes and mounting competition. The Greensand Ridge ‘Raspberry Ghost’ schnapps is made from surplus raspberries and the barrel aged apple brandy* (apples fermenting as we speak) uses storm damaged apples deemed below par for the supermarkets – both fruits sourced from local farmers. Just as Will supports local, lots of local establishments are supporting him: Fuggles, TOFS, The Kentish Hare, The Wine Library and Gorgeous George are just some of the local places where you can support him to enjoy it yourself or buy some for home (it would make a great Christmas present!). And you can book now on the website to visit the distillery in the new year and create your own alcoholic tipple. So at a time when the world seems to be going mad, I heartily recommend pouring yourself a Greensand Ridge gin & tonic (Will recommends a gin: tonic ratio of 1:3) and taking some time out with friends. That’s what gets my vote. Will has kindly donated a prize to my “12 days of Feastmas” competition so keep liking and sharing Eat Around Tonbridge on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram as well as the website, to be in with a chance of winning a bottle! Greensand Ridge distillery can be found on Twitter on @GSRdistillery
Recently, I’ve been catching up with some of the owners and managers of our local Tonbridge eating places and wanted to share with you what I’ve learnt about our evolving & exciting eating scene…get your diaries out, there’s lots going on! The Old Fire Station will continue to bring great chefs to Tonbridge and some are starting to come back to serve us second helpings including Tonbridge’s own Gurkha Planet & Sulston’s Kitchen (brunch weekends) as well as Brisket & Barrell (14th & 15th October – no ticket required) & Ben Spalding (7th & 8th October). Ben tells me that the menu will be revealed on the night but “expect 14 servings of delicious, playful & well-balanced cooking with maximum vibes!” They’re also doing their bit for charity by hosting pizza nights in their courtyard 7th & 8th October. All you need do is buy a drink and then the pizza is as much as you want to donate to ‘Tonbridge Calling’ – a great cause. There’s so much going on at TOFS over the coming weeks and months that I can’t write about it all! I heartily recommend following TOFS on Facebook so that you can be one of the first to hear about these fantastic events and something very exciting that they have planned towards the end of the year! Sadly my lips are sealed but it’ll be worth it… The Bakehouse at 124 is diversifying, bringing us pizza nights and chef Dan Hatton in this lovely old setting. The pizza nights are with Mission Pizza, “trying to save the planet one pizza at a time”, 7th & 8th October. Dan Hatton, a purveyor of fine foods at his store and café in the Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, as well as Michelin starred chef, generously gave his time and efforts to TOFS’ Empty Bowls event back in May. The soup that he served was amazing (read about it here), so if that one bowl of soup is anything to go by, these should be great nights! (Dates for all events are at the bottom of this page). Little tidbits of info… The Slug & Lettuce is set to change: it will become a Town Pub & Kitchen. On the group’s website the images of other TPKs, as they’re called, look promising, quite Graze-esque. Dates are still to be finalised so watch this space. Fuggles, the beer café that started in Tunbridge Wells, has planning permission to change the use of its premises and it’s now just waiting for the alcohol licence to be agreed by the council. The Chequers is ‘under new management’ but what the future holds for the oldest building in Tonbridge, we’re not quite sure. The rumour was that Sankey’s, the fish & seafood restaurant currently found in Tunbridge Wells, was going to take over but they tell me that’s not the case… If you missed my previous post on Facebook, our Thai restaurant, just across from The Chequers, Gaab Kao is now delivering. I know lots of you love it in there and love the takeaways – now you don’t have to leave the house! 01732 358730 Eat Around Tonbridge is launching a jobs board for the hospitality/food industry. There are many seasonal jobs being advertised in the town and you will now be able to find these all in one place. We’re aiming to go live with that next week so watch your feeds and share the Facebook page, tweets and website itself to spread the word and maybe earn some extra cash for Christmas. Lots going on! Surely there’s something for everyone on the High Street these days…but I’m sure it’s going to get even better! Keep liking and sharing my Eat Around Tonbridge Facebook posts, Tweets (@eat_tonbridge) and the website so that you can stay right up to date with news, openings, offers and competitions. Key dates & details 7th & 8th OctoberOld Fire Station – Chef Ben Spalding – if you’d like to book, tickets are £65 for 14 courses and can be booked by emailing Ben directly Ben@benspalding.co.ukOld Fire Station – Tonbridge Calling pizza fundraiserThe Bakehouse at 124 – Mission PizzaCall 01732 360382 14th & 15th OctoberOld Fire Station – Brisket & Barrell – no ticket requiredThe Bakehouse – chef Dan Hatton 18th, 19th November, 16th & 17th DecemberThe Bakehouse – chef Dan Hatton Eat Reviewer