Tasting menu at The Small Holding
The reason we decided to make the not insubstantial journey to Kent to visit The Small Holding started at Black Deer Festival in June. On the last morning of the festival, my friend and I inadvertently entered a VIP enclosure. It wasn’t until we were sitting on a sofa (a SOFA!) with our drinks, surrounded by tables of fresh flowers, slightly bemused, that we got chatting to a lovely couple. First, they informed us we were in an area other people had paid a lot of money to be in (genuine oops) and were very gracious about it. They even tipped us off about the real flushing toilets and scented hand cream.
We got talking about food (as you do) and their son who is a fantastic young chef. They told us about the restaurant he worked at - The Small Holding - and painted such an enticing picture of the location, the philosophy and the vibe that I knew I wanted to visit. Since then, I’ve spied The Small Holding in Waitrose Magazine and on Sue Quinn’s Insta grid - both excellent indications of quality.
In 2018 brothers Will and Matt Devlin bought ‘The Globe and Rainbow’ pub in the village of Kilndown and turned it into The Small Holding, a one-acre farm and kitchen. The farm grows around 200 types of fruit, vegetables and herbs - pretty efficient in a one-acre plot. They follow the no-dig method to protect the health of the soil, and the ever-changing tasting menu is guided by their own seasonal produce. They have already won two AA Rosettes and a Michelin Green Star.
There is no written menu, which made one of our party very twitchy as she likes to plan ahead and know what she’ll be eating. I forget that the element of surprise isn’t for everyone (but she did incredibly well considering that’s not her preference). The chefs deliver the dishes to the table and explain how they have been cooked, which makes a lot of sense. We even got to say hello to the lovely Kieran - the son of the couple we met at Black Deer - who couldn’t believe how far we’d travelled based on his parents’ recommendation!
It’s difficult to write about each of the 12 courses in any detail, as I’m unable to refer back to a menu - and the wine flight may have clouded my memory towards the end. But what I do remember is that there wasn’t a dud course. We ate perfectly-portioned plates of salami, aubergine, mackerel, oysters, lobster, chicken, hogget, two desserts, cheese and petit fours. I was surprised by the little touches of luxury - such as the oysters and lobster - among the homegrown produce,
The absolute knockouts that stick in my mind are the fennel salami made from their own pigs - the tastiest and juiciest I’ve ever eaten, and the perfect accompaniment to homemade bread and butter. And the most taste-tastic deconstructed berry cheesecake with plump, juicy blackberries as the crowning glory.
I found the wine flight to be on the expensive side, but it was a treat to try five new wines such as the Holus Bolus Blanc, made entirely from Roussanne grapes grown at Bien Nacido, a biodynamically farmed vineyard in Santa Maria Valley. And the 2019 La Malinche from Somers Vineyard in California, made with Mission - the oldest and rarest grape in California.
I really enjoyed the quality of The Small Holding. The food and wine was incredible and the restaurant was buzzing. But it was the young staff who made it for me, all so knowledgable and passionate about food and drink, and clearly loving what they do. And do you know what? I love what they do too.
smallholdingrestaurant.com
