insideKENT Magazine Issue 101 - September 2020 | Page 38

FOOD+DRINK
A WARM WELCOME, HEARTY WHOLESOME FOOD, AND PERFECTLY
DEMONSTRATING THAT SAFETY DOESN’T HAVE TO COMPROMISE YOUR ‘NEW-
NORMAL’ DINING EXPERIENCE -
THE WINDMILL, HOLLINGBOURNE
NESTLED IN THE TINY ENCLAVE OF HOLLINGBOURNE, MERE MINUTES FROM THE RENOWN LEEDS CASTLE,
LIES THE WINDMILL. IT IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED FROM A COSY VILLAGE PUB - OPEN FIRE, RUSTIC FINISHES
AND A HOMELY, WARM WELCOME. AND THEN OF COURSE THERE IS ITS RECENT TRANSITION TO THE HUSH
HEALTH STABLE, BRINGING WITH IT A RENEWED SENSE OR PURPOSE, AN EXCITING RENOVATION PLAN AND
OF COURSE THE WELCOME EDITION OF SOME TOP NOTCH BALFOUR HUSH HEATH ESTATE WINES TO THE
ALREADY IMPRESSIVE AND LARGELY LOCALLY-SOURCED MENUS. BY SAMANTHA READY
A venture to The Windmill had been top of my list
pre-lockdown, so it seemed only fitting that my first
official jaunt out led me straight to its historic doors,
well more precisely to the newly designed beer garden
- finished in time for a blazing summer season.
Boasting a range of perfectly spaced picnic benches
as well as a large decked outdoor kitchen, complete
with Big Green Egg BBQ, it’s the perfect socially
distanced alfresco space.
Whilst the allure of outdoor dining is proving strong
for obvious reasons this summer, my guest and I
opted for a lovely indoor table, keen to see just how
the pub had adapted to its new normal - and we
were pleasantly and reassuringly impressed.
Inside there are arrows to guide visitors one way
through the beam strung dining room, plentiful
hand sanitiser, spaced pre-bookable tables, and the
added bonus of Hush Heath’s app which allows noncontact
ordering.
Yet none of this detracts from the homely feel
and friendly service, led from the front my new
manager Diana. Ecstatically happy to be welcoming
back guests, she explained that alongside the main
menu there are delicious daily specials, and
recommended a fantastic glass of fruity sparkling
Balfours Leslie’s Reserve NV and the aromatic crisp
Balfour Skye’s Blend 2018 white for us to try - what
a way to start lunch!
And what a lunch it was!
The Windmill is rightly proud of its ethos for local
ales, fine wines and seasonal menus, using the best
locally-sourced produce, which carefully balance
heartiness with sophistication.
The result is classically British dishes with an air of
refinement and attention to detail, as demonstrated
by my guests starter, a heaving dish of plump prawn
cocktail, and my daily special pick; a perfectly crisp,
delicately seasoned, perfectly oozing, black pudding
scotch egg with tangy piccalilli.
Our main courses continued on the traditional and
tasty theme, my guest sat in open mouth wonder as
her huge Hush Heath cheeseburger arrived, whilst
I enjoyed the foodie delight of fork hitting perfectly
crisp beer batter, as I devoured my Jake’s beer
battered fish, served of course with mushy peas and
delicious crisp and salty chips.
Caught up in the pleasure of a lunch date that had
been put on hold for too long, relaxing in the
atmosphere and enjoying some really tasty food (that
we hadn’t had to cook- hurrah!) we just had to opt
for pud. Ending out sitting with the glorious rich
sweetness of a sticky toffee pudding and the perfect
notes of local summer with an Eton mess bursting
with local summer berries.
The Windmill is open daily; serving lunch 12pm -
3pm and dinner 6pm - 9pm Monday - Friday; all
day dining 12pm - 9pm Saturdays; and for lunch
12pm - 5pm on Sundays.
The Windmill
32 Eyhorne Street,
Hollingbourne,
Maidstone
ME17 1TR
www.thewindmillhollingbourne.co.uk
TheWindmillPub1
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