insideKENT Magazine Issue 69 - December 2017 | Page 102
FOOD+DRINK
DESTINATION DINING WITH DISTINCTION AT
Frasers , EGERTON
EVERY SO OFTEN IN THIS GAME YOU STRIKE LUCKY AND FIND A TRUE KENTISH GEM –
A WONDERFUL MOMENT WHEN YOU STUMBLE UPON SOMEWHERE THAT JUST GETS
THINGS RIGHT, FROM THE LOCATION, DECOR, WARMTH OF SERVICE AND QUALITY OF
FOOD, TO THE AMBIENCE AND THE ETHOS, ALL PACKAGED TOGETHER TO PRODUCE
THAT INDESCRIBABLE ‘SOMETHING’ THAT SIMPLY MAKES IT SPECIAL… BY SAMANTHA READY
Located between the bustling towns of
Maidstone and Ashford in the heart of the rural
Kent countryside lies the little enclave of
Egerton, where you’ll find the 300-acre
Coldharbour Farm estate, which is also home
to Frasers, a secluded yet refined restaurant-
with-rooms concept.
I’d heard about Frasers from the unlikely
source of the British Farming Awards, where
this year the husband and wife team behind
the eponymous enterprise, Adam and Lisa-
Jane Fraser, triumphed, scooping the
‘Diversification Innovator’ award, which
recognised their ambitious development from
dairy farm, (as initiated in the 60s by Adam’s
father, John), to a grass-based farm system
and 5* hospitality offering.
The Frasers name and ethos, as well as their
recognisable stags head family crest, has been
synonymous with quality and service for
generations, most notably recognised as the
iconic brand House of Fraser, the retail
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emporium that traces back to Adam’s great
great grandfather.
Moving from the frenetic world of retail to the
rural ideal of farming eventually led to the
most significant change to the Egerton land
– cultivated by Lisa’s love of food, passion for
local produce and own kitchen skills, they
have created their stunning barn restaurant,
high-end secluded guest rooms and
developed a unique wedding and events
venue.
I’m not sure when exactly I realised that I was
onto a winner when my guest and I headed
for dinner at Frasers. Perhaps it was during
the peaceful approach through rural Kentish
villages, or the discovery of an almost hidden
winding driveway that signifies your arrival
onto the estate and whisks you away from the
hustle and bustle of daily routine. Maybe it
was the atmospheric steps, gravel crunching
underfoot, that lead you to the vaulted barn
that is home to dining room, or the first step
over the threshold to a personal and warm
welcome by Lisa herself, trophy in hand, who
effortlessly made us feel at home in a
restaurant that is as much about providing a
comfortable and relaxing dining experience
as it is about the beautifully executed seasonal
menu...
Most likely it was a combination of all of this
that set the scene for a promising evening
ahead, which was reinforced by the arrival of
a canape of heritage white beetroot meringue
with goat’s cheese and cucumber – a
combination of things that I would never
willingly choose, but that was absolutely
divine.
The evening dining concept at Frasers is
simple; it’s a set seven-course taster menu
with an option for wine pairing. On close
inspection however, the menu is wonderfully
complex utilising seasonal meat, game and
foraged produce from the estate with other
carefully sourced local Kentish produce (Lisa