My family held a wake at this venue recentl for my fathers passing…read more Extremely disappointed with the food, quality & Quantity of food, the customer service was extremely poor. Given the event was a wake You would hope to receive a service that showed thoughtfulness & a welcoming environment. We paid £220 for 18 people. The food had clearly been purchased from a local cash & carry. Our menu should have contained "hot sausage rolls" and a fresh cake along with sandwiches and crisps. What we were given were sandwiches on a plastic plate, a couple of bags of crisps in a small bowl, cold sausage rolls and a synthetic cake. The quantity wasn't for 18 people. No offers of extra teas and coffees or even a hello is everything ok for you. Following the event we called to discuss our disappointment, and were told the manager was away and would contact us the following week. We received no return calls. A week later I emailed the pub sharing my disappointment. No reply. Businesses and companies have policies that they should adhere to and one of those is following up and managing complaints. I'm baffled by this pubs lack of communication and its appalling behaviour. If the pub had staffing shortages on the day then they should have been transparent about this. When i called the day before just to check in about our booking no difficulties were mentioned. Disappointing and would never return again or recommend. Date of visit: October 2025

We started our trip to the UK by staying at the Duke of Cumberland. It's a beautiful pub in the…read morecenter of a quiet little village. A true English pub if I ever saw one. They have three rooms upstairs for folks staying so we grabbed one for two nights. They have private parking, a play area for kids out back, plus room for outdoor events in addition to the pub itself. The rooms are accessible from a private staircase out back as well as from within the pub which is nice so you don't have to haul your luggage through the pub. The food was really good and I absolutely loved the cask ales. I really wish we had those in the US. The best part though was hanging out with the locals in the evening, and chatting with the staff during breakfast. Great people and everyone made us feel at home. Highly recommended.

A really nice village pub, the service is excellent as all the staff are friendly and competent, a…read moregood pint at a good price. We had a meal there with some friends and although the menu was a little limited, we found it to be good and good value. I have been told, but cannot give first hand review, that the Sunday lunch is one of the best pub lunches in the area.

Good little pub. Staff sounded like a good little family team little bit of banter, laughter made…read moreour Sunday visit very pleasurable.

A VERY fine eating and drinking establishment…read more What really annoys me is that we've been here before for a drink - even had a meal here with a group of people but only on a subsequent visit much later did I realise what wonderful food it was serving. Talk about blind and insensitive! Judi and I have been visiting gastro pubs lately - mainly in the south of England - as a means of ensuring reasonable food/drink quality. You can usually tell them by the makeover - the sage green sign and the trendy wood and metal furniture - and, yes, we have eaten well and there are a few Qype and Google Earth posts to record this experience. BUT........ The Griffin's Head doesn't claim to be a gastro pub - it just IS one but doesn't feel the need to jump on the makeover/label bandwaggon. It has too much taste for that! The quality of the food and wine list is remarkable. There is no permanent menu - so if you go there one afternoon before it is written up on the board, as we did, you should just trust me and book a table. You will not be disappointed by the food itself or the presentation of the dishes. The wine list is extensive and contains some really good stuff. To top the lot, the Griffin's Head is a very beautiful, half-timbered house of great antiquity set in a tiny, remote village with houses of similar vintage. There is even a tiny smock mill to the north of the village to complete the picture of the idyllic English pub. The landlord has something of a reputation! He doesn't suffer fools gladly and if you behave in a crass fashion you will be told so in no uncertain terms and serve you right ! If you are NOT crass, love good food and fine wines and enjoy lovely surroundings, go to the Griffin's Head. Otherwise keep away and leave it to people of taste! Well-behaved dogs allowed; children NOT allowed - bliss! Superbly run by Jerry and Karen Copestake

My friend and I were made to feel extremely unwelcome, and we were treated TERRIBLY by the staff…read more As two young women, we were patronised, and our casual visit was even questioned, 'WHY are you here?' Our request for 2 hot drinks and a snack on a cold winter afternoon in a near-empty pub was treated with bemusement and ridicule, as was our pretty standard desire to see a menu. We were left sitting in darkness in one end of the pub, lights were only turned on when one of the locals sat nearby. We would never return to the pub, and were extremely disappointed by an otherwise beautiful building.

Visited the Fitzwalter Arms for lunch on Saturday with 3 friends and had a wonderful meal. I'd…read moreeaten here twice before and each time I come back the food is even better than before! All around the table were pleased with their orders but I have to say that I was the winner when it came to ordering. I started with the Italian style antipasti which included an incredibly succulent bresoala cured by the chef himself. The starter was a rich, velvety langoustine bisque that was so sensational I had to let everyone at the table try it once but they weren't allowed a second sip! The main course of salt marsh lamb was succulent and served with perfectly cooked and seasoned vegetables. The quality of the ingredients was so clearly evident as is the chef's care and attention in cooking and plating up well-presented but unfussy and generous portions. We were all incredibly satisfied with the meal and an excellent bottle of wine. The service was friendly and welcoming and the pub itself feels like an undiscovered gem in the sleepy Kent countryside. Highly recommended on all fronts.

A fantastic pub/restaurant which since the most recent owners took over has become a favourite for…read moregoing to on visits to my parents. The restaurant is a lovely room with a great real open fire and lovely outlook over the churchyard. On our recent lunch here I had Mulligatawny soup to start which was delightfully spiced with fresh coriander, garlic and ginger flavour and not at all heavy, it came served with delicious home made bread. I followed this with cod fillet which came with a fish cake served on a lovely bed of kale and with what they describe as an old fashioned egg sauce, delicious. Unfortunately we didn't have time for pudding but they do delicious desserts, everything home made. Food is locally sourced and free range/organically grown so green,healthy as well as tasty. Great and friendly service. Prices are very reasonable.

Service is good but coke is abit to watery like and so is the sprite probs only because busyread more

A wonderful home cooked meal of liver and bacon worth several pints of Tribute was a great way to…read morespend my last night in England.

A B&B in a pub seems the best of both worlds, particularly when the pub in question is a drive away…read morefrom anywhere. Ideally, you have good food, good beer, good company and a nice room. The Duck Inn provides most of this. The Duck Inn is a true country pub near Canterbury, in the wonderfully named 'Petts Bottom'. It is surrounded by fields, and indeed, the back garden contains chickens and a thriving vegetable patch (though the hose wants to be careful - the Malamute dog attacks it mercilessly). The interior is well appointed. The rear has a restaurant feel, whilst the front feels more like a traditional country pub. The bar isn't huge, but, notably, behind the bar sits gravity fed barrels of beer (and cider). Sadly, on my visit, not all were in use, and so we were restricted to the sadly ubiquitous in Kent Shepherd Neame Master Brew - not one of my favourite ales. However, on the second night, they had the Tiger on gravity feed, which was a much nicer pint. It would be good to see a larger and more consistent selection of ales, however, speaking to the young landlord (Jon), they normally do have more. Just our bad luck, I guess. The food is good. There is a wide selection, from pub standards such as pizza and burgers, to more 'gourmet' style offerings of steak or monkfish. The food was good, though, in truth, not amazingly so (sorry Jon and Vicky!). The breakfasts, on the other hand, were superb. We couldn't have asked for fresher eggs, as they came for the aforementioned chickens. The room was airy and pleasant, though it is worth noting that the bathrooms are not en-suite, but there is a large bathroom next door to the double room we occupied, complete with both a bathtub and an independent shower unit, along with two sinks (and, of course, a toilet). The bedroom had a low to the floor, but large double bed, and a sofa. The furniture was, I believe, modern Ikea, but it was comfortable and inoffensive. The room had a couple of major lacks though - a lock on the door (not that we were worried about theft, but it does give a feeling of privacy) and a mirror. Also, whilst there were tea and coffee making facilities, there was no milk, so it was black coffee all around. This doesn't yet sound like a ringing endorsement, does it? The welcome we got was unparallelled, and more than made up for any deficiencies. Not only were Jon and Vicky (and their baby son) warm and hospitable, but the Friday night locals treated us like long lost relatives (the good kind). They bought us drinks, played Jenga (there is a good selection of books and board games. As an aside, many of the books are James Bond books, because Ian Fleming apparently drank there, and wrote one or two of his novels there), laughed with us, and made us feel more welcome than I can remember feeling in a long time. The pub stayed open late, and Vicky even brought out bacon sandwiches for the hungry yet wobbly patrons still remaining at that late time. You do need a car for this pub. There is nothing around it. However, it is within easy reach of the nearest village (Bridge), and close to both Canterbury and Whitstable - two very pleasant Kent cities/towns. There is a good sized car park in the back. It would be good to see more beers there. The food could have been slightly better. A lock on the room would have been ideal. Yet I spent a thoroughly pleasant two days there. I would go back at the drop of a hat, and recommend you do the same.

Really nice food! I had a delicious pork belly. The meat melted with a thin layer of belly fat,…read moreeverything in a delicate sauce with some crunch on top and mash potatoes underneath. This was a quality dish and very abundant. We got chips on the side. The chunky style you expect to taste in the UK. My guess is that they were triple fried and homemade because you could taste the potato and it was super crunchy! We got invited to have a tour of the kitchen. And everything looked so good. The steak was clearly aged, the pork belly was super slow cooked in air free plastic bags. At the time i am writing this review my stomack is still full from all the overeating we did there... Still super worth it and happy to finish 2014 on such a high!

The Jackdaw is always a family favorite when in the UK. They were kind and accommodating to my…read moredisabled grandma as we were able to sit at the very large table behind the bar. I can always look forward to having Aspall cider there too. The Sunday roast was delicious and can't wait to go back.

We rolled in, a little nervously, at 2pm on Saturday, knowing full well that pub lunch on a…read moreSaturday finishes at 2! Any tredipation we may have felt dissipated immediately as we were greeted warmly and shown a table straight away. The Jackdaw is a lovely old pub which has been decorated with ornaments and paintings from around the world. This may sound incongruous but works very well as you feel you get a sense of the landlady's tastes and reminds you what a proper public house should be! They had a Harvey's and an Adnam's on draught which was a good enough selection for us and the food menu is split into "traditional pub fayre" (scampi and chips etc) and "something different" from which I ordered the fantastic succulent baked cod with celeriac. The food is well-cooked and arrived quickly and comes at what I would describe as a fair price. All in all, a great place for a pub lunch or a pint by the fire after a ramble in the local countryside.

Unfortunately, this nice little village pub is closed at present, hopefully, will reopen in the…read morefuture.

From the owner: The Royal Oak Nonington is a family oriented Pub & Restaurant offering real local ales and locally…read moresourced food we can guarantee great tasting food and drink. Located in the heart of Nonington there are beautiful surroundings for you and your family to take in. Including a family of ducks which inhabit the pond across the from the pub. Recently added is the new decking out front so you can enjoy the sunshine all day. Not forgetting the new children's adventure playground hosted within the large garden which comes with a barbeque area for those summer days.

Customers are an inconvenience to the staff here. The food is charged at restaurant prices but not…read moreone ounce of restaurant service was provided. No physical menus where available to browse, you had to gather around a small fireplace looking at chalk boards, grappling with a busy bunch of other customers. There were 4 of us, so had to go in two at a time , not very practical when you want a relaxing lunch, sitting at the end of the garden. When the food arrived by the grumpy waitress, we ask for water at the table but was told to go to the bar to order more drinks, which my husband did so had to leave his food to go cold for over 5 minutes. Didn't matter because the food was bland and sub-standard for the prices they charged. We did not want to approach the hostile staff with our comments as it was supposed to be a pleasant family lunch. In fact we couldn't wait to leave.

I had dinner at this pub masquerading as a restaurant and tonight will be the last time. For a pub…read morein a village that charges restaurant prices I expect to be treated like I was in a restaurant. Unfortunately, there were flies continuously harassing us through our dinner and laying on top of our bread rolls. Secondly they choose to employ young girls and whilst may I add the young girl behind the bar was very friendly and a good service manner, our table waitress was either Vicki pollards biggest fan or we were delighted by the presence of a 'chavtastic' teenager in the prime of attitude just wishing not to be working...our service was a disgrace, the food was overlooked and the cleanliness of the place has a lot to be desired judging by their infestation of bugs wanting to join us at the table. A horrible experience and I will take my hard earned £65 elsewhere.

This pub/restaurant is well off the beaten track,but once you have visited it you will return! It…read moreis a family run pub.It has a real log fire and a childrens play area.There is a lovely patio/garden which is great in the summer.The food here is excellent. Most of the ingredients are locally sourced and the portions are large.The last time I visited I had locally caught Whitstable fish wich was delicious. They do a special 2 course lunch or why not go the whole hog( no pun intended) and visit on a sunday for an excellent roast. They have 3 bedrooms too for B & B. I would advise early booking for the restaurant as even though it is off the beaten track it gets very busy.

From the owner: The Duke William, a traditional pub within the quintessential English village of Ickham near…read moreCanterbury in Kent, is the latest addition to Chef of the Year 2002 and ex-Gordon Ramsay Restaurant head chef Mark Sargeant's portfolio. With a cherished selection of ales, beers and wines or meals containing the very finest produce served at Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, The Duke William utilise the recently renovated pub and restaurant to provide a welcoming, endearing environment. The award winning food, spearheaded by Michelin Star chef Mark Sargeant, has been developed to mirror simplistic but perfect traditional pub meals. With a beer garden and bedrooms, the pub-cross-restaurant set in the picturesque village of Ickham is a place to visit whether you would like a coffee, a meal or a night's stay.