Inside Secret Kent
East Kent has become one of the hottest corners of the country to explore. But where do locals actually go? It's not the places you'll find in Time Out....here's my ultimate insider guide
When I moved to East Kent back in 2014, I remember asking the neighbours if there was anywhere good to eat. They twisted their mouths in concentration. ‘Er…there’s a decent Chinese along the A20,’ we were told. And that was that.
The truth was there wasn’t much happening in this quiet, slightly wild corner of England back then. If my husband and I wanted any fun, we drove to the Channel Tunnel and hot footed it over to France.
Of course BREXIT makes it much harder to do that nowadays, and besides, East Kent has become where’s it at. Of course everyone knows that Margate is the new Hackney and that clap boarded Whitstable is England’s answer to Cape Cod. Sort of. But I bet you didn’t know that Kent also has one of the best beaches in Europe, that is as gloriously quiet as it is sun-kissed and hidden from the masses. Or that there’s a brocante that’s better and far cheaper than anything you’ll find on the other side of the Channel. Sissinghurst may be Kent’s most famous garden (if not the world’s) but it’s not even the prettiest in Kent. That goes to a small garden down the road that opens only several times a year and where the owners will still greet you with a slice of cake and a cup of tea. Heaven.
What’s more, just a few weeks ago, my husband and I got word from a very esteemed restaurant reviewer that one of the best restaurants in the UK right now is hidden in a small nondescript village just ten minutes from the coast. We went. He was right.
It’s been almost ten years now since I’ve lived in this gorgeous little corner of the country and Im always being messages both ere and on Instagram for tips on where to go. So this week’s The List is my absolute go-to places on my home turf. These are places I have discovered and fallen in love with over the last decade. They are also places I go to often, so if you do venture down this way, there’s every chance we’ll bump in to one another. Do come and say hello.
You’ll notice that I’ve put a few addresses in East Sussex here too. They are places that sit on the border between wild Kent and slightly more polished East Sussex, but really there’s nothing in it so I have added them. if you have a car it would be rude not to make the short journey to the border where East Sussex meets Kent.
I’ve kept the first few places free but to read the entire list of over 20 places to visit you will need to be a paid subscriber. This means you can access every month’s The List which includes all my insider travel recommendations, things to see and know, plus access to my writing classes and group events.
Enjoy!
Forget Daylesford Organic and Wholefoods, this is the farm shop of dreams. Just five minutes outside the charming town of Faversham, Macknade’s has been a Kentish institution since forever. Here you’ll find rare local cheeses, freshly baked local speciality bread (The Whitstable loaf is a winner) as well as potatoes and asparagus pulled from the earth just hours earlier. From the months of April until September they also have a fabulous outdoor mini food market. Order the Choripan- hot chorizo slammed into a stone-baked sourdough bap and drizzled with salsa verde. My Saturday morning go-to.
Taking place on the first Sunday of every month from June to December, this is a small-ish but perfectly formed market. Many of the sellers are flogging wares that they have found in France, so expect lots of lovely monogrammed linens, baskets, those cute blue workmen’s jackets and much more. I have been to many brocantes, both here in the UK and in France and I can say, hand on heart, this is one of the loveliest and most reasonably prices. Get here before 10am however. And bring cash.
FAVERSHAM HARBOUR
Faversham is one of Kent’s most under the radar medieval market towns, which is crazy since it can match Petworth for its sheer number of antique shops (but at half the price) and is as charming as any of the UK’s more famous market towns. Start in Market Place and wind your way down to the harbour where you’ll find a mix of antiques shops, wine bars and one of the best fishmongers in all of the south coast- Herman’s Plaice. We also get our meat from Duck & Blade, a wonderful butchers on the quay. Papa Bianco dos great pizza and wine or there is a new place (whose name I don’t even know, because it’s one of those places that’s so cool I’m not even sure it actually has one). Anyway you can’t miss it- walk past Papa Bianco and it’s in a huge old black clapboarded building on the left.