When we took ownership of The Small Holding in 2018, it was a rundown and neglected pub, albeit one with a large decked terrace and beer garden with views over the Weald of Kent. Since then we’ve transformed it into an open kitchen and bar and the garden into a one-acre productive plot with two large polytunnels, fifteen raised beds, soft fruit and herb beds, plus space for pigs, chickens and ducks, beehives and a patch of wildflowers. We now grow over 200 varieties of vegetables and fruit during the year.
During the peak growing months, the raised beds and polytunnels are full of lettuces, chard, beans, tomatoes, courgettes, raspberries, gooseberries and blackcurrants. Growing our own produce on the farm brings an understanding and honesty to the kitchen and vital freshness that, for me, is really important. Making the most of our harvests when the ingredients are at their prime (whilst also preserving and conserving them to use throughout the year) keeps us concentrated on the natural cycle of the land and helps us to create full-flavoured and imaginative dishes. It’s a fun process as we choose and refine each year’s seed take, considering both flavour and yield.
