Farm & Forage at The Small Holding
Tucked away in the sleepy, picturesque hamlet of Kilndown in Kent, lies The Small Holding, a restaurant with a small farm attached owned by brothers Will and Matt Devlin. Since opening in April 2018, the restaurant has received rave reviews and well deserved accolades for its food.
Popular buzzwords and phrases 'nose to tail eating', 'local produce', 'sustainability' can be found on many a restaurant menu these days, paying lip service to a growing trend, but often the dining experience can be a little unconvincing. Having dined at The Small Holding several times in the past year, the proof of chef Will Devlin's passion for locally sourced and home grown produce is in the eating. Will serves each dish personally, sharing the provenance of key ingredients, keen to explain how the seasonal elements complement each other.
When I was invited to come along and experience their Farm & Forage day a couple of weeks ago, I knew I would be in for a treat. The day starts as all good ones should, with breakfast. The table is laden with baskets brimming with fresh pastries, homemade butter and pots of freshly brewed tea and coffee.
We sit in the sunshine and chat to Will about how his background as a chef and how his desire to use home grown, foraged and local produce led to him opening the The Small Holding with his brother Matt. Then a much anticipated tour of the farm, with its herd of happy Berkshire pigs, chickens and geese and polytunnels of vegetables, fruit and herbs for the restaurant kitchen
Forage
Our introduction to foraging starts on the farm. Will is genuinely excited to show us what appears to be a patch of weeds running alongside the polytunnels. This is where such edible treasures as wild sorrel, with lemony notes that pair perfectly with fish, or fat hen, similar to spinach and used as a salad leaf can be found.
We head out along the lane and Will points out dandylion, used to make dandylion wine and added to dishes as a garnish. Three cornered leak with its pretty white bell shaped flowers is next, the stem clearly identifiable, as it literally has three corners. Wild strawberries, mustard cress or 'Jack by the Hedge' and wild strawberries.
Will encourages respectfully foraging, only taking what you need and making sure you have permission from the landowner, if on private land. Our stroll takes us onto National Trust land, where foraging is not permitted, but there is much to see and identify. We walk through woods carpeted with bluebells and a profusion of wild garlic, perhaps the most commonly foraged wild plant at this time of the year, clearly identifiable from its garlicky aroma.
As we make our way back to the farm for lunch, hungry and baskets brimming with wild treats, Will points out pig nut, a member of the carrot family, which if dug up has an edible sweet chickpea size nut and wood sorrel.
Lunch
We return to The Small Holding, for a glass of awarding-winning Squerryes’ English sparkling wine, before our 5 course lunch from the Half Acre tasting menu.
The menu continually changes, utilising ingredients at their prime, always reflecting the natural cycle of the land and rhythm of the seasons.
On the Half Acre tasting menu today:
Carrot, Miso, Cabbage
Asparagus, Cheese, Lardo
Pork, Beans, Chilli
Hogget, Potato, Mustard
Meadowsweet, Rhubarb, Oats[
Mushroom gyoza
Home grown oyster mushroom steamed gyoza, on a fermented chilli and anchovy dip.
New season asparagus tartlet
Locally grown new season asparagus from Ladysden farm, dressed in foraged elderflower vinaigrette, topped with caviar.
Carrot, Miso, Cabbage
Carrot cooked in miso stock, wild garlic & cabbage kimchi, topped with crispy onions and sweet onion ketchup.
Asparagus, Cheese, Lardo
Locally grown Ladysden Farm asparagus, Sussex Camembert smoked over oak wood chips, wafer thin slices of lardo from home reared Berkshire pigs, cured for nine months, with foraged dandylion flowers and three cornered leek.
Pork, Beans, Chilli
Local Mangalitsa pork cheeks, pressured cook to retain flavour, Boston style beans with smoked chilli & sausage meat and a touch of mustard.
Hogget, Potato, Mustard
Romney Hogget from the Pure Meat Company, which is just over a year old and has a richer, more complex flavour than lamb. Served with crushed La Ratte potatoes grown on The Morghew Estate, Tenterden, mustard made from homegrown mustard seeds and sautéed mustard leaves. Topped with a crispy sweetbread, brushed with fermented honey to accentuate the sweetness.
Meadowsweet, Rhubarb, Oats
Yoghurt from Hinxden Dairy infused with Meadowsweet, with its vanilla and tonka bean notes, crispy oat granola with Goudhurst honey and homegrown rhubarb.
To finish... Walnut nougat and warm honey madeleines made with Goudhurst honey.
Farm and Forage at The Small Holding
Available on Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the Summer from 1 May until 29 August, the Farm and Forage experience is £145 per person and includes a 5-course lunch from the Half Acre menu, arrival drink and a goody bag with seasonal treats to take home.
or by calling the restaurant on 01892 890105.
Sponsored by The Small Holding. All thoughts and opinions are my own