Festive Dining: Duke of Wellington

From a series of three blog posts on Festive December Dining.

I’m a fan of local places and I love a good pub that serves delicious grub. Set in the small village of Ryarsh, Kent, the bar and restaurant has a lovely warm and cosy interior, and is seconds away from the beautiful countryside’s of Kent. Sourcing locally produced ingredients, the Duke of Wellington serves a good variety of quality foods.

The highlight

The overall experience at this pub restaurant is what makes it a great place to go. I’ve been several times, and am never let down by food or service. The local charm of the pub is something I hope it never loses. The full Christmas Party menu takes care of you well – a 3 course meal with mince pies and coffee at £24 is certainly a winner in my books. The three of us were sat in our own booth, with Christmas crackers and a little heater.

Our table set out in our own little booth

The food

I really enjoyed my meal and the combination of dishes that I had.

The stuff aubergines for start were a lovely combination of flavours. It was nice and light too, which for me, made it a great start to the meal.

Italian-Style stuffed aubergine with rocket leaves and balsamic glaze

The venison was cooked wonderfully. Really tender and the jus was a great accompaniment. I really enjoyed the celeriac chips. I enjoy normal chips, but this was a great alternative option I’d definitely have again. This was served with a side of veggies too.

Peppered pave of venison with celeriac chips and juniper jus

I’d forgotten what I had ordered for dessert as it was all pre-booked and ordered a while ago. Turns out that I didn’t go for a good helping of chocolate, but decided to go for something fruity and different to usual. It was a great choice in the end. Nothing too heavy and I enjoyed having something fresh at the end of the meal. Maybe I enjoyed the ice cream more…

Warm Amaretto soaked cherries
and clotted cream ice-cream

Mince pies and coffee made a good end to a festive meal with my lovely friends.

Mince pies!

More info

Duke of Wellington, Birling Rd, Ryarsh, West Malling, ME19 5LS
Website: www.dukeofwellingtonryarsh.com