A Sunday Lunch in the Country

Sunday Roasts are the fundamental part of every weekend. Whether they're consumed at home or in a Country Pub off the M25 they make the world a better place.

This Sunday we all popped off to The Stile Bridge just outside of Maidstone. The pub has been listed as one of the best CAMRA pubs in 2014, so expectations were high. To make things even better, the pub itself is independent, which is quite refreshing as just about every street is now littered with Wetherspoons.

Initial thoughts upon arrival were great. It was a truly traditional country pub in every sense; beer mats on the walls, different size pint glasses hanging from the ceiling and, the most exciting feature (other than the alcohol), an open roaring fire. The smell from the fire was fantastic, filling the room with that beautiful, wintery, smoky smell. Traditional pub quirks carried on throughout the restaurant, with big oak beams and bunting hanging over our heads. We had stumbled upon a great pub.

The Stile Bridge had an amazing selection of beers and gins; I opted for a pint of Whitstable Bay blonde lager, which was one of the CAMRA lagers on offer. It was great, really light with a fruity twist, and a nice change to the usual lager that I go for.

Crab Salad 

On to the food then.. after all, it's what we were there for. The Stile has an extensive but enticing menu, including a great range of specials, ranging from a duck and plum salad to artichoke soup. All 13 of us opted for the specials; I went for the crab salad, which was refreshing and light with its mayonnaise base and red onions. It was a perfect way to start the meal.

Duck and Plum Salad 

Despite the slow service our mains arrived. I had the roast beef with yorkshire pudding and seasonal vegetables. To be perfectly honest the roast wasn't the best I have ever had, the veg was a little tight as we only had two small bowls to go around 13 people. The beef was perfectly cooked but the yorkshire pudding was very heavy and not the usual fluffy goodness you would expect. Extra gravy was supplied though, which is always good as I can never get enough.

Chocolate Brownie 

Despite being full, there was room for dessert. Sticky toffee pudding, which is one of my all time favourites, was on the menu. I rejoiced, thinking this would redeem the average roast! But there was bad news. The dreaded nut. Oh how I hate it when places put nuts in their stickty toffee pudding. There was nothing else I fancied, so I sat there sulking for a bit. That got even worse, as everyone else had dessert and I ended up with food envy looking at the cheese boards, treacle tarts and brownies. They all looked amazing!

All in all the Stile Bridge was a lovely pub, and the staff were helpful and smiley. But the service was slow and the roast just didn't give me the warm fuzzy feeling that I usual get. After all, a roast is a special dish which just makes you feel amazing on a cold, wintery Sunday.

I would go back again however, just to try some more of the beers. The burgers also looked delicious and have been recommended.