Eat, Drink and Be Merry: Let’s Start with the Drink and Be Merry!

By CadyLuck Leedy on November 22, 2015

During my English Garden Tour we based in the countryside outside of Tenterden, Kent. It was a wise decision, because it was near the beautiful and busy market town of Tenterden, but we still could enjoy the peace of the countryside. Some of our best finds were found on the small lane that took us out of Tenterden to the Bullein B&B. One find was the Smallhythe Place, country home of Ellen Terry, (see previous posts about that) and right up the lane from the cottage was the Chapel Down Vineyard. What a great surprise that was! It is rated the top vineyard in the UK for sparkling wines, Curious Beers and ciders! So one Sunday afternoon we took it upon ourselves to partake of the vineyard. Poor pitiful Us!  Ha Ha!

Chapel Down Winery is set in a charming and well kept garden surrounded by the vineyards. As the crow flies we could have walked there from the B&B. So, it really was a three fold visit, it had a lovely garden, and an inviting vineyard, wine and specialty food shop. Topping off the day we ate at the fantastic Swan Restaurant on the premises!  I will talk about the The Swan Restaurant in my next post!

First I had to visit the garden!

What a great place for a wedding! Everything you need right here!

There is the wine tasting  area in the large barn-like building, which features  the award- winning wine along with local cheeses, chutney, hand-made chocolates, and artisan biscuits.  The staff are very helpful and knowledgable. While we were there many people were stocking up with cases and cases of wine!

This is what I learned………..

The Curious Beer, made by the Kent winemaker, has been named one of the world’s best lager’s in the industry. The International Beer Challenge, which has judged the best beers in the world for the past sixteen years, awarded Chapel Down the Gold Medal for the Curious Brew! With over four hundred brew entries Chapel Down had the best of its class! Using East Anglian malt, saaz and cascade hops, they re-ferment the lager using champagne yeast to make a highly drinkable and refreshing lager beer.  The sparkling wines and beers have been served at Buckingham Palace and were featured during the wedding celebrations of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Curious Brew is currently served on draught at Jamie Oliver’s Union Jack restaurants and Jamie’s Italians, The Swan at London’s Globe Theatre, the Royal Opera House, as well as independent pubs in the south east. We were so lucky to stumble across this place! If it’s good enough for the queen it’s good enough for me!

We chose to eat at the Swan Restaurant, (a reservation is highly recommended) and try the different beverages with our meal!  What a lovely day out! Do not miss the Chapel Down Winery and Swan Restaurant in Tenterden!  Now let’s go in The Swan and check out the menu!