The Fordwich Arms

The Fordwich Arms: Michelin-starred seasonal cooking in Fordwich, Kent

The Fordwich Arms is a Michelin-starred restaurant located in Fordwich, England's smallest town, in the county of Kent. The establishment occupies a historic building beside the River Stour and combines a 1930s bar with an oak-panelled dining room and three open fires. Since Daniel and Natasha Smith took ownership in 2017, the restaurant has become firmly established as one of the country's finest, according to its own presentation.

Spaces and atmosphere

The venue retains the character of the old pub and offers food and drink service both indoors and, during the summer months, on a riverside terrace. The food is served in a relaxed pub setting, with both à la carte and tasting menu options.

Food offering

Dan Smith's cooking is described as refined yet approachable, with seasonal menus that prioritise provenance and Kentish produce, sourced directly from local farms and suppliers. The offering includes an à la carte menu, tasting menu, set menu and wine list.

Among the dishes that appear on the sample menus are:

• Maldon rock oysters with mignonette, and poached oysters with smoked butter, cucumber and caviar.
• N25 Oscietra caviar (30 g) with vanilla blini and spring onion crème fraîche.
• Chicken liver parfait with Sauternes, beetroot and warm doughnuts.
• Butternut squash dumpling, sage, toasted buckwheat and smoked butter.
• Hay-smoked Chalk Stream trout, confit, gooseberry, cucumber and smoked butter.
• Glazed veal sweetbread with pearl barley and vadouvan spiced sauce.
• BBQ Scottish langoustine with gooseberry, cauliflower and langoustine butter sauce.
• South Coast hake with almond, coco bean and lemon verbena.
• 38-day dry-aged Hereford beef sirloin with shortrib, turnip and pickled cucumber.
• Roast Huntsham Farm suckling pig with carrot and apricot.
• Pithivier of Black Bomber cheese and leek with celeriac and Madeira.
• To share: 1 kg dry-aged Hereford beef rib, served with creamed potatoes, hispi cabbage, garden salad and pickled walnut.

The Sunday menu includes roasts of Hereford beef, Gloucester Old Spot pork, Blackface lamb loin and Black Bomber pithivier, accompanied by roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, glazed carrot, hispi cabbage, Tenderstem broccoli and cauliflower cheese. South Coast hake and Gloucester Old Spot pork to share are also offered.

Desserts include a Fordwich Arms Snickers with Madagascan vanilla and peanut parfait, Kentish strawberry tart with elderflower, yoghurt mousse and strawberry ice cream, and Kentish cherry choux bun with toasted vanilla and cherry ice cream. The cheese board offers a selection of three cheeses from the trolley.

The tasting menu includes snacks, Fordwich Arms' bread service, Chalk Stream trout, chicken liver parfait, native lobster with turnip, nettle and lobster butter sauce, South Coast hake, Hereford beef with Roscoff onion, pickled walnut and morel, and Fordwich Arms chocolate Snickers, with petit four. It is offered with wine pairing.

Menus and service conditions

The tasting menu is available for all group sizes. The à la carte menu is available for groups of up to five people; for groups of six to nine diners, a reduced version of the carte is offered. The set menu is available Tuesday to Thursday for both lunch and dinner, and also at Friday lunch. It is not available throughout December.

Dietary requirements and allergies can be accommodated with a minimum of 48 hours' notice. The published menus are samples and are subject to change. A discretionary 12.5% service charge is added to the bill. Food is cooked to order, so there may be a short wait during busy periods.

Opening hours

The pub opens Tuesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 23:00 and on Sundays from 12:00 to 20:00. Food service is Tuesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 14:30 and from 18:00 to 21:30, and on Sundays from 12:00 to 16:00. The establishment opens on bank holidays, but closes the following Tuesday.

Reservations and contact

The restaurant offers table booking through its website and has a reservations email address. It also has gift vouchers and hosts events.

Location and contact

Phone: 01227 286690 · Email: reservations@fordwicharms.co.uk · Hours: Pub: Tuesday to Saturday 12:00 – 23:00; Sunday 12:00 – 20:00. Food: Tuesday to Saturday 12:00 – 14:30 and 18:00 – 21:30; Sunday 12:00 – 16:00.