The Oak on the Green

Bearsted Green, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 4EJ

After a good couple of hours of rambling around the public footpaths and countryside of Bearsted, near Maidstone in Kent, my partner, a couple of friends and I decided to have a late lunch at the Oak on the Green. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon so we opted to sit outside in the beer garden/terrace at the front of the establishment. The first thing I noticed was that although the place was busy and clearly popular, the staff seemed to have things under control and had a professional and smiley demeanour.

Looking around, the Oak was being patronised by all generations of the community and was clearly a very child and family friendly venue. Although not technically 'on' the green, the pub is just off it and sitting outside we had a lovely view across it and of the surrounding village of Bearsted. The table at which we sat had had a big spillage of soup by the previous customers, but as soon as we mentioned this to the waitress it was quickly cleaned up efficiently and with professionalism. There was a lovely friendly atmosphere about the place and the food arriving at people's tables looked delightful anyway, without even taking into account our collective ravenousness as a result of our hiking!

Inside there was a really nice country feel with dimmed lighting, candles, lots of oak beams, laughter and general relaxed fun being had. I spotted plenty of high chairs and even some colouring-in books which I am sure is a godsend for those with restless children. On the subject of the little people, although we did not have any with us and I am not a parent, I did notice that the children's menu appeared to be more varied than you would normally expect to find in a pub and certainly reasonably priced.

I went in to order the first round of drinks and was informed of the food ordering system. You take a wooden spoon table number from the table by the front door and you can either pay for everything upfront at the till when ordering or you can start a tab. As well as the bottle of red wine that the four of us were going to share, I also ordered a soda water and fresh lime to quench my thirst. Unfortunately, the barman put lime cordial in by mistake and when i pointed this out he remained confused, I think because he was foreign, possibly eastern european. To be fair though, throughout the rest of the afternoon he was extremely attentive and polite.

To eat we selected some olives to start, the mussels and chips, the scampi and two large cookhouse burgers. All portions were delightfully generous and the dishes had a real wow factor as they were eventually brought to the table, especially the burgers! I say eventually, not in a negative way, but because when eating at the Oak, as it clearly states on the menu, everything is cooked from fresh so please be patient and you will not be disappointed. The prices are certainly not cheap, but considering the plentiful helpings, the surroundings of the village and the general country experience, I think we were all in agreement they are pretty reasonable.

After eating we went for a stroll around and were even able to sit for a while and enjoy the typically English experience of watching cricket on the village green. Due to the sun and humidity we soon got thirsty though, so popped in to the White Horse, on the opposite side of the green to the Oak. Disappointingly the service here was almost the polar opposite of that which we had received at our luncheon venue, it was slow, rude and uninformed. That was only for four simple soft drinks, lord only knows how they handle large food orders. I shall not be giving them my custom anytime in the future.

As it was becoming a beautiful evening and we didn't want to head home just yet or stay at the White Horse, we agreed to walk back round to the Oak for a final parting drink and to end the day on a positive note. This time I had a delicious orange juice and lemonade and my partner a Virgin Mary which is a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary but was made with just as much care and attention to detail and tasted superb.

Also in the area, there is a classy looking restaurant next to the Oak called Fish on the Green, which we intend to visit in the near future after reading the menu. There is a Marriot hotel a short drive away and the Tudor Park Hotel a pleasant fifteen minute walk away.

In summary, I can highly recommend the Oak on the Green and their locally sourced seasonal food to anyone who is going to visit the area. I would advise, however, to possibly book a table in advance because it is very popular, particularly on a sunny day and there is limited al-fresco seating.

DEL
August 2011

THE BILL

1 x mcguigan shiraz 14.50
1 x olives 2.75
1 x moules frittes 10.35
1 x scampi 9.25
2 x LARGE burger 30.40

TOTAL £52.75